How was it, Amanda? Can't wait to read your review!
It was amazing
! Sorry for not posting earlier, I've had to make up a lot of school work from the University for missing class while I was in Indianapolis.
So another time. Hahaha, sorry, but I'm sure Amanda's review would be a lot like mine, probably better, since I have a flair of adding in irrelevant information. =D
Whenever you have the time hun! We're both flooded with school work - no rush at all *hug* ! Thank you so much for attending the screening with me
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Wendy emailed me Sunday morning to let me know that there was going to be a screening of “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” the following night in Los Angeles. I had just returned home to Los Angeles from Indianapolis & I knew I definitely wanted to see this film again straight away, I went to Ticket Master & bought a couple of tickets & then proceeded to the theatre’s official website to find directions & a phone number & found a short description of the screening & what would take place at the event.
At the very end of the description I read that David would be the guest speaker. I was in complete shock, I had just seen David a few days ago…& I would see him in person again tomorrow night? I bought these tickets before I knew he would be there & I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go after all, deep down I was paranoid that if he saw me he may think I was following/stalking him or something.
I gave Sam (Jivefish) a call & asked her if she wanted the tickets & then after much discussion, I decided to go after all. Straight after my classes at the University I drove to the theatre in Los Angeles & met Sam in the parking lot of the theatre. We sat in her car & worked on our college homework & talked about the event in Indianapolis. I also told her about my nervousness of seeing David again so soon & she kept reassuring me that everything would be fine.
I thought our tickets were assigned seating, but after entering the theatre they told us we could sit wherever we wanted. We chose the first row of the theatre so we can catch everything during the Q&A for the site. I spoke to the coordinator of the theatre, shook her hand, & spoke to her for a while about the film & the audience’s response to it in Indianapolis.
Stephen Farber came onstage to speak about the film & the cast & crew. He praised David tremendously & listed off some of the films David was best known for. He went on to list off some of David’s famous co-stars, one of the co-stars he mentioned was Marlon Brando & he said that “The Island of Dr. Moreau” was one of Marlon & David’s greatest films. Sam & I just looked at each other with wide eyes & whispered to each other “if David is here already & he just heard that…he is probably shaking his head…” everyone knows how much David despises that film O_O .
Then Stephen let the audience know that David would be the night’s guest speaker. It was at least a 10-15 minute introduction before the film began.
There was a different response to the film at the end of this screening then there was in Indianapolis. This time the crowd clapped & cheered straight away at the beginning of the credits & the hall was instantly filled with discussion on the film. Stephen came back out on the stage with David & the crowd cheered again.
David walked up on stage & looked around the audience, he looked directly at where Sam & I were sitting & I gave him a small wave. He looked at me with wide eyes, did a double take & jumped a bit. He had a huge smile on his face & pointed at me & mouthed, “You’re here!” & as he began to sit in his seat he pointed at us again & smiled.
I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t speak to him prior to him getting up on the stage, I didn’t tell him my name or anything about the site. He recognized me out of the crowd (I didn’t think he would at all) & was excited. I began feeling a lot better because he wasn’t freaked out I was at another event in a different state a few days later; he was thrilled to see us!
I thought this Q&A was interesting (& quite hilarious at times too!) some audience members asked really good questions but there was also a handful of questions that we’re very
odd. David was asked some of the same questions from articles & interviews, but here are some of the things he shared with the crowd;
He had met John Boyne (the author) during filming just once & it was during the funeral scene. He says he’s gotten to know John a lot more since he’s traveled with him to the premieres, press tours (& plane trips) that they’ve been attending. He said that John was at his house the previous night & that he wanted his picture taken in front of the Hollywood sign (as close as possible!).
John posted the photo at his blog already:
Hollywood Picture.
David shared with us a bit about the two child actors, Jack & Asa & told us about how they were cast. He also told us that Asa was obsessed with Amber (the actress who plays his sister) & that she was his ‘first love’.
David answered a question about the uniforms. He told us they were all authentic uniforms actually designed by Hugo Boss (very interesting!). Then he proceeded to tell us a joke about two Nazi soldiers in the trenches arguing about the skulls on their caps (I can PM it to anyone who’d like to hear it - I think he mentioned it was from a 'Monty Python' skit). David was excited about the joke as he was telling it & some people laughed at the end of it & he was like “like I said…it’s not my joke, but I thought it was funny” (Sam & I were cracking up, we thought it was great!). The look on his face while he was telling the joke was adorable, he was all lit up & excited to reach the ending, definitely my favorite part of the entire Q&A.
He mentioned visiting a cafe in Hungary & speaking to the locals. Ever since then, several people in the crowd kept asking him over & over & over again about his experience talking with the locals in the ‘coffee shop’. Finally David asked them, “What’s with this fascination of ‘the coffee’ shop? This is the second or third question so far!” Sam & I were cracking up because we had just asked ourselves that by the third question.
Someone didn’t word something very well to David & confused him (& all of us). A man told him, “during the film, like Harry Potter, your character was so sincere & then I just wanted to stand up & yell at you during the middle of the film because you were making me so angry!” David was confused & joked around a bit & said, ”Wait. What? In Harry Potter? You hated me in Harry Potter?!” Everyone laughed because we knew that this man had meant David’s character in the recent film, not Harry Potter, but he had just worded it so awkwardly!
Another audience member asked him a question that was worded a bit strangely; it was about David’s character transition from being a loving father to a monster. He asked David, “How did you make the transition so well? From being the father in the shirt, pants, socks & underwear to the Nazi soldier” or something like that. But David had this look on his face like…”what? Underwear?” Again, the first few rows started laughing because we saw the look on David’s face during that part of the question.
Someone asked him about the soundtrack of the film & how David felt about it. David said that until the ending of the film that he realized James Horner conducted the score & mentioned that he would like to meet him someday.
Later, David brought up the directors he’s worked with; Ridley Scott, Bertulluci, Mike Leigh, etc. & when he said Mike’s name a couple of people in the crowd started clapping & David looked at them towards the back & asked “Mike? Is that you?!” & everyone started laughing hysterically, it was classic.
David let the audience know that he came in & watched the last scene of the film with us (& mentioned that the final scene is actually the last scene they filmed). He's seen the film five times & each time he's seen it, he admitted that it's made him cry.
Stephen closed up the Q&A with praises for the film & thanked David tremendously for being there tonight for the session. David stood up from his seat & greeted a few people that came up to the stage to shake his hand & praise his performance. He saw Sam & I & told us to meet him at the side of the stage. Sam & I gathered our things & waited for him & talked about the Q&A session, as David remained on-stage talking to admirers.
He made his way down the staircase & said “nice to see you again sweetheart” & gave me a hug & a kiss. I greeted him & told him “Thank you so much for the time you spent with us in Indianapolis, it was an honor” he said “of course, it was lovely seeing you all” & I gave him a ‘thank you’ card & showed him the photo we took with him a few days ago & he said that he’d already seen it on the site (we haven’t posted it on the main page yet, we’ve only posted it here on the forums) so he’s definitely been around these threads in the past few days.
I introduced him to Sam (Jivefish) & he said “Hello, nice to meet you! I recognize you from those Disneyland pictures”. I said, “Oh! You opened the package? Did you like it?” & David said, “Yes! Thank you, I haven’t had a chance to listen to the CDs yet though.”
He was being pressured to head outside for his car, we took a quick photo together & I thanked him again & said it was very nice seeing him again & we gave each other one more hug.
Sam & I walked out of the door behind us & David was walking in front of us not too far away. Sam asked if I wanted to go somewhere & grab coffee & I said, “that sounds great right now” because I couldn’t believe I had just seen him again. She wanted to drop a few things off in her car & I told her I’d wait for her on the side so we can discuss where to go grab coffee from there. I ended up waiting directly next to where David was standing & I couldn’t move. I kept thinking “Maybe I should’ve followed Sam to her car…he’s going to wonder why I’m standing there….does he know I’m standing next to him? Should I say something? No I shouldn’t…he’s done too much for us already…he’s going to think I’m very strange for speaking to him a second time tonight” & I just couldn't move, I was frozen solid.
Sam started walking back towards me from her car & I glanced over at David & noticed that he was alone with someone else & I thought “…why don’t I just tell him ‘goodnight’ or something & thank him for tonight.”
I approached him & apologized to him straight away for approaching him a second time. I told him again how he & Anna have been have impacted my life & he asked me, “Why? What have we done for you? I don’t understand…I know its something about the website”. I didn’t know what to say at first, but I told him that before knowing about him & Anna, I didn’t know what I wanted to do in my life, I didn’t really care about going to college because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study or anything. When I started ‘Thewlis Rox’ I really enjoyed building & maintaining a site & making the graphics for it. I remember thinking, ‘can I make a career out of this?’ I found out I could pursue a career in Web Design/Graphics & I was excited & decided to enroll at a University in Los Angeles a few weeks later & from then on have been studying design ever since & I’m very happy with my career choice, I love it.
Because of what I feel about David, Anna & their work, I started the site & was inspired to enroll in college as a Designer. Graphic Design is something I will be doing for the rest of my life. It’s what I’ll be sitting in an office doing for 30 or 40 maybe 50 years of my life & someday it’ll be the income that will put food on the table for my family & a roof over our heads, etc. And I’m happy with my career, I have no idea what I’d be studying right now if I hadn’t been inspired by David to start ‘Thewlis Rox’.
I can completely understand how it confuses him, maybe it still does…
I finally told him in person that he is my hero…it just came out & I said to him…“You’re my hero”. I was desperately trying not to cry after that, because I didn’t know what David would think or say about what I had just said…he is my hero, my inspiration, my role model, someone I look up to greatly, I think very highly of him & admire him tremendously. I was always too nervous the first two times I met him to tell him personally that he is my hero, I thought he might think I was crazy or something.
I was too afraid to look up at him after that, but his response was “Bless You”.
I was about to tell him ‘goodnight’ because I had felt like I’d probably said too much as it was. I knew he probably wanted to go home as soon as possible to be with Anna & Gracie & I didn’t want to hold him back any longer from going home to his wonderful family.
Before I said anything, he asked how my schooling was going. I told him things were going very well & he asked Sam what she was pursuing. They talked about filming for a while because Sam is involved in film editing. He wished her the best of luck & told her it could be a pain at times. He very briefly told us about his directing experience for “Cheeky” & we both told him we love that film & he smiled. I asked him if he’d consider a film adaptation for his novel, “The Late Hector Kipling”. He said he’d been approached about making it into a film, but is afraid they might make too many mistakes & it might not turn out they way he’d like it to.
A couple of people walked up to him & said “we knew we’d find you by the end of the night” & he responded “I’m not hard to miss!” they laughed & he signed their programs. Afterwards, David’s car pulled in & was ready to take him home. We said ‘goodbye’ to David & we gave each other one last hug & he said to Sam, “it was nice meeting you again!”
We walked back to Sam’s car & I had to lean up on the side of her door for awhile to calm down a bit, I was extremely close to crying when I’d spoken to David that second time. I was afraid if it had been a right or wrong decision to approach him again outside, the last thing I want to do is to ever make him feel uncomfortable or awkward. Even though I knew everything was probably fine, I was still a bit panicky.
Sam & I finally decided to go to the “Bourgeois Pig” café in Hollywood & spent quite a long time there talking & recapping the night.
David, thank you again for your kindheartedness & for speaking with me twice that night. It’s an honor to meet & speak with you again, all these moments I’ve spent with you after events are more could ever ask for & I am very thankful. I can never put into words how much all of this means to me.
Thank you so much.
- Amanda
20 Oct 2008, 05:52
. would have loved to of gone and to thank him too for helping me. Without him I think I would still be stuck in a dead end job being a right moody so and so LOL, but I got inspired to write, I used to have help at school, for English, but ever since I started to watch his work, become a fan, read his book, In that time I went to college again, and passed English! I was chuffed, HP RP has helped a lot [as I rp'd from POA], just started out as a hobby, but from that I can write and write and write, love it! want to make my own book one day, just have no idea how to get it out there lol, Know it is a little thing in general, just writing little stories on here, but thanks to David he has made my life, get that push forward it needed.. there is more to it, but it is rather personal. David helped A LOT all his work inspired me, and I wanted to make something out of my life, so I can be who I am, and live life to its full just wish I could thank him 
... think I will stop now, have the flue and think I might be rambling 
. Hopefully someday I will have that chance, it would make my life complete!
