19 Oct 2008, 13:07
The entire crowd was silent throughout the credits, a moment of silence in remembrance of the events that took place. There was not a person in the audience who did not have tears in their eyes. I proceeded to the lobby after the credits to make my way to the press area for the Q&A. I saw viewers exiting the screening holding each other, crying & standing/sitting against the walls of the theatre. It was something I had never seen an audience do at the end of a film, just witnessing how it affected each and every viewer so powerfully was unbelievable.
I was instantly impacted throughout this entire film. I already knew what was going to happen at the ending, during the film I was dreading seeing the final scene. It was visually scarier seeing it on film then I had imagined it. After the ending I sat in my seat just stunned. The shock, realization & remembrance of the horrors of the holocaust and how it affected (and is still affecting) the lives of millions of people around the world.
David was outstanding, by far one of his finest performances of all time. His powerful on-screen presence was mesmerizing & he portrayed his character beautifully. David and the entire cast were unbelievable; I cannot give enough praise to all of them for their beautiful performances in the film.
Tannim contacted the Heartland Film Festival to check about the photography restrictions and they put her in touch with Margaret Henney, who was handling press and public relations for the festival. After finally getting in contact with each other, Jennifer (Tannim) explained to her that she, Mandi, & I planned on attending the event and that she wanted to cover press & photography for our non-profit organization (Thewlis Rox). For weeks Tannim sent back & forth emails with Margaret to prepare our paperwork & badges for when we arrived at the screening.
After waiting for a few hours we made our way downstairs for cocktails & were chatting when Jen looked up & noticed that David had entered the room along with Mark Herman (the director) & John Boyne (author of the novel). We remained standing at our small table & occasionally peeked over at where David was standing. We noticed that he looked over in our direction & we couldn’t tell if he was peering over the crowd or if he noticed us in the room.
Shortly afterwards, we entered the beautiful dining room for dinner & were assigned to a table. David was sitting at one of the tables near the front & we were seated at a table near the back. I could barely eat my meal, just knowing he was a few tables away from us made me nervous. We looked over at David every once in awhile but tried not to as often as possible.
While we we’re chatting with the other attendees at the dinner table, Mandi noticed David turn around in his seat & look directly at our table & then turned back around. We had no idea if he knew it was us at the table, but we started to push these ideas aside thinking that maybe we were just being a bit too excited that he kept looking in our direction.
Before desert, donors & contributors of the festival were recognized for being a big part of the event & we applauded them. The announcer introduced the crowd to the president of Miramax films & then the cast & crew of the film. Afterwards, the cast left shortly after desert while the dinner guests were finishing up & then they re-directed us to the screening room. We sat on the top where the balcony was & quickly asked a staff member of the event where we should be directed to after the film since we were assigned to meet up with press directly afterwards. She told us that when the credits started to roll, we should make our way to the bottom seating area in front of the stage with the rest of the photographers.
After the film, we we’re all so impacted by the ending that everyone was silent & remained in their seats. I couldn’t move, the ending scene just kept replaying in my head several times & I was frozen to my seat. Only when the audience started to applaud that I was able to remember where we we’re supposed to be re-directed & Jen & I made our way downstairs with the rest of the press to cover the Q&A session with John, Mark & David.
We re-seated ourselves in the third row from the stage for the 45-minute Q&A session. While Tannim was recording the Q&A for the site, I was stunned that David was sitting directly in front of us. I was paying attention to the entire Q&A, but there were so many thoughts & emotions running through my mind. Memories of David’s presence in his film/television roles, articles I had read about him, remembering the spent countless hours & working for years on “Thewlis Rox” & how this incredible man has had such a large impact on my life. I just could not believe that my hero was sitting in front of me.
After the Q&A was completed, Jen & I gathered our press equipment (David remained onstage talking with fans). We pulled out our cell phones to call Wendy (Kileycat) another forum member & ask where she was seated so we can all go to the reception together. Wendy ended up running up behind our seats because she had recognized us from the site! I’m always very excited to meet the forum members, a lot of us had known each other for years & it was very nice to finally meet Wendy.
Jen & I noticed that David was still onstage speaking to fans below & we debated whether or not we should wait to approach him until the reception. We still weren’t sure if he had peered over at us periodically beforehand out of coincidence, or because he recognized us. We decided to quickly introduce ourselves & ask him if he was going to appear at the reception, so we made our way slowly up to the stage. As David was walking towards the end of the stage we caught eyes & he smiled at me, I nearly froze, but I managed to say ‘hi David!’ & he recognized me & his eyes immediately lit up & he got down on his knees while on the stage & said ‘how are you sweetheart?!’ & we hugged & he kissed my cheek.
David saw Jen next to me & looked at both of us & said “what?! You two are both here? How are you two both here at the same time?! Don’t you live in different cities?” We both chuckled & told him that I took a flight from Los Angeles to Detroit & Tannim & Mandi picked me up from the airport & the three of us drove from Detroit to Indianapolis.
I quickly told David that I thought the film was brilliant & that he was amazing in it. I noticed a few other fans had rushed up to see him & I quickly asked David if he was going to be at the reception so we can have a chance to talk to him for a bit longer there. He said, “Yes of course, please find me!”
Jen & I thanked him tremendously & when we turned around Mandi came bounding up to us holding the package we put together for him from ‘Thewlis Rox’. We started wondering if we should’ve given it to him while he was onstage because his personal assistant was there beside him & if we gave him the gift, we thought that he would probably end up carrying it around & it might be a bit too much for him. So we thought if we gave him our gift while he was still onstage, he’d probably hand it off to his PA & she would be able to keep it safe for him during the reception.
David was still on the stage with other fans, we waited until he was finished & then quickly approached him a second time & handed him the package. We told him that it was from the site & he thanked us for it & said “Another one?!” & he wanted to know what was inside of it! We talked for a bit & then his PA tapped him & told him that he needed to start making his way to the reception room, again we told him we’d meet him there & said goodbye again.
We made our way to the reception room & the four of us chatted for a while about the site. Jen & I still hadn’t seen David enter the room, but we both decided that even if he did arrive that we didn’t want to approach him until much later in the reception. We agreed it was finally time to take a break & use the restroom, lol. In the back of my head, I kept thinking to myself, “my luck, the one time we use the restroom tonight we’re going to run into David…”.
Sure enough it happened
.
We ran into David & his PA in the archway on our way to the restroom & his eyes grew wide as he saw us walk away from the reception & we told him that we weren’t leaving, we we’re coming back & he said “oh okay, thank you!”
When we made our way back through the lobby to the reception hall, we saw David walking back in forth in the lobby and talking on his cell phone. We waited inside the reception hall for him.
Jen & I really wanted to speak to John Boyne & congratulate him on his brilliant novel. We made our way towards him & we both shook his hand & praised his novel. Tannim told John that she is a teacher & she had a discussion in her class about the book & how all of her kids were excited to read it & see the film version. He told us that he loves hearing from teachers about how they’re sharing the story with their class & he thanked her.
We told John that we had been visiting his blog & keeping up with the film’s premiere locations & asked where the next screenings would be so we can tell as many people as we could where they can travel to see this wonderful film. He told us that their next stop was Los Angeles & that the screenings would be free to the public. He also told us that he’s been so happy traveling to all sorts of cities he’s never been to courtesy of Miramax, he was very excited about the rest of the tour!
We chatted for a while longer & Jen asked me if I could take a picture of her & John together. Afterwards, another fan came up to me & asked if I would like a picture with John too, I was thankful & she took a picture of Tannim & I with John. We immediately thanked John for spending time with us & for letting us know about the remaining screenings.
A few minutes later David made his way into the room & met up with Mark & John. He ordered a drink & spoke to a few fans. We stood a bit far off because we wanted him to share time with all other guests first because we had already spoken to him earlier. They called for all press to take photos of the entire cast together, so Jen & I stood with the other photographers & took loads of photos for the site.
Afterwards we ran into Margaret! She was the one who set us up with the press passes & we hugged her & thanked her tremendously for organizing all of this for us. She wanted to make sure we we’re getting all of the coverage we needed & asked if we we’re having a good time. We told her we were having an incredible evening & we gave her huge hugs & told her we we’re very grateful for everything she’d done for the site & us.
About 10-20 minutes later, we slowly made our way a bit closer to David because every time he would make a step towards us (or anywhere) someone would rush up to greet him, so we continued to wait patiently. Awhile later he walked up to us & said “I didn’t forget about you” & he hugged me and Tannim again & he gave us another kiss on our cheeks.
We all re-introduced ourselves to him & Tannim introduced him to Mandi (it was her first time meeting him). We told him that we received press passes for the event & he was excited & wanted to know how we were able to get our hands on them. We told him that Tannim sent an email to the press coordinator of the event & explained to them that we were a non-profit organization that runs a website dedicated to him.
David mentioned something about forgetting the date of the event in Indianapolis (or he wanted to find more information about it), so he told us he went straight to ‘Thewlis Rox’ to find out the information he needed! He also told us that sometimes instead of speaking to or phoning his agent, he comes to ‘Thewlis Rox’ to find out about what’s been published (his recent articles, photos, event dates, etc.) & told us that we help him out greatly with keeping up on what’s going on media-wise because most of the time he’s been uniformed about what does & doesn’t get published.
He confirmed that he visits the site almost every week & he visits the forum & browses through the threads. He uses the website to keep up on things & checks in for references!
I asked him how he originally found ‘Thewlis Rox’ & he told me that he found it through various links & what attracted him to visit the site was the name ‘Thewlis Rox’ because in Blackpool (where he was raised) there is a place called ‘Blackpool Rox’ spelled the SAME way we spell ‘rox’ as R-O-X. I was in shock, I had no idea about this place & it was such a crazy coincidence (the spelling, location & everything!).
He wanted to clear up some rumors on the site from some of the speculation around the main site & forums;
David has not heard of the film, The Yellow Mark, & he hasn’t been approached to play a role in it.
Angel Makers will not be happening, he still does not know much about the status of the film.
David is writing/working on another screenplay and he’s written several short stories.
His second book is coming along very well!
He was misquoted regarding his role in the next two Harry Potter films – he stated that he ‘did not appear much in the previous two films’. No word on how much he will be in the last two films
!
He’s read the script for a new film entitled Mr. Nice & if he signs on for the film, he will be starring in it with Rhys Ifans (who he has been mistaken for several times in the past – even at the festival people were mistaking him for Rhys!).
His quote about wanting the role as ‘the Sheppard’ in his school play is true! He told us that he really did want that role & was disappointed when he didn’t get it.
Then David wanted to know what was in the envelope we gave him & we told him that it was the ‘iProject’ an assortment of albums & music from his fans from all over the world. He asked again what exactly was in the package & we told him ‘CDs’ for him to put on his iPod for when he travels, music from his fans for him to listen to & enjoy. He loved it! He said it was a great idea & he was very excited about it!
We also told him that letters from his fans that couldn’t make it to the event were in the package & he appreciated that all of you wrote him a letter. We also told him that there were new cards from Tannim’s class & he was excited about that too! He apologized for not having written back to them last year & admits that he is horrible/terrible with his fan mail. He was explaining to Tannim that he adored the book & told her where it was located in his house & how he looks at it from time to time.
David was also excited that he & Tannim were in the same article! He congratulated her on the grant from Jenny Jones. I told David that I had recently made Tannim my co-administrator (Jen told him she felt like a spammer, & he mentioned that he notices her name all the time on the boards!). I made Tannim co-administrator due to current events in my life, my last year of college around the corner, having three jobs & my recent engagement to my boyfriend, Scott. I was very touched when he congratulated us on our engagement…I was speechless!
We told David about our trip for Thewlis fans to Disneyland & he wanted to hear all about it! We told him we had a fantastic time & that Sam was putting together a video blog of the entire event & that we would put on the site for him to see. Then he told us that he took Gracie to Disneyland for her birthday & she was excited when the Little Mermaid waved to her!
We also told him we went to Comic Con this year & we had the blessed opportunity to meet Anna again & he told me he’d seen the photos & knew I’d met Anna a few times this year. I was carrying the photo of David, Anna, Gracie & myself from our meeting last year & he said “Oh I remember this!” & I thanked him again for the night that I had met them both & told him that what they did for me was a life changing experience & that I would be forever grateful to both of them for that wonderful moment they spent with me. He kept saying “no problem no problem, of course!”
I asked him how Anna was feeling about the ratings of Pushing Daisies this year, because we hadn’t heard anything about how any of the cast members felt about the shows low ratings lately. He told us that he was aware Pushing Daisies was not doing well this season. He asked if we knew what the ratings were for the last episode & we told him the ratings of the past few episodes & how the third episode dropped even further this week.
He said Anna was fine about it & that she didn’t want to be known as ‘Chuck’ from Pushing Daisies forever & says that she has been offered more roles that she’s excited about. He also told us that even if things don’t work out with the show that they will still be living/staying in Los Angeles for a while.
During our conversation, every once in awhile a fan would poke in asking for a photo with him or his autograph & they would usually say ‘I loved you in Harry Potter!’ & he would politely say ‘thank you’ & then turn right back to us & continue our conversation. After he told us about Anna not wanting to be known as ‘Chuck’ forever, he also mentioned that he was a bit tired of people relating him constantly as ‘Remus’ from Harry Potter.
We all started to notice that the group of fans around us had grown huge, but David continued to talk with us. We asked him for a photo of all of us together because I thought he would probably like to have a chance to meet & speak with his other fans & a photo of all of us together would be the perfect chance to say ‘goodbye’ & ‘thank you’ to him.
Since he was holding his drink & couldn’t find anyone or a place to put it down I offered to hold it for him & he told me that I could have it if I wanted it (I was tempted, lol!) So I held his drink for a while before someone from the press grabbed it from me so it wouldn’t be in the photo, haha!
Wendy took the photo of us together & David said, “I’ll be looking for that photo on the site & if I don’t like it, I’m going to tell you all to remove it” & we started laughing.
We were very sure that after the group photo that this would be our final moment with David, but we were very surprised when he kept carrying on with our conversation! After awhile longer, his personal assistant grabbed him really quickly & told him that the car was waiting for him outside to take everyone back to the hotel because they had to fly back to Los Angeles at 4.30 am. He told her “please let me say goodbye”.
David turned to us & told us goodbye & thanked us for being there at the event & we thanked him in return for all of the time he spent with us. He gave us all a hug and a kiss on the cheek & then he turned to me & I gave him a huge hug & kiss in return. He told me to keep up the good work on the site & that he was thankful for our time, hard work, effort & he was very appreciative for everything we’ve done for him & said that he couldn’t wait to see us again. I shook his hand & told him “love you, love your work, thank you very much” & as he was leaving I saw him peer over his shoulder & smile at us.
When he left we all stood there speechless unable to believe that it all actually happened. We were all in so much shock & it took us quite awhile to register everything. We we’re so honored & speechless.
We finally started making our way out of the lobby to the outside of the theatre to our car & saw David outside of the entrance smoking a cigarette. No idea how we keep running into him, I was starting to get paranoid around every corner! We went outside towards Wendy’s vehicle to say goodbye to her. David saw us leave & smiled & we all yelled “Bye David!” He smiled & said “goodbye!” in return & “have a safe trip home!”
While we were in the car making our way out of the parking lot, we saw him again (in the ‘heartland’ transportation vehicle) exiting the same direction & we were on the same road behind them for a bit as we made our way to our hotel. Their vehicle went down a different direction after a street or two & we waved as we headed out. Like I mentioned, no idea how we kept running into him, even all the way to the end of the night O_O !
To David, my hero in life, I can never thank you enough or express in words how grateful I am for both times I’ve met you & you’ve been so kind & wonderful. I personally want to thank you for everything you mentioned about ‘Thewlis Rox’, I’ve worked on this website for years & to hear from you that you visit & appreciate all of the hard work that has been put into it, this was an honor beyond belief.
Thank you David. Thank you so much.
- Amanda
I was instantly impacted throughout this entire film. I already knew what was going to happen at the ending, during the film I was dreading seeing the final scene. It was visually scarier seeing it on film then I had imagined it. After the ending I sat in my seat just stunned. The shock, realization & remembrance of the horrors of the holocaust and how it affected (and is still affecting) the lives of millions of people around the world.
David was outstanding, by far one of his finest performances of all time. His powerful on-screen presence was mesmerizing & he portrayed his character beautifully. David and the entire cast were unbelievable; I cannot give enough praise to all of them for their beautiful performances in the film.
Tannim contacted the Heartland Film Festival to check about the photography restrictions and they put her in touch with Margaret Henney, who was handling press and public relations for the festival. After finally getting in contact with each other, Jennifer (Tannim) explained to her that she, Mandi, & I planned on attending the event and that she wanted to cover press & photography for our non-profit organization (Thewlis Rox). For weeks Tannim sent back & forth emails with Margaret to prepare our paperwork & badges for when we arrived at the screening.
After waiting for a few hours we made our way downstairs for cocktails & were chatting when Jen looked up & noticed that David had entered the room along with Mark Herman (the director) & John Boyne (author of the novel). We remained standing at our small table & occasionally peeked over at where David was standing. We noticed that he looked over in our direction & we couldn’t tell if he was peering over the crowd or if he noticed us in the room.
Shortly afterwards, we entered the beautiful dining room for dinner & were assigned to a table. David was sitting at one of the tables near the front & we were seated at a table near the back. I could barely eat my meal, just knowing he was a few tables away from us made me nervous. We looked over at David every once in awhile but tried not to as often as possible.
While we we’re chatting with the other attendees at the dinner table, Mandi noticed David turn around in his seat & look directly at our table & then turned back around. We had no idea if he knew it was us at the table, but we started to push these ideas aside thinking that maybe we were just being a bit too excited that he kept looking in our direction.
Before desert, donors & contributors of the festival were recognized for being a big part of the event & we applauded them. The announcer introduced the crowd to the president of Miramax films & then the cast & crew of the film. Afterwards, the cast left shortly after desert while the dinner guests were finishing up & then they re-directed us to the screening room. We sat on the top where the balcony was & quickly asked a staff member of the event where we should be directed to after the film since we were assigned to meet up with press directly afterwards. She told us that when the credits started to roll, we should make our way to the bottom seating area in front of the stage with the rest of the photographers.
After the film, we we’re all so impacted by the ending that everyone was silent & remained in their seats. I couldn’t move, the ending scene just kept replaying in my head several times & I was frozen to my seat. Only when the audience started to applaud that I was able to remember where we we’re supposed to be re-directed & Jen & I made our way downstairs with the rest of the press to cover the Q&A session with John, Mark & David.
We re-seated ourselves in the third row from the stage for the 45-minute Q&A session. While Tannim was recording the Q&A for the site, I was stunned that David was sitting directly in front of us. I was paying attention to the entire Q&A, but there were so many thoughts & emotions running through my mind. Memories of David’s presence in his film/television roles, articles I had read about him, remembering the spent countless hours & working for years on “Thewlis Rox” & how this incredible man has had such a large impact on my life. I just could not believe that my hero was sitting in front of me.
After the Q&A was completed, Jen & I gathered our press equipment (David remained onstage talking with fans). We pulled out our cell phones to call Wendy (Kileycat) another forum member & ask where she was seated so we can all go to the reception together. Wendy ended up running up behind our seats because she had recognized us from the site! I’m always very excited to meet the forum members, a lot of us had known each other for years & it was very nice to finally meet Wendy.
Jen & I noticed that David was still onstage speaking to fans below & we debated whether or not we should wait to approach him until the reception. We still weren’t sure if he had peered over at us periodically beforehand out of coincidence, or because he recognized us. We decided to quickly introduce ourselves & ask him if he was going to appear at the reception, so we made our way slowly up to the stage. As David was walking towards the end of the stage we caught eyes & he smiled at me, I nearly froze, but I managed to say ‘hi David!’ & he recognized me & his eyes immediately lit up & he got down on his knees while on the stage & said ‘how are you sweetheart?!’ & we hugged & he kissed my cheek.
David saw Jen next to me & looked at both of us & said “what?! You two are both here? How are you two both here at the same time?! Don’t you live in different cities?” We both chuckled & told him that I took a flight from Los Angeles to Detroit & Tannim & Mandi picked me up from the airport & the three of us drove from Detroit to Indianapolis.
I quickly told David that I thought the film was brilliant & that he was amazing in it. I noticed a few other fans had rushed up to see him & I quickly asked David if he was going to be at the reception so we can have a chance to talk to him for a bit longer there. He said, “Yes of course, please find me!”
Jen & I thanked him tremendously & when we turned around Mandi came bounding up to us holding the package we put together for him from ‘Thewlis Rox’. We started wondering if we should’ve given it to him while he was onstage because his personal assistant was there beside him & if we gave him the gift, we thought that he would probably end up carrying it around & it might be a bit too much for him. So we thought if we gave him our gift while he was still onstage, he’d probably hand it off to his PA & she would be able to keep it safe for him during the reception.
David was still on the stage with other fans, we waited until he was finished & then quickly approached him a second time & handed him the package. We told him that it was from the site & he thanked us for it & said “Another one?!” & he wanted to know what was inside of it! We talked for a bit & then his PA tapped him & told him that he needed to start making his way to the reception room, again we told him we’d meet him there & said goodbye again.
We made our way to the reception room & the four of us chatted for a while about the site. Jen & I still hadn’t seen David enter the room, but we both decided that even if he did arrive that we didn’t want to approach him until much later in the reception. We agreed it was finally time to take a break & use the restroom, lol. In the back of my head, I kept thinking to myself, “my luck, the one time we use the restroom tonight we’re going to run into David…”.
Sure enough it happened
. We ran into David & his PA in the archway on our way to the restroom & his eyes grew wide as he saw us walk away from the reception & we told him that we weren’t leaving, we we’re coming back & he said “oh okay, thank you!”
When we made our way back through the lobby to the reception hall, we saw David walking back in forth in the lobby and talking on his cell phone. We waited inside the reception hall for him.
Jen & I really wanted to speak to John Boyne & congratulate him on his brilliant novel. We made our way towards him & we both shook his hand & praised his novel. Tannim told John that she is a teacher & she had a discussion in her class about the book & how all of her kids were excited to read it & see the film version. He told us that he loves hearing from teachers about how they’re sharing the story with their class & he thanked her.
We told John that we had been visiting his blog & keeping up with the film’s premiere locations & asked where the next screenings would be so we can tell as many people as we could where they can travel to see this wonderful film. He told us that their next stop was Los Angeles & that the screenings would be free to the public. He also told us that he’s been so happy traveling to all sorts of cities he’s never been to courtesy of Miramax, he was very excited about the rest of the tour!
We chatted for a while longer & Jen asked me if I could take a picture of her & John together. Afterwards, another fan came up to me & asked if I would like a picture with John too, I was thankful & she took a picture of Tannim & I with John. We immediately thanked John for spending time with us & for letting us know about the remaining screenings.
A few minutes later David made his way into the room & met up with Mark & John. He ordered a drink & spoke to a few fans. We stood a bit far off because we wanted him to share time with all other guests first because we had already spoken to him earlier. They called for all press to take photos of the entire cast together, so Jen & I stood with the other photographers & took loads of photos for the site.
Afterwards we ran into Margaret! She was the one who set us up with the press passes & we hugged her & thanked her tremendously for organizing all of this for us. She wanted to make sure we we’re getting all of the coverage we needed & asked if we we’re having a good time. We told her we were having an incredible evening & we gave her huge hugs & told her we we’re very grateful for everything she’d done for the site & us.
About 10-20 minutes later, we slowly made our way a bit closer to David because every time he would make a step towards us (or anywhere) someone would rush up to greet him, so we continued to wait patiently. Awhile later he walked up to us & said “I didn’t forget about you” & he hugged me and Tannim again & he gave us another kiss on our cheeks.
We all re-introduced ourselves to him & Tannim introduced him to Mandi (it was her first time meeting him). We told him that we received press passes for the event & he was excited & wanted to know how we were able to get our hands on them. We told him that Tannim sent an email to the press coordinator of the event & explained to them that we were a non-profit organization that runs a website dedicated to him.
David mentioned something about forgetting the date of the event in Indianapolis (or he wanted to find more information about it), so he told us he went straight to ‘Thewlis Rox’ to find out the information he needed! He also told us that sometimes instead of speaking to or phoning his agent, he comes to ‘Thewlis Rox’ to find out about what’s been published (his recent articles, photos, event dates, etc.) & told us that we help him out greatly with keeping up on what’s going on media-wise because most of the time he’s been uniformed about what does & doesn’t get published.
He confirmed that he visits the site almost every week & he visits the forum & browses through the threads. He uses the website to keep up on things & checks in for references!
I asked him how he originally found ‘Thewlis Rox’ & he told me that he found it through various links & what attracted him to visit the site was the name ‘Thewlis Rox’ because in Blackpool (where he was raised) there is a place called ‘Blackpool Rox’ spelled the SAME way we spell ‘rox’ as R-O-X. I was in shock, I had no idea about this place & it was such a crazy coincidence (the spelling, location & everything!).
He wanted to clear up some rumors on the site from some of the speculation around the main site & forums;
David has not heard of the film, The Yellow Mark, & he hasn’t been approached to play a role in it.
Angel Makers will not be happening, he still does not know much about the status of the film.
David is writing/working on another screenplay and he’s written several short stories.
His second book is coming along very well!
He was misquoted regarding his role in the next two Harry Potter films – he stated that he ‘did not appear much in the previous two films’. No word on how much he will be in the last two films
!He’s read the script for a new film entitled Mr. Nice & if he signs on for the film, he will be starring in it with Rhys Ifans (who he has been mistaken for several times in the past – even at the festival people were mistaking him for Rhys!).
His quote about wanting the role as ‘the Sheppard’ in his school play is true! He told us that he really did want that role & was disappointed when he didn’t get it.
Then David wanted to know what was in the envelope we gave him & we told him that it was the ‘iProject’ an assortment of albums & music from his fans from all over the world. He asked again what exactly was in the package & we told him ‘CDs’ for him to put on his iPod for when he travels, music from his fans for him to listen to & enjoy. He loved it! He said it was a great idea & he was very excited about it!
We also told him that letters from his fans that couldn’t make it to the event were in the package & he appreciated that all of you wrote him a letter. We also told him that there were new cards from Tannim’s class & he was excited about that too! He apologized for not having written back to them last year & admits that he is horrible/terrible with his fan mail. He was explaining to Tannim that he adored the book & told her where it was located in his house & how he looks at it from time to time.
David was also excited that he & Tannim were in the same article! He congratulated her on the grant from Jenny Jones. I told David that I had recently made Tannim my co-administrator (Jen told him she felt like a spammer, & he mentioned that he notices her name all the time on the boards!). I made Tannim co-administrator due to current events in my life, my last year of college around the corner, having three jobs & my recent engagement to my boyfriend, Scott. I was very touched when he congratulated us on our engagement…I was speechless!
We told David about our trip for Thewlis fans to Disneyland & he wanted to hear all about it! We told him we had a fantastic time & that Sam was putting together a video blog of the entire event & that we would put on the site for him to see. Then he told us that he took Gracie to Disneyland for her birthday & she was excited when the Little Mermaid waved to her!
We also told him we went to Comic Con this year & we had the blessed opportunity to meet Anna again & he told me he’d seen the photos & knew I’d met Anna a few times this year. I was carrying the photo of David, Anna, Gracie & myself from our meeting last year & he said “Oh I remember this!” & I thanked him again for the night that I had met them both & told him that what they did for me was a life changing experience & that I would be forever grateful to both of them for that wonderful moment they spent with me. He kept saying “no problem no problem, of course!”
I asked him how Anna was feeling about the ratings of Pushing Daisies this year, because we hadn’t heard anything about how any of the cast members felt about the shows low ratings lately. He told us that he was aware Pushing Daisies was not doing well this season. He asked if we knew what the ratings were for the last episode & we told him the ratings of the past few episodes & how the third episode dropped even further this week.
He said Anna was fine about it & that she didn’t want to be known as ‘Chuck’ from Pushing Daisies forever & says that she has been offered more roles that she’s excited about. He also told us that even if things don’t work out with the show that they will still be living/staying in Los Angeles for a while.
During our conversation, every once in awhile a fan would poke in asking for a photo with him or his autograph & they would usually say ‘I loved you in Harry Potter!’ & he would politely say ‘thank you’ & then turn right back to us & continue our conversation. After he told us about Anna not wanting to be known as ‘Chuck’ forever, he also mentioned that he was a bit tired of people relating him constantly as ‘Remus’ from Harry Potter.
We all started to notice that the group of fans around us had grown huge, but David continued to talk with us. We asked him for a photo of all of us together because I thought he would probably like to have a chance to meet & speak with his other fans & a photo of all of us together would be the perfect chance to say ‘goodbye’ & ‘thank you’ to him.
Since he was holding his drink & couldn’t find anyone or a place to put it down I offered to hold it for him & he told me that I could have it if I wanted it (I was tempted, lol!) So I held his drink for a while before someone from the press grabbed it from me so it wouldn’t be in the photo, haha!
Wendy took the photo of us together & David said, “I’ll be looking for that photo on the site & if I don’t like it, I’m going to tell you all to remove it” & we started laughing.
We were very sure that after the group photo that this would be our final moment with David, but we were very surprised when he kept carrying on with our conversation! After awhile longer, his personal assistant grabbed him really quickly & told him that the car was waiting for him outside to take everyone back to the hotel because they had to fly back to Los Angeles at 4.30 am. He told her “please let me say goodbye”.
David turned to us & told us goodbye & thanked us for being there at the event & we thanked him in return for all of the time he spent with us. He gave us all a hug and a kiss on the cheek & then he turned to me & I gave him a huge hug & kiss in return. He told me to keep up the good work on the site & that he was thankful for our time, hard work, effort & he was very appreciative for everything we’ve done for him & said that he couldn’t wait to see us again. I shook his hand & told him “love you, love your work, thank you very much” & as he was leaving I saw him peer over his shoulder & smile at us.
When he left we all stood there speechless unable to believe that it all actually happened. We were all in so much shock & it took us quite awhile to register everything. We we’re so honored & speechless.
We finally started making our way out of the lobby to the outside of the theatre to our car & saw David outside of the entrance smoking a cigarette. No idea how we keep running into him, I was starting to get paranoid around every corner! We went outside towards Wendy’s vehicle to say goodbye to her. David saw us leave & smiled & we all yelled “Bye David!” He smiled & said “goodbye!” in return & “have a safe trip home!”
While we were in the car making our way out of the parking lot, we saw him again (in the ‘heartland’ transportation vehicle) exiting the same direction & we were on the same road behind them for a bit as we made our way to our hotel. Their vehicle went down a different direction after a street or two & we waved as we headed out. Like I mentioned, no idea how we kept running into him, even all the way to the end of the night O_O !
To David, my hero in life, I can never thank you enough or express in words how grateful I am for both times I’ve met you & you’ve been so kind & wonderful. I personally want to thank you for everything you mentioned about ‘Thewlis Rox’, I’ve worked on this website for years & to hear from you that you visit & appreciate all of the hard work that has been put into it, this was an honor beyond belief.
Thank you David. Thank you so much.
- Amanda
Last edited by Amanda on 01 Nov 2008, 00:32, edited 2 times in total.
You are certainly one of the most blessed people I have ever known and it must be wonderful to know how much he likes the site and comes to visit so often!
