Someone once told me that everyone should settle for being good at one thing. In my case, this is true. I am a writer; not a photographer. Why do I say this? Because, after having checked my images from the premiere, I realised they were all blurry and unfocused. That is what happens when an idiot like me gets their hands on a camera. (Especially when said idiot isn’t even told how to use said contraption). Gutted doesn’t cover it. But well, you’ve all (probably) seen what people looked like by now, (if you haven’t then get your behinds over to these links) so I figure, what the heck, you’ll still want the report (hopefully).

(Note: I’ve written the actor/characters names on the autographs for personal reference. Actors autographs aren’t always instantly recognisable and I didn’t want to risk having a brain-fart later and forgetting whose was whose.)

So, without further ado, here it is:

*

Picture the setting; it’s approaching midnight on a chilly Saturday night in central Cardiff. All the ‘cool’ people are making their way to the Student’s Union, scantily clad, intending to drink and dance the night away. Then there’s us, a small group, huddled outside the entrance dressed in warm winter clothes, backpacks and other belongings at our feet. Yes, we, the Cardiff University Harry Potter Society (or the ‘nerds’ as some might call us) were meeting to make our way to London, Leicester Square and, ultimately, the ‘Goblet of Fire’ premiere.

The journey itself was pretty uneventful. In the beginning Chris, Margaret, Rachel and I (the people I was sat with on the coach) were all like “We sooooo can’t sleep.” This turned out to be sooooooo untrue because we all did. Around 2am the driver made a stop at a service station in Reading, specifically because if he’d carried on driving we would’ve ended up in London at 3am, which was too early. You might think, well what’s another hour, especially when you were intending to be there by 4am. After all, by some people’s standards, that’s ‘too early’ too. I might’ve agreed with you but, with the wonder that is hindsight, I can now conclude that I am glad we had a 45-minute break. And as for the ‘too early’ thing, tell that to those people who slept outside all night.

Yes, that’s right; some people did camp out overnight. I don’t know whether that’s brave or foolish, though I certainly wouldn’t try it. Having said that, we were there by 4am, and we ended up sleeping there too, so you could say we camped out half the night. In which case, that would make me a bit of a hypocrite.

When we arrived at Leicester Square approximately 50 people were already ‘waiting’. It was soon evident that the Goblet premiere would not be conducted in the same way that the Azkaban one was. The circle (in Leicester Square, which is fenced in) had loads of decorations, a Hogwarts backdrop, trucks, lighting & sound equipment and a suspicious looking black object, inside it. There was also the makings of a ramp at the front, facing the entrance to the cinema, which made us all the more suspicious.

Wisely Julia, our President, decided to ask the security guards, what was going on. Oddly enough, they didn’t seem to know (they said something along the lines of ‘WB haven’t made up their minds yet’) but it was apparent that something quite big was to happen there and so they told us to queue up with the other Potter fans who had already arrived. This seemed like a smart choice and it became clear later (when they started putting up barriers) that the ‘circle’ would be a great place to get pictures (or, in my case, not) and autographs. That sounds kind of arrogant, but I won’t deny it; we did end up with pretty great spots.

So we queued between the hours of 4am-8am, sleeping and getting up to go to the toilet, at certain intervals. It was absolutely freezing outside but luckily it didn’t rain while we were trying to sleep, however Mother Nature more than made up for it later. Around 9am people started to get a little impatient as security men (and what appeared to be the cinema manager) began walking around in the circle, doing something (I think they were supposed to be doing something, but whatever it was, it wasn’t obvious). The queue then shuffled along for some reason and someone mentioned something about them letting us in at 9:30am.

Soon after, barriers started arriving by the truckload, and they were set up relatively quickly. A screen and sound equipment was elevated by the entrance and a trailer for ‘Goblet of Fire’ began streaming from it. For a while it was soundless, but eventually the sound kicked in, which was greeted by cheers from all. The same trailer (don’t know which one specifically) was played over and over again, with a trailer for a penguin film being shown in between (which no-one really watched, because, well, we’re Harry Potter fans. Anything that isn’t Harry Potter just won’t do). Clips of certain characters were heralded by screams and shouts. In particular; Ron Weasley and Severus Snape. In other words, my kind of people

We were ‘let in’ at around 10:30am by the police and security guards who made a concerted effort to ensure no-one got hurt. Rachel and I headed to the left, near the front, facing the monument which had a Beauxbatons banner hanging on it, from the side we were viewing. I’m actually quite proud of the fact that for the next 7 odd hours I managed to maintain spot despite all the pushing and shoving that went on. The word, vultures, does spring to mind but at the same time I can’t really point fingers. This is and was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lot of people, especially those who’d travelled from afar, and so you can kind of understand. Anyone who goes to a premiere (especially Harry Potter) without expecting to be man-handled and beaten is dangerously delusional. It is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

But at the same time, not everyone was aggressive. The girls who were a fraction in front of me were offering to get autographs for those at the back. One even sacrificed getting an autograph for herself so a Dan fan behind could have Radcliffe’s signature. So, there were Gryffindors among us! By a freak coincidence (or ‘sheer dumb luck’, as McGonagall might call it) I ended up bumping into the same girl who I stood with last year. She was back, ever more determined to get Rupert’s autograph, a Ron banner in hand. I’m glad to report that, after last years failed attempt, she was successful this time and went home happy

So there we stood/sat for the next 7 hours. Don’t ask me how I survived it because I honestly have no idea. For a while I lapsed in and out of sleep. For the majority of the time we watched the crew putting up the decorations and preparing for the premiere. Earlier on I guessed that the suspicious looking black object was a dragon in its cage. I was right That was ‘unveiled’ and, to our great amusement, it started roaring, somewhat like a lion. It was more funny than scary, like a display at a museum, because it was still. What looked like smoke started coming from it and eventually, it began moving, ‘spitting’ fire in the process.

It did look very cool. Though, judging by later reports, I think it annoyed a lot of people, especially interviewers who couldn’t hear what the actors were saying. Whoever came up with the bright idea of putting the press right next to the dragon, really deserves a promotion. Really clever set-up. According to this one report, Mike Newell told it to ‘Shut up!!’ at the top of his lungs. I don’t blame him.

To pass the time, we came up with an amusing game, which we started playing. By about 12pm a lot of people were walking around the circle, some of whom appeared to be doing nothing. So we made a game of deciding what their job title was. Some of the ones we came up with were ‘sign holder’, paper holder’, ‘official cellotape holder’ and ‘cellotape putter-oner’. It amused us to no end, considering the amount of people who were there seemingly doing one job. It became even funnier when it was decided that the press labels ought to be moved. It’s very sad, I know, but that is the reality of how bored we got. Believe me, it was considerably funnier at the time, especially since it was pouring with rain and we were all freezing our toesies off.

The last two hours, before the stars arrived, really dragged. There are only so many times you can scream on cue and find it entertaining and exciting. But as I said to the girls around me, “Monkey say, monkey do.” People around us (including some of the Society members) were interviewed several times for places such as RTL, AOL, Empire, Film Focus, E!, This Morning, Sky News, Radio 1 and some other random European Stations.

So far, our Society has been mentioned in one press release which can be found here:

I think by 4:30pm they could tell we were kind of fed up, especially since the pushing and shoving had increased tenfold by then, because the actors were due to arrive soon.

By the time they did arrive, night had fallen and Leicester Square was unrecognisable. The decorations and the colourful lighting totally transformed the area.

Apparently Pedja Bjelac (Igor Karkaroff) arrived an hour or so early. He was very impressive in the sense that he seemed totally into the giving-fans-autographs thing. He seemed really cheery and extremely talkative. I can’t explain how gratifying it is when you wait for hours on end and are rewarded with a wonderful experience where actors genuinely seem like they want to spend time with you, as if it’s cherished rather than wasted. Anyway, I handed him my UK Hogwarts Mini Sticker book, with it opened at a ‘Harry’ page, which also had a Karkaroff & Krum sticker on it. He took one look and jokingly argued, with a mock look of disgust, “I can’t sign that!” pointing to Harry’s face. I laughed and pointed to the sticker and he promptly signed it, smiling while he handed it back to me. Lovely man, even if I, shamefully, cannot pronounce his name correctly.

Pedja Bjelac’s (Karkaroff) autograph

By the way, these actors’ appearances aren’t in any specific order. I can’t remember for the life of me, in which order they came, and I’m not going to try to.

Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan) was another absolute sweetheart. Happily he signed many autographs and, upon hearing how long we’d waited (13 hours), chirped, “That’s dedication for you!”. Grinning from ear to ear, he signed my book on the ‘Defence Against the Dark Arts’ page and moved on. I can imagine he’ll turn into a right charmer, if he isn’t one already. That Irish accent of his, not to mention his polite manners, is bound to win him the ladies sooner or later.

Devon Murray’s (Seamus) autograph

I realise I’m gushing, but honestly, these guys were nice people, believe it or not! Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle) seemed to take pity on us. Initially, she didn’t look like she was going to come over, but she did. I think perhaps she saw how many others were passing us by in favour of the press, and took pity on us mere mortals. She certainly signed A LOT of autographs and was incredibly sweet when talking to the fans. I handed her my book, holding it open on the ‘Half-naked Harry’ page. She smirked cheekily and scrawled across his torso.

Shirley Henderson’s (Moaning Myrtle) autograph

It was quite obvious whenever a member of the trio was passing by. The crowd to the right of us would burst into an almighty set of screams, followed by chants.

Sure enough, seconds after this happened, Emma Watson (Hermione) emerged from under a white umbrella, looking ever inch an actress. Looking at pictures of her on the net, I’ve always thought she had that plain-looking sort of beauty about her. Seeing her face to face, I can safely say the pictures don’t do her justice. The girl is stunning, absolutely, incredibly pretty and so feminine. It was the most I could do not to go green with envy. Emma could probably make a bin liner look good! She didn’t seem at all daunted and readily signed away, smiling while she chatted to fans. Her whole attitude toward the event endeared her greatly to me. I quickly handed her my book, which was open on one of the ‘Hermione’ pages and blurted out, “You look so beautiful” to which she cooed, awed and replied, “That’s incredibly sweet of you” and she promptly handed my book back to me, beaming.

Emma Watson’s (Hermione) autograph

Shortly after that screams erupted again and Rupert Grint (Ron) turned the corner, looking like his usual lovable casual self, smiling shyly as girls screamed his name. I could hardly believe it when he started walking towards us. He smiled right at me and I grinned back. I’d always thought Rupert was good looking; now I can confirm that in the flesh, he is nothing short of drop-dead-gorgeous. What surprised me was that Rupert seemed to take the screaming girls in his stride. I think perhaps his method of coping with premieres is to subconsciously slip into ‘Rupertland’ so that he doesn’t freak out or let the adoration get to his head.

Although he didn’t entirely seem off with the fairies and neither was he all that shy; willingly talking to anyone who said anything to him. I think the cat got my tongue because I didn’t say all that much to him. I flushed bright red as he took my book and signed the ‘Ron’ page, grimacing at the sight of his Yule Ball dress robes, and managed to choke out, “Thank you so much Rupert” as he gave it back to me and signed for some others.

Rupert Grint’s (Ron) autograph

Last, but certainly not least, is David Tennant (Barty Crouch Jnr). Who? You may ask. Who, would be bloody right, actually. Not only is he the reason evil Barty is incredibly attractive, but he’s also the new Doctor Who! I happen to be a Whovian so meeting him was doubly exciting. Plus, as fans of the hit-series know, he is painfully good-looking. Your heart aches just looking at him. Well, at least mine did.

Anyway, so he worked his way to us and, once gain, I thrust my book out. All the others around me had plain paper, so mine kind of stood out from the crowd. He took mine and brought it right up to his face, squinting to get a better look and then held it back down, pointing at it and looking at me directly. “That’s me!” he declared, pointing to the small Barty Jnr stickers. I should probably explain that the page I’d handed him had a head-shot of Moody and 4 sticker places, in which positioned two snap-shots of Barty Jnr. Very appropriate, I know.

So, I grinned back at him and then frowned. His surprise seemed a little uncalled for. It was also really funny. His Scottish accent morphed into this high-pitched shocked squeak, which told me he was genuine.

“Haven’t you seen yourself like that?” I asked. Don’t ask me where I got the daring from because, again, I do not know. I think I was officially caught up in the moment. “No, I haven’t.” he replied, smiling, still glancing back at the book. Eventually, he snapped out of it and signed the picture before handing it back. I was going to say something like, “That’s the idea” when he realised the photo was of him, but decided against it, thinking that sounded too mean. He flashed me one of his dashing smiles, gave a small wink and moved on. If it weren’t for the fact that the crowds were holding each other up by now (because we were all squashed together like sardines) I think my legs would’ve given way beneath me. I’m tempted to say, I love him, but that would make me sound like a fangirl.

David Tennant’s (Barty Jnr) autograph

I should probably mention a lot of people passed us by. Either because they didn’t see us, or, more likely, because they were being guided away. Though this happened mainly after 6:15pm, by which time the film was supposed to have started. It didn’t actually start until about 6:45pm, so anything achieved in between those times, was a bonus. In amongst those who didn’t come over were Stanislav Ianevski (Krum), Bonnie Wright (Ginny), Mark Williams (Arthur) Robert Pattinson (Cedric), although they did all look as if they wanted to. Others such as Clemence Poesy (Fleur), the Phelps twins (Fred & George), Jamie Waylett (Crabbe), Josh Herdman (Goyle), Tom Felton (Draco), Katie Leung (Cho) and Dan Radcliffe (Harry) did come over, I just wasn’t lucky enough to get an autograph.

Stan seemed totally and completely stunned by the whole event. The look on his face was similar to that of a kid whose been told they can eat chocolate for breakfast every day for the rest of their lives. I don’t think he quite expected to get as much female attention as he did. He’s definitely a heartthrob in the making. Bonnie looked incredibly grown up; anyone who thought she couldn’t portray HBP Ginny, was surely proven wrong. Mark Williams was as funny as ever, if a little quirky, which was endearing. Robert really seemed to enjoy the female attention he got; he really knows how to work the ‘I just rolled out of bed’ look. Clemence was totally gorgeous and the twins looked hotter than usual (if that’s even possible) with their haircut and change of colour. Jamie and Josh were both equally fan dedicated and admirably spent ages signing.

Tom Felton, apparently, found Katie and Emily’s (two girls from the Society) banner thoroughly amusing. They (the girls) had been told to turn it around earlier, because it was deemed inappropriate, but they managed to turn it back around before the cast arrived. It read, ‘Harry Potter’s Ho’s. According to Katie, Tom laughed and pointed it out to all the people around him, finding it terribly amusing. I’ve yet to find out what Dan’s reaction to it. Katie Leung was absolutely stunning, the colour and cut of her dress was extremely flattering and she, too, seemed very surprised at the amount of people who’d turned up.

Dan was thoroughly entertaining. When he turned to come toward us he was greeted by an almighty scream of “DAN!” and looked, for a brief moment, absolutely petrified. As he walked further, the crowd literally seemed to throw themselves forward. It must feel incredibly weird to have all these girls throwing themselves at you. He looked caught somewhere between terrified, overwhelmed and ‘Oh my god, all these girls want me!’ *grin*. It was really cute to watch. He apologised, saying he could only sign for a few, so as to make it fair, which was totally understandable. After all, he is Harry, so he’s in high demand. He probably wanted to evenly space it out, so he gave the same amount of autographs to different sections in the crowds. And you can’t say any fairer than that either. After having seen him in the flesh, this year, I can totally understand why Dan goes on about his height. Maybe it was the velvet, but he did look incredibly short, bless him. I hope for his sake that he grows, because he seems to want to really badly. And he is an awesome guy, with an insanely charming smile. The twinkle in his eyes affirmed what he’s been saying all along, he’ll probably never get used to the attention he gets, which is good.

6:45pm came all too soon and Jenni Falconer, the presenter for the evening, announced that everyone was going inside to watch the film. We trudged away and scouted out the nearest Pizza Hut, to have our first ‘proper’ meal of the day. The adrenaline was still running and I was in complete denial as to what had just happened. I remember repeatedly gasping, “That SO did not just happen!”. Everything, all of it, felt like one big dream. The food was gone in minutes and we all sat there, falling asleep. With the intent of going back out later (we weren’t due to leave til 11pm) I ordered a cappuccino. I figured by 9:15pm the stars would probably be leaving and, having read reports from last year, discovered that some people actually got autographs then too.

So Sarah and I ventured out. A HUGE crowd had gathered outside the cinema entrance. We snuck around the back of the square and came to a long line of silver Mercedes Benz’. The Harry Potter VIP pass was needless; we knew who they’d be for. Surprisingly, the crowd where we were was smaller. Pretty soon people started exiting and we played a game of ‘Spot the Celebrity’ in amongst all the people flooding out of the Odeon.

Some turned their backs to us, which seemed kind of rude seeing as it was a sort of public event – and to be honest it takes more effort to ignore someone than to be nice. Others, such as David Bradley (Filch) and Robert Pattinson (Cedric) stood by their cars waving. We also saw Katie Leung, Devon Murray, Jamie Waylett, Clemence Poesy and Tom Felton as they all climbed into their cars. Rachel was thrilled, especially since she didn’t get many good pictures earlier. So was I, up until I realised my camera had messed up. D’oh. But it was still cool, nonetheless. Once all the cars had driven away we turned away and walked back to our group, before leaving London a little earlier than expected, though we were all grateful for that because, by then, we resembled walking zombies.

All in all, it was a fantastic experience and I’d definitely do it again. My only complaint would be that the adult actors didn’t seem to have much of a prescence. For a start, some of the main actors, such as Brendan Gleeson (Moody) and Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort), were missing. Other key actors such as Alan Rickman (Snape) and Jason Isaacs (Lucius) weren’t there. While having other commitments is understandable, that many not being present was a disappointment; especially since a lot of us were really looking forward to seeing Rickman and Fiennes when we first planned the trip. Of the adults who were there, their presence was generally unfelt in our area. We didn’t see Miranda Richardson (Rita), Maggie Smith (McGonagall) or Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) at all.

But, don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. As I said, it was an amazing day. I would recommend it to anyone and I will most certainly be doing it again in 2007 for ‘Order of the Phoenix’. Roll on November 18th!!!

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