On Saturday September 10, 2011 George Clooney premiered The Descendants at the Elgin theatre in Toronto for the 2011 TIFF. This was a special premiere to be at. It was so exciting I can’t begin to describe it. People were screaming, everyone was happy. It didn’t matter that the crowds were insane we were all happy to see George Clooney and he was happy to greet the fans.

Like he always does, he showed up early, and we knew it was him by the screams. Then he walked up and down the lines of fans who lined up for him and signed autographs and took pictures. He was incredible.

Then within the venue itself he was on the press line for a while and I managed to get VERY close to him and seriously pictures don’t do this gorgeous man justice. He was so charming, so friendly, so nice and he posed with so many people for pictures you couldn’t believe it. I don’t know how he manages to do all that and stay so patient and happy about it.

In the press line I remember taking shots and a man kept looking at me and I looked at him with dagger eyes thinking ‘please move, you are blocking my shot of George Clooney‘. It turned out to be the movie’s director and writer Alexander Payne and I have to say he is a very nice man. I feel bad for thinking that but I mean, hey, George Clooney was mere feet from me.

Alexander Payne came out to talk a bit and said ‘Welcome to the George Clooney festival’. He wasn’t far off. The cast didn’t come out before the movie, but we were told there would be a Q&A afterwards where they would come out.

I really enjoyed the movie. There were some very funny moments but a lot of sad ones as well. His wife in the movie spends the entire movie in a coma and eventually is taken off life support. She has two daughters and it’s just very sad. The girls that play the daughters and the young guy who plays a friend were exceptional in the movie. They were played by Amara Miller, Nick Krause and Shailene Woodley.

At the end of the movie when the cast came out to speak, George talked about how the actress who played is comatose wife, played by Patricia Hastie would take something before her scenes to make her sleep and that they would film the scenes and when it was lunch break just leave her and go get lunch as she wouldn’t notice anyways. It was hysterical. I’m not giving what he said any justice because it was really quite funny.

Enjoy the pictures. There are tons (thank you to my sweetheart of a husband) and I wish you could have all been there with me. It was a great experience.

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Photos: D.W.D.