After flying to London from Ireland the day before the premiere, it still hadn?t hit me yet. I was being gradually introduced to the fact that I was going to meet the man himself for the past few days; preparation sleepover on Wednesday, made my t-shirt, Gill flew out on the Thursday, Julia went on the Friday. Since I was the last to go, we decided it would be least hassle if I put together the charm bracelet for Johnny Depp. We collectively bought the charms, particular ones catching our eyes, I can?t remember whether it was Julia or Gill who spotted the ?drama queen? charm, but we certainly all agreed that it was perfect! We thought it was best to make the bracelet completely from scratch instead of just buying a charm bracelet and attaching the charms. I went into town to buy chain and links on the Friday, smiling stupidly when I was asked if I was making the bracelet for a guy or a girl. I got home and got stuck in, still not packed for my trip the next day. After about an hour, it was done. I couldn?t hide my excitement at how well it turned out; it looked perfect. With that out of the way, I could finally concentrate on packing. Making sure I had the 5 most important things on my list (the bracelet, a letter for Johnny from an online auntie, my t-shirt, directions to the bench from Finding Neverland and things to get signed), I still couldn?t decide what to bring to get signed. I had my bag stolen the day I came home from the sleepover, which had my favourite film Blow in it (it also had Sleepy Hollow and a video tape with Cry Baby, the Oprah interview and his sliming on it; grr, I hate thieves), so I finally decided on P, Arizona Dream, Finding Neverland, my ticket from the day I saw Finding Neverland and The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories, knowing full well that I was being overly prepared and acknowledging the fact that it was unlikely that I would get anything signed at all since I had two things to give to him. I finally finished packing late that night and headed for bed.
The next day, my mother and myself headed for the airport. I was excited, but not nervous which in itself worried me! Previously, when I read fan encounters, I felt extremely dizzy and nauseous and I was utterly convinced that I was going to faint if I spotted Johnny at the premiere. Pulling up to the airport, I spotted a Wonka bus for the first time and took it as a good omen. After check in, I picked up a magazine only to find that it had a four-page article about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in it! I knew my Johnny senses had been tingling! I?ll skip the story of the plane trip and train journey to our hotel; completely uneventful. We finally got to our hotel at about 8pm on Saturday, and I immediately called Julia, who was a ten-minute walk away. We went out for pizza to a place just down the road and we could not hide our excitement at all. I decided that it was a good time to stock up on food, since I figured I?d be feeling to nauseous the next day to eat at all. Thank goodness for buffets! When we were done, we said our goodbyes, arranging for Julia to come to my hotel at 5:20am the next morning. Gill was staying further away so she would be meeting us in Leicester Square at around 9am. Needless to say, I didn?t sleep at all that night, and got up at 5am to get ready. Note to self: Never try to put eyeliner on when you?re sleep deprived and nervous! Once I was dressed in my purple trousers and self-made t-shirt, I met Julia in the hotel lobby and we went to the bus stop. Waiting for the bus was very nervewracking, because we didn?t know which stop to get off at. On the way, we spotted streets like Gilbert Street, Crane Street and Duke Street, and it was quite unnatural how much of a buzz it gave us! Luckily, we got off at the right stop and walked to Leicester Square, which was completely empty except for a few ?workers?, and two other people. Neither Julia nor myself had been to a premiere before, so we wandered around the Square for a while, taking pictures of the ?under construction? park. We wondered where we were supposed to stand to secure our place. Eventually, after stocking up on water in a nearby shop, we got to talking to the two other people there. One (bibi) had flown from Germany to come to the premiere, and the other was from the UK. After a short Johnny discussion, two other people arrived. These were our allies for the day; Dawn and Haze. They are two of the nicest people I?ve ever met, and are fellow DI-ers (Julia and I actually met on DI and are now best best best friends, another thing I have to thank Johnny for!). We talked to them for pretty much the whole day. People eventually decided to form their own makeshift barrier, since the metal ones had not been put up yet, and the ?workers? showed no signs of activity. They wouldn?t even tell us where the barriers were going to be put, so we had to completely guess where to start our line. I?ll skim through the hours and hours of waiting: There were still War of the Worlds billboards up beside the Odeon, which most of us were less than happy about, but they were eventually changed; I stupidly decided to stay standing even when there was still the space to sit down, stupid move on my part since I have varicose veins and arthritis (I?m only 16!) and I sure paid for it later! Other than that, and some rude personnel, and obnoxious ?fans?, the waiting was pretty uneventful. Barriers were not put up until about 3pm, and when they were, people rushed forward and I lost my space in the front. Rather annoying, since I was one of the first people there, but no one can be blamed besides the organisers of the premiere. Need I mention the shoddy stairs too? A child was actually working on them at one point. Oh, I should mention Iggy Pop/Keith Richards guy. He kept me and Julia amused for most of the day; he was literally Iggy Pop and Keith Richards all rolled into one person. Amazing.
Before I skip forward to when people started to arrive, I should mention when someone was handed a guestlist. I?m sure there was more than one person mentioned to me, but I remember when Gill shouted up to me and Julia that Mackenzie Crook would be here, I couldn?t talk because I knew that I?d cry if I tried. I think it was at about this point that I started to shake. (I should also mention that it was Gill?s birthday, and during the day there was a screening of CATCF. There were spare tickets going and we told Gill to go on in, and that we?d hold her place. When she came out, she told us that Tim Burton had addressed the audience. She was feet away from him.)
I started to gather my stuff from my bag to get signed. I got all the stuff that I brought to get signed and positioned them strategically in my hand. People started to arrive and it was a bit weird, but I was still just shaking. After a while, I heard the first of the almighty screams. I think Freddie was the first of the screams. All the members of the film spent a lot of time in the park, so even if we heard the screams, we still had to wait about a half hour or so before they got to us. I think Ewan McGregor is the first person I remember coming who made a bit of an impact on me. No one really recognised him until someone shouted ?Ewan!? and it was more of a shock to see him than anything else. I?m not necessarily a fan, but he seems like a sweet guy. Next was the one that sent me to tears. Terry Gilliam. I?m shaking and welling up just typing it. The image of him still haunts me to this day. In a good way of course. I?m not sure if anyone else recognised him and it took a while for me to be able to choke out ?t?tt?Terry Gilliam? to Julia, and by that time he was long gone. He literally made a face at the crowd, and passed by. I suppose I should mention that the photographers were all straight across from us, so each person would come down the stairs, go along the line of photographers, and then start signing things for the people closest to the entrance of the cinema. We were about half way. It?s all kind of a blur up until Johnny from then on. I remember seeing Eileen Essel, recognising her from Finding Neverland but not realising that she was also in CATCF. There was Mackenzie Crook with his family. Christopher Lee; I didn?t think he was coming but I was in awe when I saw him! David Kelly; so proud that us Irish were represented! (I apologise if I?m getting the order of people mixed up, I just can?t really place everyone) Then the children started to arrive. I think Philip Wiegratz was the first of them to arrive, and I really felt for him because I knew it was his first premiere. He?s absolutely adorable. I think it was Julia Winters next, and at this stage I felt the need to tell people around me their real names so they wouldn?t be shouting their character names at them. Jordan Fry came after that, looking just so cute and Anna Sophia Robb followed in the cutest little dress. I think she actually came over to us, so I spotted her up close; she really is a pretty little thing. Next was the big one, one I knew would hit me hard. Freddie. Not only is he the sweetest child ever and too talented for words, he is also in Finding Neverland, the film that completely opened my eyes to the wonder that is Johnny Depp, so he?ll forever have a special place in my heart. I think I spotted him a bit while he was on the bridge but I got a good look at him when he was standing for photographs. I was in tears even more at this stage, and waved my Finding Neverland DVD around a bit, before deciding that it was best not to scare the poor child with my emotional state. He went into the cinema. The NEXT person I saw was the only one that I managed to catch a glimpse of before they came over the bridge. Tim Burton. It was another ?t?t?tt…Terry? moment when I tried to explain to Julia why I was in tears again. Helena Bonham Carter was actually the next person to grace us with her presence. She has got to be one of the nicest people I have ever met. She came to sign things for us (looking absolutely stunning, such an understated beauty, she?s just radiant) and some obnoxious guy behind us started to push and people were getting squashed, so she stopped signing for a minute to make sure that people were ok. I was so distracted with what was going on that I didn?t realise that Tim had come over the bridge and he came over to get Helena from us. I was in shock. I?m shaking again just thinking about it. I must point out that Tim and Helena are the cutest couple in the world, second only to Johnny and Vanessa. They?re adorable but without being vomit-inducing. At this stage, all of the stuff that I planned on getting signed was lying in a heap on top of my bag, and I had the letter and bracelet in my hand. After experiencing the mayhem of people trying to get autographs (I hadn?t managed to get any, but I was more than content in just observing), I faced facts that I wouldn?t be able to get anything signed if I was to deliver these things to Johnny. OK, this is the part you?ve been waiting for? here goes:
Julia was the first to spot him. She could see over the bridge. ?He?s coming.? Who thought two words could strike up so many different emotions? I saw him; he was coming over the bridge wearing a blue suit that offset his tan perfectly. A beret. A white shirt. Sunglasses (darn it, I wanted to see his eyes). Nothing I?d seen before, but 100% Johnny. He waved to everyone. He walked down the steps, and I prayed that he wouldn?t trip on the lousy excuse for a carpet. He stood for photos, and I had a perfect view of him. He was actually there. In the same vicinity as me. The way he stood confirmed for me that THE Johnny Depp was actually here. I remember looking at his shoes, hoping against hope that he?d wear his boots; needless to say, he didn?t. He moved along the row of photographers and I just kept on staring, forgetting to be nervous, thinking that the experience couldn?t possibly get any better. I was soaking up everything, taking everything as it came, the thought that he was actually going to come over to us didn?t even cross my mind. I stood there in silence while a few people chanted ?Johnny! Johnny!? I?d promised myself I?d refrain from that, he?s not an object and it?s his job to stand for pictures. As it happens, the thought to join in didn?t register because I was perfectly happy standing there and watching. When he got to the end of the line of photographers, he went to the people closest to the cinema, as everyone else had done. I couldn?t see him, but suddenly he appeared in front of me, just feet away. I?ll never forget it for the rest of my life. He had decided to start at the other end of the line. The people closest to the cinema started to shout after him, that?s why I looked out in front of me. I don?t know if I can explain what he did, but I?ll try. As I saw it, he was walking from right to left. When the people started to shout, he turned to his left so he was almost facing us (except for his actual face), put up his left index finger and mouthed ?one minute? to the people closest to the cinema. It was one of many wow moments. He started signing for people to my far left, and I could catch glimpses of him every so often through people?s heads. I remember when he got pretty close, I saw his glasses poking out the bottom of his ear and it really soothed me. I was in awe, but it was a calm awe. I think it was at this time that one of the security guards asked me if I was alright. I think I was getting crushed, but I didn?t notice. Could have been because I was in absolute shreds, but I was fine. More than fine, I was a few inches away from Johnny Depp. He moved up towards our group and he was in front of me. He was there. And I was there. It was ? wow. I took that split second and then started my mission to get the letter and bracelet to him. I?d had my enjoyment, now it was time to get down to business. After a few seconds of holding it near him, a woman looked at me and said ?Is that for him?? I nodded, holding it out to her, and she took it! That will remain one of the happiest moments of my life. I had actually made it possible for someone who wasn?t even there to let Johnny Depp know that she existed. There was another reason I wanted to get that letter to him so badly, but I won?t go into detail, it?s not my information to disclose. Just to make sure I wasn?t dreaming, and to ensure that she had a tight clutch on the bracelet, I observed the woman for a while. She started to look at the bracelet with interest, and then someone blocked my view. I realised that someone was Johnny Depp. Oopsy, should?ve been paying attention to him! I then reached down for my P CD and when I emerged from the squishedness, he was still there!!! I held out my CD with hands trembling like mini earthquakes, and vowed not to take my eyes off his face for as long as I could. I?m lucky I did because while talking to Haze, he flashed his golden Johnny smile (more figurative than literal) and any time I blink, I can still see it. Then. He took my CD cover. Held it with his hand. While I was holding it. And.signed.it. I relished in this for two seconds before pushing the girl behind me into my space. I?d achieved everything I wanted to, and in that situation, you really just want to share the feeling with as many people as you can. (Sounds cheesy, but it?s bizarrely true.) Julia followed me out of her space and the first thing I choked out was ?He got the bracelet? and the letter.? Gill came rushing over to us and I think this time I said ?He got them!? and we cried a whole new set of tears. We went to pizza hut afterwards and I stared at the table. Literally. Honestly, I couldn?t do anything else. I couldn?t talk, because I was constantly on the verge of tears. I was still in awe. I?m still in awe now!
