Absolute chaos: What a red carpet premiere is really like

SHOVING, yelling, confused onlookers and Brangelina … Here’s what the red carpet at the Unbroken premiere in Sydney was really like.

SHOVING, yelling, confused onlookers and the world’s biggest stars … this is what a red carpet premiere is really like.

Thousands of people lined up in Sydney yesterday to catch a glimpse of Hollywood’s hottest couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, at the world premiere of Unbroken.

On one side of the red carpet was the media, eager to get their 30 seconds with the film’s director, Angelina Jolie.

On the other side of the carpet waited thousands of fans, some who had been waiting for five hours to meet their idols.

When Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie stepped out of their black SUV, the crowd erupted, and their roars only got louder when the couple immediately made their way over to mingle with fans.

The media were forced to wait as Brad and Ange took selfies with fans, signed autographs and politely declined one or two people who asked for a kiss.

Jolie was a woman in demand and every ten minutes she’d leave the public side of the red carpet to cross the road and do a couple of interviews on the other side.

But crossing the carpet wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Two lanes of traffic were still flowing between the public side of the red carpet and the media side, and each time Jolie crossed the police had to stop the oncoming vehicles.

The drivers in the cars slowed to a crawl as they drove past, most with bemused looks on their faces as they did their best to figure out exactly what they were driving through. But the cops had no patience for them and quickly hurried them along.

While Jolie did media interviews, her husband continued to mingle with fans. He spent more than an hour walking along the entire red carpet taking an endless number of selfies.

One fan who was lucky enough to not only meet the Hollywood couple but even got to ask them a question was Katerina Papathanasopoulos. She shared her story with news.com.au:

As I made my way to the Sydney State Theatre I pondered, if given the chance what would I ask Angelina Jolie?

This thought lingered in the back of my mind as I saw the bright lights and red carpet covering the entire footpath. 2pm and I was ready for the long wait. We watched as the crew set up, questioning how things would transpire in the hours to come. New friendships formed behind the barricade, discussing one of our favourite topics, Brangelina. Would Brad Pitt attend? Would they come to our side of the fan zone? Would we get autographs? Would there be enough time for a selfie? These are the questions we asked ourselves.

Time passed, the crowd grew, people were lining up behind us. Several people who drove past asked me, “what was happening?” “Who was attending?” As soon as they heard Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, they smiled, realising just how big an event this was. Following two false alarms, in which we thought the stars would exit two black vans led by police motorbikes, the couple finally arrived. Brad Pitt opened his door, made his was to the opposite side of the car, and gallantly opened the door for his wife, Angelina Jolie.

The couple were walking towards us! I was taken aback, they both looked so glamorous, it fit the scene perfectly. The Backdrop of the State Theatre made for some amazing photos. They started greeting fans on the opposite side, as I scrambled to catch a glimpse of the Hollywood duo. I was the first in our section to see Brangelina, naturally everyone looked up craning their necks to spot them.

We noticed Angelina was pulled away to answer some media questions, Brad Pitt stayed and continued to meet with fans. Angelina would point towards us, constantly turn around and wave, smile and signal to us that she would return. When she did, she started on our side of the barricades. I said to the girl next to me, “can you imagine if she and Brad meet in the middle?” Sure enough they did, and the middle was right in front of me. It was like a scene from a movie, they see each other, smile and embrace. This was happening right in front of me! Sending fans into a flurry, taking snaps and crushing us in the process. Brad noticed and asked the crowd to step back. Amazingly they did! The power of Brad Pitt.

I realised though, I had missed my chance. Jolie had stepped away to answer more media questions, but said she would return. In the time it took her to walk the red carpet, I had my question. As she walked past me I asked her, “if there is one message you hope audiences take from watching Unbroken, what would it be?” In that moment you could say my world stopped.

Angelina Jolie turned around, walked towards me, and answered my question saying, “you don’t have to be perfect, and that whatever it is, when you have a strong heart, strong will and we can all rise above it … and do great things.” I couldn’t believe it. The moment I had waited for, actually happened. I didn’t think it would. People around me were asking, “What did you say?” “What did she say?” I was still in shock! Quite flustered to tell you the truth. Jolie was so genuine, looked me in the eyes and answered my question with sincerity. It was a moment I’ll never forget.

Being a long time Jolie-Pitt fan, this was the ultimate experience and I can’t wait to see the film. They were both so gracious with their time. Making every effort to take as many selfies and sign every autograph for their adoring fans.

Read more at Katerina Papathanasopoulos’s blog.