Daily Front Row

2011 May 18

Paris, Tribeca

Comments | | Print

Corey Stoll, Rachel McAdams, Woody Allen, (Director), Kathy Bates, Michael Sheen
NICK HUNT / PatrickMcMullan.com View Gallery

(NEW YORK) A fash mob descended upon the Tribeca Grand Hotel last night as the Cinema Society & Thierry Mugler hosted the New York screening of Woody Allen’s latest romcom, Midnight in Paris. The Brooklyn-born director was joined by his star-studded cast--Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Michael Sheen, and Corey Stoll—along with a long list of doting devotees: Ashley Olsen, Mary-Kate Olsen, Valentino, Giancarlo Giammetti, Jimmy Kimmel, Sofia Coppola, Lou Reed, Patricia Clarkson, Noah Baumbach, Julian Schnabel, Monica Potter, Nora Ephron, Jason Reitman, Gina Gershon, Beth Stern, Nancy Shevell, Kelly Klein, Elettra Wiedemann, Liya Kebede, Erin Heatherton, Rachel Roy, Nicole Miller, Stavros Niarchos, Olivia Palermo & Johannes Huebl, Lorenzo Martone, Katie Lee, and Karen Duffy.

“Originally, I wrote this story for an East Coast character with all the nuances of an Eastern intellectual,” Allen told The Daily. “I took that all out and made a California screenwriter." Pourquoi? "I wanted Owen Wilson to play the lead," he said. Speaking of Wilson..."He was the only one who got the full script. The rest of us were just given scenes," explained Stoll. Sheen was quick to add a footnote. "That’s how Woody works! He doesn't offer up the whole script, but he was always clear about what he needed, giving us plenty of direction. He encouraged us to improvise, too," said Sheen before greeting McAdams, clad in a white Louis Vuitton gown. "I've only been to Paris for Fashion Week," she said. "I loved filming there, because we got to go places that you don’t normally get to go to when you’re a tourist. I ran barefoot through the Rodin Museum just to see if a security guard would catch me--no one saw. We'd film at 4 o’clock in the morning down a cobblestone street when only one restaurant was open. It was a very intimate view of Paris." Stoll, on the other hand, had a less intimate experience. "I went to the municipal swimming pool in Paris—quite the scene. It was filled with Parisians, and I came with my board shorts. I was told that I must have a Speedo so I went to the on-site vending machine, bought one, and slipped it on. It was pretty liberating. I had flashes of feeling sexy—well, sort of terror and sexiness mingled together," he confessed.

Post-premiere, the chic set relocated to a candlelit soiree at the SoHo Grand Hotel catered with braised short ribs, four cheese ravioli, and vegetable ratatouille. Bates was first on the scene—relaxing fireside before jetting off to make her restaurant rezzie. Allen popped in and out shortly after...just in time for fash-photogs to snap a quick shot or two with his wife, Soon-Yi Previn. McAdams held down the fort with castmates Sheen and Stoll front and center while Kimmel and Gershon lounged--almost--incognito with friends in the back room. As the clock struck midnight, guests drained their drinks, took their last bite of the buffet, and headed out into the night toting a swag bag full of Thierry Mugler perfume. Pas mal! 
MARIA DENARDO