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Woody Allen‘s absence was felt by the stars of his new movie, Blue Jasmine, at the film’s L.A. premiere Wednesday night.
“I wish he was here,” Andrew Dice Clay told The Hollywood Reporter of the director, saying that working with Allen on the film was “surreal.” In the movie, Clay plays the ex-husband of Sally Hawkins‘ character, Ginger.
PHOTOS: ‘Blue Jasmine’ Premiere: Cate Blanchett, Peter Sarsgaard Hit the Red Carpet in L.A.
“He really gave me a shot of a lifetime,” Clay said at the event, held at the AMPAS Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. “And I really appreciate him as my family.”
Allen also skipped the film’s New York premiere Tuesday, with his rep explaining to the audience that he was in the South of France.
Blue Jasmine centers on the wealthy wife (Cate Blanchett) of a financial criminal who has everything that was precious to her confiscated. Forced to live with her sister (Hawkins) in San Francisco, Jasmine reaches a point where she loses herself to deep insanity.
Blanchett, wearing a black-and-white Alexander McQueen gown, told THR that her character represents an interface between fantasy and reality. “Jasmine is not the only one,” she said. “There’s Sarsgaard’s character and Ginger, who is played by Sally Hawkins. Everyone has got a dream life, and when that dream life takes over, it puts them into a state of madness. I said to myself, ‘Don’t screw it up, because it is so beautifully drawn in Woody’s screenplay.’ “
Bobby Cannavale, who plays Ginger’s boyfriend, noted Allen’s ability to find humor where many others cannot. “He’s his own person,” he said. “He’s a real acute observer of human behavior and unique in how he finds the funny in the everyday and in tragedy. Insecurities, neurosis, anxieties, we can all relate to it.”
Peter Sarsgaard, who plays a diplomat whom Jasmine falls for, also praised his director, pointing to his honesty and flexibility. “He’s not afraid to tell you it’s bad,” the actor said. “It’s tough to hear the truth since you’re used to being lied to as an actor. I think the reason he’s gotten so many great performances, including Cate’s, is because he allows actors to show up and take freedom with their role.”
Former The Bachelorette star Ali Fedotowsky — who has a cameo in the movie — also attended the premiere of the Sony Pictures Classics film along with Eric Roberts, John Savage, Steven Bauer, Kaley Cuoco and Tom Green.
Moviegoers celebrated with cocktails and STK-catered desserts immediately following the screening. The film hits theaters Friday.
Twitter: @kanikalal
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