Willforslm
On November 19, during a chilly Wednesday afternoon, hundreds flocked to AMC Theaters in Creve Couer to witness what’s fairly commonplace in L.A. and NYC: a bona fide, star-studded movie premiere.
Word leaked last week that none other than Will Smith was visiting St. Louis for a special screening of Seven Pounds, his latest movie.
The event kicked off Wednesday afternoon with a food drive for the St. Louis Area Foodbank—the screening’s main purpose. DJs from 100.3 FM kept the crowd entertained with music, giveaways and a Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme-song competition. Local celebs began to arrive around 6 p.m., including Rams defensive end Chris Long, Nikko Smith (Ozzie’s son and former American Idol contestant) and one of the original munchkins from The Wizard of the Oz.
Finally, as the sun faded, a DJ announced Smith had arrived. The crowd roared as the star climbed onstage to talk about his new film. His speech was over in minutes, so Smith could spent plenty of time signing autographs and posing for photos with fans. As he made his way down the red carpet, I climbed onto a trashcan to snap a few off-balance shots of Smith up close and personal.
Was it worth it to stand in the cold for two hours, climb onto a trash can and fight a star-crazed crowd for a few photos of an already famous actor? Eh, maybe—but how many people see an original munchkin from The Wizard of Oz?
For more photos, visit the Will Smith set at SLM's Flickr page. — Nick Schnelle, SLM Photo Intern
