SEATTLE — The Hollywood spotlight was on Seattle for a community premiere of George Clooney’s upcoming film “The Boys In The Boat.”
The famous actor and director was on-hand for the event, with wife Amal by his side.
They were joined by producer Grant Heslov and author Daniel James Brown, who wrote the book upon which the film is based.
"I'm a writer, I'm not a movie star, so this is a really unique experience for me, so I'm just sort of soaking it all in,” Brown said.
Also in attendance - Judy Rantz Willman, whose real-life father, Joe Rantz, was one of "the boys” and the central figure in the film.
"To walk in and see all of the different poster things and everything, and in a legitimate theater, and crowds of people that want to see it? It's stunning,” she said. "It is pretty cool that George Clooney directed it."
When they met for the first time on the red carpet, Clooney wrapped Rantz Willman in a lengthy embrace.
"We wanted to see the people who are the reason that this actually exists,” Clooney said.
Governor Jay Inslee and his wife were also part of the audience.
Before the screening began, he posed for photos with the crowd - which included the Sequim High School seniors whose viral TikTok video grabbed his attention months ago.
The premiere also marked a re-birth of the COVID-shuttered Cinerama (now known as SIFF Cinema Downtown.) The historic theater re-opens to audiences this week, and served as a fitting backdrop for a film Clooney affectionately calls “old-fashioned.”
"It feels like the films I grew up watching. We really focused it on the films of the '40s and '50s, the way the love story kind of plays out. There's an innocence to it,” Clooney said. "I tend to do pretty cynical things, so this was a palate cleanser for me."
The film recounts the against-all-odds victory of eight University of Washington rowers at the 1936 Olympics, when they took home the gold by beating the Germans in front of Hitler.
Clooney acknowledges there are many similarities between then and now and hopes audiences will come away remembering one over-arching message.
“I think we have to remind ourselves that we're a team. That we all like each other,” Clooney said. "I think that gets lost along the way. I think it's all getting polarized because we see it too much."
“The Boys In The Boat” is rated PG and opens in theaters on Christmas Day.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Email.