Timothée Chalamet's absence due to illness from the Canadian premiere of Dune: Part Two didn't stop Quebec moviegoers from forming a long line outside the Cinéplex Odéon Banque Scotia on Sainte-Catherine Street in Montreal before 3 p.m. on Wednesday. This with the aim of seeing – or better yet, talking to – the Quebec director Denis Villeneuve.
• Also read: Release of “Dune: second part”: Timothée Chalamet is ill and cancels his visit to Montreal
At the front of that long perimeter line was young Kaitlyn Friedman, 16, who arrived at 4 a.m. to make sure she didn't miss any of this important event. With her parents' consent, the student even missed school to meet her idol, French-American actor Timothée Chalamet.
“I expected Timothée to be there, I'm very disappointed,” explained the young Montrealer, who learned this morning that her favorite actor was ill and would ultimately not be present on the red carpet.
“When we found out that Timothée wasn’t coming, my friends left. But I decided to stay anyway,” she explains with a large coffee in her hand.
The hour-long wait allowed him to meet 15-year-old Simona Milo, also from Montreal, who also missed school in the hope of seeing Timothée Chalamet again (another big disappointment), but also the director Denis Villeneuve.
“We are fans of Timothée and Dune. But mainly from Timothée,” they agree with a laugh. Her favorite films include “Call Me By Your Name” and “My Beautiful Boy.”
They explain that they also fell in love with the characters of Dune, all the actors, the story and the cinematography by Denis Villeneuve.
“We are happy to see Denis Villeneuve. We are proud that he is Canadian,” they said.
Photo agency QMI, Mario Beauregard
The best director of our generation
With his camp chair and snacks, Daniel Dessureaux, 36, of Val-David was prepared to wait for hours in hopes of seeing his favorite director: Denis Villeneuve.
“I love Dune. I just re-read the book to watch the movie again. The first time I read Dune: Part 1 was because Denis Villeneuve wanted to make a movie out of it. It is thanks to him that I know the universe of Dune,” explains the man who had the opportunity to see the film last Sunday, during a special premiere night for Canadian fans organized by the Guzzo Cinema.
“I wanted to come because, in my opinion, Denis Villeneuve is the best and greatest director of our generation. It's a dream to meet him,” adds the great admirer, who brought with him his copy of the book Dune by Frank Herbert (whose foreword is signed by Danis Villeneuve) and his film Dune: Part 1, hoping to get the director's signature to obtain .
If he says he is a little disappointed that the leading actor, Timothée Chalamet, is ultimately not present on the red carpet, Daniel Dessureaux insists: he arrived this morning at 11 a.m. to meet Denis Villeneuve.
“It’s extraordinary what he does. I admire his work and am so proud that he is a Quebecois. This is truly an honor!”
Photo agency QMI, Mario Beauregard