With hundreds of teenage girls screaming excitedly outside the Vue Cinema in Leicester Square, passers-by might have been forgiven for thinking Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio was in town. The person causing delirium in London's West End was not one of America's biggest heart-throbs, however, but local boy Alex Pettyfer, who has just made his debut in the film Stormbreaker.
The movie newcomer, who was a student at Shiplake College in Oxfordshire until recently, is causing quite a stir in the movie industry. In the new adventure he heads up a stellar cast, with British favourites Ewan McGregor, Bill Nighy and Sophie Okonedo appearing alongside US stars Mickey Rourke and Alicia Silverstone.
Alex confessed to being a little overwhelmed by the reception he received on Monday evening, but if the predictions of studio insiders are anything to go by he'll have to get used to such attention. "They were just screaming and screaming and I wanted to chat to them all night," he said. "And of course there was a lot of kissing to be had as well."
In the film, which is based on the enormously successful novels by Anthony Horowitz, he plays reluctant schoolboy spy Alex Rider. The books have already sold more than ten million copies worldwide and, with a whole series of movies planned, the main character looks set to become the biggest boy hero since Harry Potter.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
