Female movie fans with a tendency to swoon had their work cut out on Tuesday night when a roll-call of Hollywood's leading men turned out for a glitzy premiere in the heart of New York. Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg were joined by silver screen veterans Alec Baldwin and Jack Nicholson at the debut screening of Martin Scorsese's new thriller The Departed.
There were a few rock and roll legends on hand, too, with U2 frontman Bono and Rolling Stones singer Sir Mick Jagger likewise setting flashbulbs blazing on the red carpet. But despite the cheers of adoration that came from fans gathered outside the Ziegfeld Theatre, nothing could match the enthusiasm with which the A-listers greeted each other.
Sir Mick, who is not normally known for public displays of affection, threw his arms around Jack Nicholson when they met up. And the Oscar-winning actor seemed just as delighted when he happened upon fellow movie veteran Lauren Bacall a few minutes later.
Matt Damon, who was accompanied by his wife Luciana Bozan, was meanwhile snapped chatting warmly with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. The father-of-one, who plays a corrupt cop in the movie, confessed he'd be no good at breaking the law in real life. "I'd probably just apologise my way out of everything," he said. "I'd be pretty useless!"
Leonardo managed to take the event's feel-good mood one step further by making the flick's director blush. The heart-throb actor, who has worked with Martin on two previous productions, told reporters the legendary filmmaker was one of the industry's few real masters. "It's like playing jazz at this point," affirmed the 31-year-old. "He's really good at depicting a real, authentic underworld." The object of his praise, whose face turned a little red, responded only by saying, "I'm very touched by that."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
