Good news: That fantasy every movie-goer has of “randomly” running into a film’s star just before the theater lights dim is delusion no longer — nowadays it’s just part of the publicity tour. And thankfully Washington has made the “Oh hey, guys! Yep, I’m famous. Pass the popcorn” cut.
Faux-surprise celebrity appearances are apparently in.
Jake Gyllenhaal did it in Georgetown in October when he wowed a crowd of college kids after a screening of “Nightcrawler.” He “crashed” similar screenings in Boston and Philadelphia. A month later, Seth Rogen arrived. “The Interview” star raised the bar by kicking off his “pop up” screening with a few brewskis. This was an artisanal surprise, painstakingly handcrafted to look casual. The actor tweeted about it the day before, and Sony Pictures invited a few “special guests.”
Dressed casually in brown pants and a dark puffy coat (see how regular he is?), Rock opted for a touristy itinerary on his D.C. stop, visiting the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, according to our source. No word on which jokes the stand-up comic cracked while introducing the film to the District crowd, but in Philadelphia Rock told audiences, “Spread the word, I need it. You do not want to see me on ‘Dancing with the Stars.'” We don’t?
In Baltimore he got a little racier, calling NFL player Ben Roethlisberger “the original Cosby.”
“It’s horrible. It’s gonna go everywhere,” Rock predicted of the punch line.
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