On Screen & Off Again

Now The Premiere

Now THE PREMIERE

“I ’m Paisley Hutton with Entertainment Now and we are live outside of the gorgeous Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, California, for the premiere of To the Stars .”

The Fonda Theatre is lit so beautifully, it gives the impression, with all its vintage glamour, that it’s living and breathing. Instead of a red carpet, this one is white and it stretches from the limousine drop-off all the way down the front of the theater, where the cameras are lined up, waiting.

“And coming down the carpet right now is Greg Edgeway, the film’s director. Greg, so happy to see you tonight. Congrats on this, I can’t wait to see it. How are you feeling?”

“We’re thrilled with it, absolutely thrilled,” he says into the microphone.

“This is a leading role for Daxon Avery,” says Paisley, “who we’ve seen coming up over the years between film and a few things off-Broadway, but this is a major moment for Wilhelmina Chase, who we just haven’t seen, period. What was it like casting her after so long away?”

“Daxon, I don’t know if you know, was cast. Then it became, like, this thing of who are we going to get for Lila ? It was a lengthy audition process. Tons of people came in to read; we did several chemistry tests with Dax and some talented, very famous young women, but nothing was really feeling right.”

“Until Wil.”

Greg nods. “She walked in totally prepared. Didn’t need to talk about the character, didn’t need anything. I had her start off a scene with Dax and boom . That was it. Then we did another and another and another.” He spins his finger for emphasis. “And when she left that day, Daxon and I looked at each other and we were, like, this is it .”

“And you’re pleased with her performance?” asks Paisley.

“Listen, I’ve been doing this forever. You know that. And it was one of the greatest pleasures of my life getting to direct this young woman, as well as Daxon. I mean, the two of them together are electric. As a director, you dream about this kind of chemistry. Once you see the film, you’ll get it.”

“Fantastic, I can’t wait. Have fun tonight! Thanks so much.”

Greg waves jovially into the camera, then continues down the carpet until he’s disappeared into the theater.

It’s then that the buzz of talking, laughing, calls for a pose in this direction, cameras clicking excitedly, drops off almost altogether, as though it’s one collective, deep, anticipatory inhale.

A limo has just pulled up.

Its door is opened.

“Paisley, have we seen Daxon or Wil yet?” asks the voice of Delilah Beck, her co-host back at the studio.

“You know what, Delilah, I have a feeling that we’re about to see Daxon or Wil coming down the carpet right now. Okay, yes, someone is getting out.” Paisley touches her earpiece. “Yep, Delilah, they’re telling me this is Daxon Avery.”

Daxon climbs slowly out, adjusting his suit jacket before extending his hand back inside for another passenger.

“Is there someone else in the limo?” Delilah asks.

Carefully, Dax guides Wil out of the car and the buzz roars back to life.

“Oh! Gorgeous! Coming out of the limo right now is Wilhelmina Chase looking absolutely divine in what I believe is an Oscar de la Renta runway dress we’ve seen from this past Fashion Week. Unbelievable. Truly stunning.”

The air is alive with shouts and whistles and screams of excited glee from the mob of fans just beyond the white carpet.

They have Marnie, Maybe posters and backpacks, dolls and pillowcases. But they also have To the Stars posters. The pens in their hands are uncapped and eagerly anticipating a signature from two people who brought something precious to their younger selves.

Something you never really lose with the years. Something magical.

“Paisley, she’s an absolute vision in that dress. The way it complements her skin tone, the hair very underplayed but still giving this chic edge against the fairytale gown. I’m loving the red lip.”

“I completely agree, Delilah. Daxon Avery is wearing a dark blue velvet suit jacket, bow tie, it’s effortless, very movie-star glam. Which is a big difference to how we’ve seen these two come up together over the years. It’s almost like a phoenix moment, rising from the ashes of children’s television to a major movie.”

“Paisley, I’m noticing that they’re walking the carpet together.”

“Absolutely right, Delilah, they are arm-in-arm, looking like a dream. I mean, get a look at the way he’s looking at her when they stop for pictures. It’s how we’re all looking at her.”

Dax presses a hand into Wil’s back and guides her gently towards the cameras. He whispers something in her ear. Wil lets go of his arm and steps forward. A production assistant dressed in black slacks and a headset rushes forward to help pose the dress’s train for photos, but Dax beats her to it.

With gentle, careful hands, he gathers the silver material and pulls it flat against the carpet so it’s draping, fanned to its full breathtaking capacity.

“And this is the first time we’ve seen them on a carpet since their show was canceled, is that right?”

An audible hush falls over the white carpet. Another limo has pulled up, and a blazing red dress is climbing out.

“Hang on a minute, Delilah, I’m getting word that another star has arrived on the white carpet. Katrina Tyson-Taylor is in the building! And she looks like a million bucks.”

“Is that custom Versace?”

“It is, and we’re seeing a big change tonight from Katrina, who has gone platinum blonde! Oh my god, I can’t believe how incredible she looks. Just a total movie star. This is a huge night for her. Following familial issues with Wil and Bob Chase, she is absolutely stunning. Completely reinventing herself here.”

Her dress is one-shouldered and timeless, embellished with a diamond brooch at the hip.

Every camera on the carpet turns towards her.

Finally, Wil and Dax arrive in front of Paisley’s camera.

“Wil, my god , you look incredible. Tell us about the dress,” says Paisley.

“Hi, wow, thank you,” says Wil, her hazel eyes lined delicately tonight, looking beyond the reporter to the sea of screaming fans. “The dress is Oscar de la Renta. I’m actually styled tonight by my very good friend, Margot Martinez, who is so much better at dressing me than I am.” She laughs.

Paisley laughs, too. “How are you feeling being back out on a red carpet for the first time in years?”

“Nauseous,” says Wil without skipping a beat. “No, but I’m excited. It’s exciting. It’ll be my first time seeing the movie, and usually I hate watching myself perform, but my buddy Daxon Avery is supposed to be really good so I’m stoked to see his performance.”

“Daxon,” Paisley gushes, “what can we expect from Wilhelmina in To the Stars? ”

“Well, Wil has this really annoying habit of being great without trying, so you can expect to feel just incredibly bothered the entire time by how good she is,” he says with a straight face, before breaking into a wide grin.

“I’m sorry, can I see your invitation?” Wil turns to Dax. There’s faux-sternness on her face. A beat later, they’re both laughing.

“You two are so cute!” Paisley is beside herself. “Wil, what can we expect from Daxon tonight?”

“Dax is the most honest actor I know. Everything he does on camera is so authentic and real. You will walk away tonight fully obsessed with him. I guarantee it.”

Ahead, production assistants wave to those still on the carpet, beckoning them towards the theater where the film is ready to start.

“Thank you both so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful time tonight and congratulations—this is huge!”

Dax bends his elbow and holds it out to Wil who takes it, and together, they walk inside, looking like a star and her night sky.