UNITED KINGDOM: Political thriller 'State of Play' has its world premiere in London

Record ID: 385018

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Political thriller 'State of Play' has its world premiere in London
  • Date: 22nd April 2009
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (APRIL 21, 2009) (REUTERS) HELEN MIRREN AND RUSSELL CROWE POSING FOR PHOTOS PHOTOGRAPHERS HELEN MIRREN AND RUSSELL CROWE POSING FOR PHOTOS
  • Embargoed: 7th May 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVABRKE5BX9B16PJX8W9BFMQXJZ2
  • Story Text: Russell Crowe and Dame Helen Mirren on Tuesday (April 21) took to the red carpet in the British capital for the world premiere of their latest film
    "State of Play".

    "State of Play" is a thriller about a rising congressman played by Ben Affleck and an investigative journalist embroiled in a couple of seemingly unrelated murders.
    Oscar winner Crowe plays Cal McAffrey, a veteran reporter who untangles the world of spin and politics.
    Mirren, dressed in Donna Karan, plays Crowe's hard-nosed editor Cameron Lynne. For her role, she spent some research time at the Los Angeles Times and told Reuters TV what she learned there:
    "It was fascinating, it was very very fascinating and sadly I think it's a side of our culture that is disappearing, newspapers are going to be a very different thing."
    Crowe whose relationship with the media has been tattered throughout his career, said whilst he respected a certain type of journalism, doing the film has not improved his negative view of the media.

    "I have a great deal of respect for people who take the job of journalism seriously and people who see it as a nobler profession , I only ever have a problem with people who see it as ignoble or people who see it as something that they can use for their own personal gain, even if that is just status in a given 1000 words, you know if they won't actually just write the truth instead of just elevating themselves to their subject and their material."
    The film is based on a 2003 BBC mini series by the same name. Director Kevin McDonald was keen to bring it to the big screen, but encountered a number of teething problems. The Writers' Strike in Los Angeles delayed production and shortly before shooting was about to begin Brad Pitt who was originally cast as Cal McAffrey pulled out. Edward Norton who was meant to play the role of politician Stephen Collins (then taken up by Ben Affleck) also pulled out.
    McDonald remembered: "It was very stressful to be standing with a set that's finished and with a cast and a crew and to realize that your stars decided not to do the film in the last minute but in a way it was sent from heaven what seemed like a terrible thing was actually a very positive thing in the end because we got Russell Crowe and he is so much the perfect actor for this film, he is fantastic in it and I can't imagine anybody else ever doing it."

    "State of Play" was already released in the United States on Friday (April 17) and went to number 2 at the US box office.
    It's released across Europe on April 22.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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