3-D Flashback: Avengers: Age Of Ultron Premiere - Los Angeles, April 13th 2015

 

Chadwick Boseman on the red carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron', April 13th 2015. 

 

Exactly ten years ago today I covered the Los Angeles premiere of 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. 

 

First, the cast arrived to promote the film on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" show, which tapes just across the street from the theater. The alley behind the JKL studio is a well known hotspot for paparazzi and graphers (autograph sellers) as well as tourists looking to spot a star. Most of my shots were crap, and none of the stars came down to sign autographs like they do sometimes. But I did get one decent shot of Chris Hemsworth flashing a peace sign before entering the studio.

 

After all of that, I went back out to Hollywood Blvd for the premiere red carpet. Unfortunately I had no press credentials this time to get access to the red carpet, so I was hoping some of the celebrities would cross the street to sign autographs. A few did, but none of the big names, so it was mostly not worth all of the effort I put into the day because the credentialed photogs got clean shots and I got garbage. However, this was the only time I ever got a shot of Chadwick Boseman, so I'm glad I went.

My previous post of Robert Downey Jr was from the early days of the MCU. So much had happened in the interim five years. The MCU had blossomed into the biggest movie franchise ever, and was just starting to get a bit bloated. And so much more has happened in the past ten years. This film was a year BEFORE Chadwick Boseman's MCU debut in 'Civil War', and five years later, he was gone. 

What's your take on 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' after ten years? Does it hold up? Leave a comment.

3-D Robert Downey Jr All Smiles At Four Seasons Hotel In Beverly Hills, Apr 2009

 

Robert Downey Jr. at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. April 3rd, 2009. Photos by Diabolik

The first thing I learned as a paparazzo was that there are plenty of times that celebrities don't mind when paparazzi are around, and it was always a great feeling when they would smile or wave, legitimizing the "stalking" type behavior we get justifiable hate for.

On this particular day I was checking the Four Seasons Hotel because there were some autograph seekers lurking on the curb, which meant someone was inside.

Soon Robert Downey Jr came out, sporting a white blazer and a purple tee shirt with a Shazam lightning bolt on it, which was ironic because of course Shazam used to be known as Captain Marvel before the character was acquired by DC Comics.

Robert was in a great mood that day because, little did I know at the time, he was gearing up to begin filming 'Iron Man 2' just 3 days after these photos were taken. So when you think about the timing, it was the exact point when the MCU began to take shape after the success of the first film. Robert was just starting to enjoy his triumphant comeback, which would only continue to snowball for years and to this day. But back then, we didn't know if it was just a fluke, or was this Marvel Cinematic Universe going to turn into something.

Another notable detail from that day, I also saw Terrence Howard leaving the hotel around the same time. It was reported that Don Cheadle only had a few hours to decide to take on the role replacing Howard when filming began this same week, so I've always wondered if Howard was still on the project when that meeting happened? Or perhaps was that the day he was dropped from the film? That's just my speculation of course.

But just look at how happy Robert seems at this moment. I'll never forget it.