“Oh p…, there he is! » Behind the barriers installed opposite at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes), Ava and Irene can’t believe it this Saturday: Leonardo DiCaprio is half a dozen meters from them. “I filmed it! screams Ava before throwing herself into her friend’s arms.
Around these teenage girls of 16 and 17 perched on a flower box, thousands of Cannes residents and festival-goers had gathered to climb the stairs of the team of the last Martin Scorsese film, “Killers of the Flower Moon”, starring DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. From the balconies of the buildings overlooking the Palace, dozens of people also watched for the arrival of the three American stars.
When the trio arrived at 6:15 p.m., it was undoubtedly DiCaprio who received the most cheers. All smiles in a black suit and bow tie, the star of “Titanic”, “Inception” or “Aviator” took part in the game of autographs and selfies for several minutes, while Scorsese signed a few posters and that De Niro, close-cropped hair and sungleswent straight to the red carpet.
For more than an hour, the announcer of the red carpet had made admirable efforts to keep the crowd waiting. “We are awaiting the historic presentation of the new feature film by one of the greatest filmmakers in history”, he exclaimed, emphatically, while commenting on the arrival of Tomer Sisley, Salma Hayek or even… “Imane , student in the first year of cinema at the University of Paris VIII.
Around the stools of the autograph hunters, the day’s rain had soaked the lawn. A young Asian woman brandished her phone, barefoot in the mud so as not to damage her shoes. “The tension is palpable at the edge of the red carpet… like in a Martin Scorsese movie “, furnished the announcer.
“We are waiting, nerves on edge,” he said later. Before announcing several times: “The cars are approaching”, “Other cars are approaching”… Behind their signs “Leo, let me take a selfie please” or “Leo, do you remember me? » (“Leo, let me take a selfie, please” or “Leo, do you remember me?”)fans were seething.
After posing for them, Leo and his castmates walked the red carpet. The screening of the film, which chronicles how Americans robbed and killed Native Americans in the early 20th century, started a good half-hour late. The general public will not discover “Killers of the Flower Moon” in theaters until October 18.