LOS ANGELES — From the moment they stepped out of the limousine and onto the red carpet, the evening felt like being transported into a scene in a movie, said a Quileute tribal spokeswoman after council members and children attended the premiere of the latest Twilight saga film.
The Quileute tribal members were flown to Los Angeles by Summit Entertainment to walk the red carpet for the premier of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” on Monday.
“For the little girls who went with us, it really was a fairy tale — they were transformed into princesses,” said tribal spokeswoman Jackie Jacobs.
“From the second I stepped out of the limo with Chairwoman [Carol Hatch] and the children, flashbulbs were going off, and it was literally just like being in a movie.”
Role in book, movie
The tribe plays a prominent — if completely fictionalized — role in the movie based on the second of the four-novel series set in Forks, written by Stephenie Meyer of Arizona.
The Twilight saga tells a romantic adventure of Bella Swan who is wooed by vampire Edward Cullen and by Jacob Black, who is a werewolf in the novel.
Black is depicted as a member of the Quileute tribe in LaPush, which have legends about wolves but not werewolves.
Black and his fellow wolf pack serve as protectors against the blood-sucking vampires in the novel.
Edward and his family, however, consider themselves “vegetarian” vampires because they do not drink human blood — only that of animals.
Traditional colors
Canadian clothing designer Dorothy Grant loaned Hatch a couture dress with a coastal design in red and black — colors that are traditionally important to the Quileute, Jacobs said.
“It really was amazing,” she said.
Jacobs and Hatch walked the red carpet and did interviews with representatives of various media companies.
The rest of the group — along with the Quileute student who were between 8 and 22 years old — went to a VIP area where they could meet the stars and take pictures.
“When we would approach the various media people, and I introduced the chairwoman, it was a really interesting thing,” Jacobs said.
“About half of them were shocked that there really was a tribe called the Quileute, and the other half were amazed that she was there on the red carpet with them.”
Meyers and Hatch meet
One of the highlights of the night — it was hard to pick one, after all, Jacobs said — was when she and Hatch were approaching the Entertainment Tonight booth.
“As we got in line, Stephenie Meyer was right there in front of us,” Jacobs said.
“I tapped her on the shoulder and told her that it was my pleasure to introduce her to the chairwoman of the Quileute tribe.
“It was so surreal. They were both just looking at each other and shook hands and then Stephenie started looking around for someone who had a camera — but no one had one.
“On the red carpet, you aren’t allowed to carry a camera if you’re part of the event.”
So Hatch didn’t get a chance to snap a picture with the book author then, but at the party after the screening, she and the others were able to take more pictures, Jacobs said.
“Later, the chairwoman told me that her hands were really cold, and I said that was because she was a vampire,” Jacobs joked.
After seeing the movie — though they couldn’t talk about it after being sworn to secrecy — the group went to the after party where they mingled with the stars.
The girls were elated to take pictures and get autographs, Jacobs said.
“All night I was checking in with them, and they were just having the time of their lives,” she said.
“Sometimes you get these incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and this was one of them.
When tribal council secretary Anna Rose Counsell met Meyer after the movie, Meyer told her: “I’m so glad that so many Quileute members were able to attend the premiere.”
And producer Wyck Godfrey told Hatch that he was excited to hear their take on the movie.
“He said to her that he had been to LaPush once already, and he would love to come back again soon,” Jacobs said.
The group was vigilant in inviting every star they met to come and visit.
“We extended invitations to everyone,” Jacobs said.
“We want the world to come to LaPush.
“I believe we represented not only LaPush, but Forks and the Olympic Peninsula very well.”
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
