Peninsula Daily News news sources
WESTWOOD VILLAGE, Calif. — Members of the Quileute tribe got a Hollywood-style treatment Monday night as they participated in the U.S. premiere of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.”
They walked the red carpet at Mann’s Village and Bruin theaters in Westwood Village, the trendy suburb of Los Angeles notable as the home of UCLA.
Westwood was all “Twilight” on Monday night, as hundreds of fans — some lined up on the sidewalks since Thursday — strained to get a glimpse of the stars of “New Moon” and cheer the Quileutes who were especially invited to join the events.
Tribe prominent in story
The Quileute tribe is prominently featured in author Stephenie Meyer’s series of four Twilight fictional books. The second movie based on the series debuts on movie screens nationwide this week — including a 12:01 a.m. Friday showing at the Lincoln Theater in Port Angeles.
But for four Quileute students ranging in age from 8 to 22 who accompanied Tribal Chairwoman Carol Hatch, Vice Chairwoman Bonita Cleveland and Treasurer Deanna Hobson, it was a gala sneak peek at the blockbuster movie with many show-business celebrities.
They were also scheduled to attend an after-movie party at which leading actors Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner were expected to appear.
‘So thrilled’
“We are so thrilled to be here at the ‘New Moon’ event, and we’re looking forward to attending the movie,” said Cleveland, just before hopping into a stretch limousine to go to the theater.
The group members had just spent a couple of hours having their hair and makeup done.
Cleveland, who said she hadn’t yet cracked the book New Moon, was looking forward to seeing the movie, which brings in an element of a love triangle to the saga set on the West End that has become a worldwide phenomenon.
“This will be a perfect way to be introduced to the story,” Cleveland said.
“To me, this is all about showing our pride in the Quileute nation and our role in the movie.”
Hobson said she was especially excited about introducing the youngsters to the event.
“This is a very special thing for our young people,” she said.
“This is a great way for our young people to represent our tribe with pride and, it will be a very great experience with a positive outlook [for] our tribe.”
Tribal publicist Jackie Jacobs said it was “a thrill to be in Hollywood and have the tribe represented in this saga.”
“It is great to have these children know that they were an important part of this and to have them have this experience.”
Love triangle
The new “Twilight” film centers on a teen love triangle involving a girl, a vampire and a werewolf in Forks and LaPush.
The werewolf theme is a fictionalized version of a Quileute legend involving wolves.
Since Meyer’s first book came out in 2005, Forks and LaPush have enjoyed a boost of tourism activity by 600 percent. Fans from France, the Netherlands, Jordan and China recently visited the reservation.
The first movie by studio Summit Entertainment grossed $385 million worldwide, and pre-sales for the sequel are better than the first.
A third movie is in production in Vancouver, British Columbia, and on Vancouver Island.
Like the first film, “Twilight,” shot in Oregon and Southern Washington, none of the filming of “New Moon” was done on the Olympic Peninsula.
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PDN staff writer Paige Dickerson contributed to this report.
