Attempting to get the “Red Carpet” Experience
I head to the nearest hotel to switch out from my day clothes, into my evening wear. I chat with other UGA students as we plot out where exactly we’ll stand to beg for evening premiere tickets.
I decide to stand as close as possible to the entrance to catch anyone who’s attending the premiere, just as they’re heading to the red carpet.
I learned early that begging for tickets was a hard task, and it was something that I was NOT into. It was a shameless task and took a great deal of confidence. It broke my heart to stand there in a sparkly floor-length dress holding a sign that spelled out my request, “un billet s’il vous plait”
As I stand people stare, kids point, some chuckle, and people squint in an attempt to understand the sign.
“It’s un with an ‘e’” says one guy.
“What has an ‘e’?” I briefly entertain him, because you never know who could have a ticket.
“You have only u-n. It needs an ‘e’. Une is one. You need a place for what?” continues the man.
“There’s a premiere tonight and I’m trying to get a ticket to watch the film,” I say.
“You have a badge but no place?” the man says genuinely puzzled.
“That’s right,” I say, hoping that this conversation will lead to a ticket.
“Well good luck!” the man says as he walks away.
A few other oddball characters walk up to me during the hour and a half that I am standing with my sign. There was a guy who wanted to talk about his family from Florida after I’d lied about being from Florida (big mistake).
There was also a guy from Poland, who genuinely didn’t understand why I was begging for tickets. He made a point to repeatedly call me crazy for doing it, as he walked away. At this point, I’d dedicated so much time and didn’t care about anything but getting a ticket.
I was convinced about an hour into it that I would not have any luck tonight. I just happened to run into another UGA student who got an extra ticket. I snatched the ticket and rushed to the red carpet.
