The Circuit

The gates around the red carpet are thronged with screaming fans holding up camera phones or sharpies to get signatures.  In our email box came a story from one that actually got through. 

His name?  Neill Virtue.  No kidding.

Hello,

I am the chap at the Cannes Film Festival who you photographed with the sign that read “I flew 3671 miles to see Indy! Please Sign!”.

In case you’re interested at the premiere nobody signed my poster apart from Ray Winstone who walked across the road to me. Then we went to the after party and waited outside but we were too far over so the stars mainly passed us so I missed Ford and Lucas but then Spielberg came up the stairs and I screamed ‘’Mr. Spielberg, Sir!’’ and he looked at me and pointed to himself and acknowledged me but then he was crowded by the fans behind the barrier.

I screamed as loud as I have ever screamed “Mr. Spielberg for the love and God please come this way” so Kathleen Kennedy (the producer of loads of his movies) comes over to me and takes my big heavy box of posters from me over to him and he signs and then one of his entourage says to me to jump the barrier so I’m just standing there and Mr. Spielberg turns to walk towards me and says “I want to see the guy with the sign” and I say “that’s me!!!”.

He said to me that he signed my poster and I thanked him and asked him if he’d be kind enough to pose for a photo and he said that would be no problem. I was absolutely shaking like a leaf. (photo attached)

I said to my long-time, long suffering girlfriend before I left for Cannes if it was a choice between her and Steven Spielberg I’d have to leave her, I was only half joking. To meet my idol and to have him and his colleagues be so kind to me was something special.

- Neill Virtue