Local actors walked the red carpet at Slickrock Cinemas 3 for the premiere of “After Earth” on Friday, May 31.
“After Earth”, a science-fiction film starring Will and Jaden Smith, was filmed in the Moab-area a year ago. Film crews hired locals to portray cadets and families who live on Nova Prime, a planet outside Earth’s solar system. Private and Bureau of Land Management land at and near the Intrepid potash plant were used in the filming.
Pippin Thomas said that some of the local actors did 29 takes for one scene that had them running through sand as a space monster chased them.
“I’m in the trailer,” she said. “You can see my red hair.”
Beth Logan said that her scenes were cut from the film.
“But I had fun with my fellow actors,” she said.
Fruit juice was served in champagne glasses as actors toasted one another. The Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission handed out t-shirts to the child actors and water bottles to the adult actors. Autograph sheets were handed out, so they could get one another’s autographs.
Each actor took a turn to exit what was called the Moab limousine to walk the red carpet. When not walking the red carpet, the actors were lined along the carpet to cheer on their fellow actors.
Alex Lacey, age 12, introduced the actors as they exited the Moab limousine.
Lacey served as the Moab Charter School president and had graduated from the school earlier that day. “From earliest childhood, he was never afraid of getting in front of people,” said his father Tom Lacey.
Jeff Richards took a turn to exit the Moab limousine.
“I’m just happy to be here,” Richards said on the red carpet. “I feel like this is the high point of my career.”
Silver Turner said being an extra was “awesome”, but doesn’t know if he’ll be an actor when he grows up. He said that the explosions that were done during filming were scary.
Claret Sutteer said that she ran past explosions and had a pretend grandpa on the set.
The theater was full for the first screening of the film. While crews spent two weeks shooting scenes that included Moab-extras, the Moab-area scenes were included only in the first few minutes of the film.
Tanyon Griffiths was featured screaming and being saved from a space monster in the opening scene.
Richards said he was a little disappointed after he watched “After Earth”.
“None of our scenes made it,” he said.
