Eclipsed Take 114 – There’s Gwyneth Paltrow, don’t look!

Yesterday Tom and I flew to LA first class. No big deal for Tom perhaps, because he made the very same trip only last week. But a huge deal for me although I don’t let on to anyone around me in the lounge or in the plane. Oh yeah, this is normal. 

On our way out of the lounge at Heathrow, a scruffy bloke kisses his tall and glamorous wife goodbye as she is met by an escort to take her to a flight, no doubt somewhere glamorous and at the front of the plane. It takes me a moment to realise that she is Gwyneth Paltrow and even longer to work out that the scruffy bloke must have been Chris Martin. A shame, because I would have loved to have stayed and chatted with Chris!

On our BA plane to LAX, Gwyneth is already on board at the very front seat of the cabin. Tom and I are languishing at the back of the 1st Class Cabin. Slumming it like on the back of the bus. On gets Eddie Redmayne who we had spotted already at check in. More beautiful than handsome, he looks every inch a movie star with his Tom Ford suit case which might raise a Burberry eyebrow? Just ahead of take off, on gets Tom Hooper, the director of The Kings Speech and Les Miserables with Eddie Redmayne and my old mate (she isn’t) Anne Hathaway. Eddie and Tom embrace and catch up and they are quickly joined by Gwyneth for a famous people conflab. Famous people do this. They just have an affiity with each other. You’re famous and so am I, cool, let’s chat.

My son, Tom is not invited in to this conflab… yet. I am never invited in and fair enough. I don’t expect Gwyneth watches The Wright Stuff.

During the flight, Tom Hooper introduces himself to Tom. He asks Tom if he is an actor which is an inspired question and sets my mind racing. I decide that he must have seen Tom reading a script on his way past to the loo? Tom is introduced to Eddie and getting off the plane to Gwyneth also. It turns out that it was Eddie who recognised Tom from various internet pieces on The Impossible (and Eclipsed of course) and flagged it up to his illustrious director.

At immigration, my temporary visa applicaton is being scrutinized by a massive official wearing an extra large uniform that he still cannot squeeze in to.

And what business are you in that brings you to LA, Mr Holland? You see, on the form I ticked ‘business’ rather than pleasure.

And I think about this question for a moment. What business I am in? What brings me to LA? Fatherhood is the answer.

I am here with my son and bloody proud of him I am too.

Going to post all weekend – so check back if it’s your thing…