For several months, Bob Dylan aficionado – and First Take contributor – Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo has been left blowin’ in the wind in his attempts to land A Complete Unknown’s star, Timothée Chalamet, for his radio show.
But the times, they were a-changin’ when Russo took his plea to First Take a few weeks ago. Chalamet, who had been a guest-picker on College GameDay, took notice and invited the gregarious Russo to the film’s London premiere. For Mad Dog, that invite was like knockin’ on heaven’s door. In a simple twist of fate, he even got to bring his daughter, Kiera, to celebrate her birthday.
In an exclusive for Front Row, Russo makes like a hurricane and offers four highlights from the whirlwind trip:
THE FLIGHT TO ENGLAND
“The American Airlines flight was half full and I slept well, six hours there, seven hours back. And I couldn’t believe how empty the planes were. On Monday night, I also bet the Rams on the money line and didn’t know the score. I had dinner in the lounge because I wanted to get on the plane and sleep. If you eat on the plane, you only sleep for two or three hours. I knew I needed four hours of sleep – had to! Oh, and I didn’t sit in coach!”
THE RED CARPET
“The amount of paparazzi – wow. Very impressive. The whole red carpet setup was elaborate, very well done. And the movie? I had already seen it three times, but this fourth viewing? It just keeps getting better. Plus, my daughter Kiera got to walk the red carpet for her birthday! What a memory for her.”
THE ENGLISH AUDIENCE
“The audience was so appreciative of the movie. A bit different from the crowds I’ve seen at previous screenings. They laughed at different moments and stayed engaged the whole time. I didn’t attend the New York premiere, so this was a unique experience. The energy of the English fans in the theater was outstanding.”
MEETING TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET
“Wow, meeting Timothée? Boyish enthusiasm is how I would put it. He was so nice. He signed autographs for every person who was there. He was happy to be there. He wasn’t like, ‘yeah, all right.’ He wasn’t difficult. He stole the show. He thanked me for coming all this way. I can’t tell you how impressed I was with him.”
Don’t think twice, it’s all right to catch the forever young Russo on his weekly Wednesday First Take appearance with Stephen A. Smith, Molly Qerim and the crew (ESPN, 10 a.m. ET).
Spencer T. Jackson produced the video above
-
-
-
-
