AJ talks London premiere!
It’s finally here! Today kicks off the international launch of Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of and after spending this week doing the UK promo rounds, BSB are currently suiting up in preparation for hitting the red carpet for tonight’s London premiere and live performance.
“Europe and the UK is where everything started for us so it’s really exciting,” says AJ. “I saw photos of the premiere venue for London and it’s absolutely gorgeous and it sold out, which is amazing.
“We had no expectations going into this process. We just wanted to make an awesome film and share it with our fans and it’s turning out to be something even bigger than we dreamed of.
“I’m really anxious to see how it’s received over the pond and talk to fans. You know me – I’m very hands-on and love to hang out with fans out front whenever I’m having a cigarette, so I’m just anxious to see what everyone thinks of the film.”
As well as holding special meaning for BSB for the role the region played in their early success, the UK is also where the seeds of Show ‘Em What You’re Made were planted more than two years ago.
What started as a simple ‘making of’ type film evolved into a riveting documentary about the band’s journey, thanks to Oscar-winning producer Mia Bays and her team at UK production company Pulse Films.
Beginning by filming footage of the boys recording In A World Like This in London, Mia recognised the story-telling potential in BSB’s two decades together and brought in good friend and director Stephen Kijak.
Having previously worked with rock legends like the Rolling Stones, Stephen says one of his biggest observations about the BSB fandom is that we like to experience events together.
So it’s only natural that tonight’s event is one hot ticket!
“That’s something that’s really interesting,” says Stephen. “There’s almost a nineties vibe to the fan base in that they want to buy CDs, own the stuff and go see it in a movie theatre together. They want the collective experience.
“The fans really enjoy the collective experience of getting together and experiencing these things – it’s like having the band on tour in a way.”
*Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of is out TODAY in the UK, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Gilbraltar, Ireland, Netherlands and Romania! Further international releases to follow.
By Leena Tailor / @LeenaNZ