Interview Magazine presented the New York premiere of Sony Pictures Classics’ “Testament Of Youth,” which hits theaters this Friday.
The screening, also hosted by Exclusive Matchmaking, was held at Bow Tie Chelsea Cinemas and attendees were very excited to see Jon Snow (Kit Harington) in the flesh. He, Alicia Vikander and director James Kent all walked the red carpet. Hollywood’s new it girl Alicia Vikander, did not disappoint in a Louis Vuitton number. She was incredibly gracious and humble. Alicia plays real life hero Vera Brittain in the film, which is based on her 1933 memoir of the same name. Vera was a head strong young woman in the early 20th Century UK who would not let being woman hold her back. Despite her family’s protestations, she was determined to attend Oxford with her brother. She ultimately got in, but decided to put her studies on hold to work as a nurse in the trenches during World War One. Her true love Roland Leighton (Harington) had enlisted and her brother Edward (Taron Egerton) left to serve his country as well. She refused to site idly by. She witnessed much tragedy and experienced so much sorrow, but went on touch millions with her messages of pacifism and feminism. The beautiful, but sad film is a must-see.
Vikander told Examiner.com exclusively on the red carpet:
I think we all admire Vera for her determination and her will and strength. I don’t know practically if I would be able to go through whatever she went through. It’s really remarkable to see someone who went through so much loss who actually was able to turn that into something – for her to be able to find a voice instead, and become a pacifist, a feminist.
Kit Harington spoke about working with director James Kent with Examiner.com:
James is one of the most sensitive directors, in fact the most sensitive director I’ve ever worked with. The most caring of the project, he really understood this text and really understood Vera’s journey and we all felt very safe with him. He gave us rehearsal before hand, we talked through the scenes a lot, and it was a huge privilege working with this man … This is his first feature, that could’ve made me very nervous, but for some reason it didn’t. He made me feel very safe.
Director James Kent spoke about what he loved about Vera:
She’s very headstrong as you will see in the film. She’s very determined. She’s not instantly likable but she goes on a hell of a journey. She discovers something we all need to do in life which is to earn our place in life, our voice, and what is it that makes us feel we have a place on this earth. You can’t really go through life without a certain amount of suffering and grief and we will all have that. But it also gives you a richness and a compassion and I think you’re a better human being for it. That’s Vera’s story.
[slideshow]Kit was great to collaborate with. Kit really wanted this part. He loves being Jon Snow, but I think he is also more than that. I think you see sides of Kit Harington in this film, you would never see in ‘Game of Thrones.’ It’s a very sensitive role. He’s a very sensitive man to work with. He’s very understanding. He loves this period, he read ‘Testament of Youth,’ and he read the poems. He’s incredibly committed and I think that is exciting for a director … [Alicia] is a huge star of the future. She’s got many other movies coming out and we caught her early. I think she inhabits a lot of the qualities that Vera has. She’s a pretty formidable character.
Photo Credit: Star Tracks Photo
