Kelly Rowland at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival on May 22.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Starring in Sean Baker’s comedy-drama about sex workers, Anorais riding off into the sunset with this year’s Palme d’Or, tongues are still flying about another workplace drama – the one involving that female Cannes Film Festival security guard.
Social media posts showing the same female security official lunging at Kelly Rowland, Dominican actress Massiel Taveras and South Korean actress and pop star Yoona on the steps and inside the Palace during Separate events are still going viral online, raising new questions about current protocols around the world. red carpet of the most famous film festival. Many netizens noted that all of the people rushed to the carpet were women of color, leading some to make allegations of discrimination, although there were also videos of the security guard dragging a Ukrainian model who was trying to pose for photos at the top of the carpet. the theater steps.
After her viral confrontation, during which the singer and actress can be seen in a tense exchange with the security guard, Rowland told the Associated Press: “The woman knows what happened. I know what happened. I have a limit, I respect it, and that’s it. She continued: “There were other women attending this carpet who didn’t really look like me. And they weren’t scolded, or pushed away, or told to get off. And I held on, and she felt like she had to hold on. But I held on.
The Hollywood Reporter contacted festival comment but have not yet received a response.
THR also in touch with several well-placed festival insiders, some of whom shrugged off the controversy by saying it was de rigeur for the Palace. Festival regulars, from executives to public relations representatives, note that the behavior observed on social media, while troubling, is not uncommon for the festival, which rolls out its famous red carpet with almost militaristic enthusiasm.
Although it is unclear how long the manager seen in the social media videos has been working at the festival, it is well known that many of the employees who work at the Palace during the festival have held their position for years and are well trained, whether at multiple security checks, outside on the iconic red carpet or inside the Théâtre Grande Lumière. A security official who manned a position at the top of the steps said THR this year, he had held the same position for more than a decade. It is also not uncommon to see the same faces at each entrance and exit, or the same ushers throughout the duration of the festival.
Unless they are the actors at the film premiere, the jury or celebrities representing one of the festival sponsors (like Chopard or L’Oréal), spectators are always rushed to the carpet and on the stairs.
Of course, exceptions are made when it’s a major star or beloved festival veteran, but for the most part, the security job is to maintain the flow of traffic and ensure that everyone is in their place at the scheduled start time. This can sometimes be difficult, as the Théâtre Grande Lumière has a capacity of over 2,300 people. Security also acts quickly to prevent any selfies in progress or to stop the taking of unofficial photos, usually once participants have hit the mat, with officials known to place their hands in front of their faces. camera lenses.
“I think (security) is not sensitive to the purpose of being there, but I understand there are a lot of misfits,” said a Hollywood insider who frequently attends the festival with patrons. “Maybe we need fewer actors and creators drawing attention to what is the last real film festival.”
Thierry Frémaux, the festival’s longtime lieutenant, called selfies “grotesque” and “ridiculous” when the practice was banned in 2018. “It’s not pretty,” he said. “We want to restore some decency.” But beyond decorum, it’s also a question of logistics, because premieres would never start on time if they allowed every attendee to stop and pose for photos.
Stern measures aside, the photos are the reason there was a security fight in the first place. Seasoned red carpet stars know that the best photos come from giving photographers every angle and pose and hitting multiple spots on the Cannes red carpet where photographers are stationed. Rowland, who rose to fame as a member of Destiny’s Child, was pushed and blocked as she attempted to pose for additional photos. A source said that they are used to being treated harshly or sometimes in a rude or unpleasant manner when they stop at different places on the way to the entrance.
As for Taveras, she attempted to pull off a fashion stunt right outside the theater entrance by spreading her dress to display a portrait of Jesus Christ when she was blocked and rushed inside. It is also well known that festival security frowns upon stunts, protests and other demonstrations that could threaten the event.
This is far from the first time that there has been hubbub at the Palace. In 2015, a furor erupted after some women were refused entry to various premieres for not wearing high heels and some men were barred from entering without black tuxedo shoes. Fremaux insisted that it was simply agitation and that “the rumor that the festival requires high heels for women on the steps is unfounded.” This was not enough to quell the controversy which continued through the rest of the festival that year. Even Emily Blunt spoke at a press conference to Sicariussaying, “Everyone should wear flats, to be honest. »
The following year, Frémaux changed his mind. “It was unacceptable on the part of the security forces,” he said in 2016. “But there are 2,000 people and one guy who decided to do this, and we didn’t know about it until the the following day.”
Gn entert
News Source : www.hollywoodreporter.com
