Slideshow

Slide Show: 'Wild' Premiere: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern and Cheryl Strayed on the Red Carpet

December 9, 2014

All images by Arthur Hitchock

Photography by Arthur Hitchcock

The red carpet runway

The crowd across the street grew as more cast and crew arrived.

Strayed with her husband, filmmaker Brian Lindstrom.

Strayed wears an Escada dress and a Pippa Small necklace from Twist. "My wardrobe has increased mightily since this whole thing began," she said. "If you ever want a dress come to my house."

Mayor Charlie Hales and his wife, Nancy, showing off that they wore hiking boots for the occassion.

Laura Dern played Strayed's mother, Bobbi.

“The book was life changing in no uncertain terms,” Dern said of 'Wild'. “To read an author who’s that shame free about all of her choices…is such a reminder to all of us to how much damage we’ve done by how much we beat ourselves up over the choices we’

Director Jean-Marc Vallee

When asked by one gruff reporter, “what do you want me to take away from this movie,” Vallee replied, “I want you to feel in peace. I want you to celebrate human imperfection. I want you to hug your mom,” said Vallee of the film. “It’s about a woman who

Producer Bruna Papandrea, Dern, Strayed, and Vallee

Someone gave Dern a box of Voodoo Donuts.

Reese Witherspoon

"Crossing cold rivers—it was late October, early November—people in Oregon know, it was really cold," Witherspoon said of the difficulties filming the movie. "And there I was in shorts, and everybody on the other side of the camera was wearing parkas and

"It’s always going to be surreal, but certainly I’ve gotten used to it," Strayed said of seeing the film. "I’ve gotten used to this thing that, wow, I’m going to see a movie in which Reese Witherspoon is playing me."

“This whole team, Jean-Marc Vallee, Bruna Papandrea, Reese, Laura Dern, and others, we really developed a bond, a kind of family, as creative collaborators,” Strayed said when asked if she might work on future films. “When you find that kind of connectio

The theater was full of seats bearing signs reserving them for 'Fox,' 'Strayed,' and the other groups who made the invite list one of the most exclusive in town.

Vallee introduced the lead cast and producers.

The crowd rose to its feet as Strayed walked down the aisle.

“There are people in this room who were with me when my children were born,” Strayed said. “There are people who loaned me money while I was writing Wild, so I could buy groceries. There are people I have known since they were two. There are people who r

It was clear from the second you stepped foot on NW 21st Avenue last night that the Wild premiere was going to be unlike any premiere Portland’s seen before. A red carpet in an enclosed plastic pop-up flowed from the doors of Cinema 21. Fans thronged the sidewalk across the street, waiting to catch a glimpse of stars Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern, as well as local writer Cheryl Strayed, director Jean-Marc Vallée, and more. Read our full recap.

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