The Poster Memorabilia blog

A New York Night with American Gangster

The Apollo, October 2007, and a piece of advice from Denzel Washington that stuck.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

The movies from the early 2000s really were the best. If you look back on the films that premiered in that decade, you'll find a diversity of hits and cult classics, the likes of which are practically unheard of these days. I mean, who's making films like American Gangster anymore? Not even Ridley Scott himself.

I mention American Gangster because it truly was one of the best movies of the decade. Packed with an awesome cast, with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe delivering some of their best performances, it's no surprise it became one of 2007's biggest hits. It was both a critical and commercial success.

And you know what? I actually went to the movie's premiere at the Apollo Theater in Harlem on October 19, 2007. Premiering a Harlem gangster epic at the Apollo was a stroke of genius, and it was a different time back then. The night drew plenty of press and fanfare, but the whole thing was a fraction of the scale of a premiere today.

What I miss most about going to celebrity events back then was how intimate it all felt. Yes, the night was noisy with shouting paparazzi and legions of fans screaming at their favorite stars, but as I already mentioned, the scale was much smaller.

“It was just the red carpet, the photographers, and the fans.”

Movie premieres today have elaborate sets and designated spots where celebrities can do the latest TikTok dances. Back then, it was just the red carpet, the photographers, and the fans. It was easier to get autographs because we actually got close to the celebrities.

I can still remember how Denzel Washington looked at me when I asked him to sign my poster. I told him I wanted to get into acting myself, and he advised me to tough it out for as long as I could if it was something I really wanted. Though I never pursued it, I still keep his advice to heart.

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Russell Crowe was also all charisma that night. Fresh off his Oscar-winning run, he had that easy movie-star swagger as he worked the carpet, and women went feral for him. I can even still hear the girl shouting in my ear as Crowe signed my poster. I would've told her off if the man himself hadn't been standing right in front of me.

Cuba Gooding Jr. looked just as dapper that night, too. He was the most joyful of the cast members, working his way down the line and laughing with everyone, and it was great to see someone enjoying the moment that much.

I got the rest of the cast's autographs as the night went on, but I have to mention Jay-Z, too. He was the most popular rapper in the world at the time, and this was his city. He'd seen an early cut of the film and been so taken with it that he made an entire album inspired by it, which came out a couple of weeks later. His presence hung over that whole night, as if he were one of the movie's big stars.

Those times really were the best, and I hope Hollywood can return to that era, or at least make more movies like American Gangster. I'm not exactly a fan of where the movie industry is headed nowadays, so I often find myself looking back to a time when films were simply better.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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