Author Nick Hornby was guest of honour at the High Fidelity premiere in London last night and the setting couldn't have been more appropriate. Hornby's novel, on which the film was based, took its inspiration from Reckless Records, the record shop beside Islington's Screen on the Green cinema where the premiere was held.
Director Stephen Frears was full of praise for the absent star John Cusack, saying, "he's very inventive, human and hard-working." Asked whether moving the story from North London to Chicago had affected the story-telling, Frears said, "You couldn't have John Cusack playing a Londoner - that would have been ridiculous." Despite announcing that after this he wanted to spend his time, "lying under a tree and never working again" Frears told Empire Online that he was currently working on a television film written by Jimmy McGovern.
Among the guests at the premiere were Oscar-nominated actress Samantha Morton, author Roddy Doyle and ex-Python Terry Jones. Morton told us that she was, "being a mum" at the moment. "A couple of projects I've been involved with have lost funding," she said, "so there's nothing in the pipeline."
Human Traffic star John Simm was also at the premiere and told us that he was, "expecting to see a very good performance from John Cusack." Simm, who is working on a television production at the moment, will be returning to film in November to shoot a movie called Empire State in New York. "But I can't tell you anything more about it," he said.
Comedian Alan Davies, who's currently working on British movie Dog Eat Dog, which is filming north of the capital, was less secretive about starring alongside Gary Kemp and All Saints lovely Melanie Blatt. "I haven't done any scenes with her," he admitted, "all I've seen are polaroids of her in make-up."
Premiere guests went on to the trendy Elbow Room pool hall in London's Chapel Market where they were joined by late guest Minnie Driver whose bouncer held everything at arm's length while she spent the night in a booth in deep discussion with Stephen Frears.