Saturday evening I headed over to Newark, New Jersey for, what was described as, a "nerd-off" between Stephen Colbert and "Star Wars" director J.J. Abrams. The event was part of the Montclair Film Festival's annual events.
During the conversation, the latest trailer for "The Force Awakens" was played for a crowd of over 2,000. As the trailer began to roll audience members could see Abrams, not as a director, but as a spectator to the anticipated film.
It's a moment any "Star Wars" fan will appreciate.
Here's a closer look:
After the trailer played, Colbert turned to Abrams and asked, "Was this the first time you've watched that trailer with an audience of people?"
"It actually is," Abrams said to a stunned and excited crowd.
However, other than that initial moment, as Colbert's eyes were glued to the monitor above him, I was surprised to find Abrams avoided watching the trailer all together.
Instead, his eyes darted anywhere but back up to the screen playing the trailer. He calmly took out a tiny water bottle and refilled his Stormtrooper mug on the side table next to him. At moments, he looked out toward the crowd, perhaps watching our reactions to the film which he has worked on for much of the past three years.
I wish I had a photo of it to share, but we were explicitly told to refrain from taking photos during the event.
Later during the talk, Abrams admitted he's partially terrified, though excited, to see how fans react to the new film. But overall, he's ready for the movie to be out in the world already.
"The truth is, working on this movie for the past nearly three years, it's been like living with the greatest roommate in history for too long," said Abrams. "Meaning, it's time for him to get his own place. It's been the greatest, and I can't tell you how much I want him to get out into the world and meet other people because we know each other really well."
"'Star Wars' is bigger than any of us," he added. "And to get to be involved in this in any way is a true honor and it needs to be out there for the people. Of course, at turns, I'm thrilled beyond words and I'm terrified more than I can say."
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is in theaters December 18, 2015.
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