Stars in Gucci suits, Charleston socialites in evening gowns and screaming teenage girls all braved the wind and imminent rain for Charleston’s premiere of “Dear John” Jan. 24.
This latest Nicholas Sparks novel film adaptation premieres nationwide Feb. 5.
Lasse Hallstrom directed Channing Tatum (“Step Up”), Amanda Seyfried (“Mamma Mia”), local autistic 7-year-old Braeden Reed and C of C extras on the College campus, Folly Beach and picturesque settings around Charleston.
Braeden plays Alan, an autistic boy. Proceeds from the $250 tickets to the premiere at the Terrace Hippodrome Theater and after party at the South Carolina Aquarium went to Carolina Autism, which serves autistic children and adults.
Hallstrom says he cast an autistic child for the role of Alan because he wanted the portrayal to be real.
“I couldn’t imagine another child faking it,” Hallstrom said. “I really wanted to help create truth.”
Hallstrom also said he welcomed the opportunity to create a dynamic between actors on camera.
“I love mixing amateurs and actors,” he said. “This was a great opportunity to have someone rely on his own experience. It’s so hard to perform such a thing. And he was so inventive and he improvised like I’ve seen no other actor improvise, brilliantly.”
Tatum and Seyfried said they were happy to have the chance to work with Braeden and raise awareness for autism.
Tatum said he admired Braeden’s genuine independence.
“Braedan is just so free. I wish I was more like him in a way. He just doesn’t filter himself,” Tatum said. “People in general I think in life are always trying to look at themselves and make themselves say the right thing and do the right thing. He just is, right and he is good. He’s a beautiful kid.”
Seyfried took this as another opportunity to work for autism. She works with Care Autism and Autism Speaks in Los Angeles.
“It’s really exciting to just hang out with the kids,” Seyfried said. “I do theater with them.”
The cast says they fell in love with Charleston while filming.
“I haven’t been that many places but I have been overseas enough times, and I’ve been all around this country enough to know that Charleston and New Orleans are the two best places in my opinion,” Seyfried said. “It’s a seaside southern town. It’s just the ultimate historical, beautiful experience. I have a house that I want to buy.”
Tatum said he enjoyed surfing here, even though the waves were completely different than the ones he learned on in California.  
“The beaches here are so moody and they have such a personality to themselves,” Tatum said.
The hidden history and secret gardens also caught Tatum’s attention.
“I remember just walking around we found this little beautiful cemetery that we just went and sat in,” Tatum said. “There are all these little nooks and crannies. It’s so old, and there’s so much culture and history here.”
The cast and crew also got to experience the Charleston night life, especially Pearlz Oyster Bar.  
“Everybody on set loved oysters, except for me, so I was always kind of drug along with them, but Pearlz was great,” Tatum said. “But no oyster shooters for me.”
The stars were dressed for the occasion but managed to stay real in their designer glamour.
“I’m wearing Stella McCartney, but you might not want to look at my shoes,” Seyfried told Charleston Magazine when asked who she was wearing. “Those aren’t the Brian Atwoods that I came in with.”
Seyfried slipped into comfortable-looking flats that a C of C student might walk to class in after she posed for cast photos in silver stilettos.
Seyfried said she is interested in fashion, but chooses vintage over designer clothes.
“It’s cheaper and it has a story behind it,” she said.
Seyfried’s down-to-earth fashion sense gives her even more credibility when she says honesty is what makes “Dear John” great.
“It’s real. It’s as real as it can be when it’s not an actual true story,” she said. “There’s enough truth in it to help people relate to it.”
Tatum reflected the same sentiment when comparing the acting he did in “Dear John” to his recent action roles in films like “G.I. Joe.”
“[In ‘Dear John’ I am] just sitting and having a conversation with a real person and looking in their eyes and having a real connection,” Tatum said. “It’s almost more risky. It’s kind of scary because you’ve just got to be open about it. You don’t get to entertain and distract people with a bunch of special effects.”
Hollstrom summed up “Dear John” as a relatable story with relevance to young adults in this post-9/11, war-ridden world.
“This is about a man who, like many other men in the Army, sacrificed his personal life for his country, and sacrificed love for the country, which is so impressive,” Hollstrom said. “But it’s also a story about true love and the need to stay with what you believe is true.”