Fans howl as ‘Eclipse' star Bronson Pelletier prowls Palladium

Fans howl as ‘Eclipse' star prowls Palladium



Twilight fans went wild Saturday night when 23-year-old actor Bronson Pelletier visited the Palladium in downtown Birmingham.

Pelletier plays Jared, a member of the wolf pack in the new film Eclipse, the third installment of author Stephanie Meyer's popular series, the Twilight Saga. Pelletier, who hails from Vancouver and is a Plain Cree native, was part of a whirlwind promotional tour where 18 members of the cast from Eclipse traveled to various cities in the U.S. and Canada over the Fourth of July weekend to see the movie with fans.

His visit to Birmingham was one of two stops in metro Detroit. As part of the promotion, which was announced the previous day, moviegoers were not told who would be coming. Pelletier's identity as the surprise cast member was kept under wraps until the actual appearance. Even Barb Zanetti, the theater's director of operations, was not told prior to his arrival who would be coming.

At the Palladium, the line for the 9 p.m. event started forming as early as 1 p.m., with fans traveling from as far as Dearborn, East Lansing and Flint. More than 500 people packed three of the Palladium's theaters for the event, each of which Pelletier visited to greet excited fans.

After being introduced by Greg Russell from Channel 20, who acted as emcee, Pelletier was met with screams and cries of “You're hot!” “Take your shirt off” and even “Will you marry me?” He accepted these compliments with a laugh and began asking trivia questions, giving out autographed posters as a prize.

Some fans had to be asked to get back into their seats by theater security after they jumped up to get closer to the star. After visiting the theaters, Pelletier left the Palladium, instead of staying to watch the film with fans as had been expected, a letdown to some.

Pelletier said that he enjoyed touring to meet his fans, but was not getting much sleep in the process. Many of the fans were hoping for a visit by heartthrob and Grand Rapids native Taylor Lautner, who plays Jacob Black, a werewolf and rival love interest to Bella in the movie, but were thrilled nonetheless with Pelletier's visit.