Hollywood comes to the Olympics

A-listers filled the stands to support athletes

PARIS:

Hollywood is out in force at the Paris Olympics — perhaps taking notes before the United States’ turn to host with the next Games in 2028. Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Steven Spielberg, Lady Gaga — there have been plenty of A-listers around Paris for the first few days of the Games.

The biggest celebrity draw has been Artistic Gymnastics, arguably the hottest ticket this week as American superstar Simone Biles added to her medal haul. Cruise has received a particularly warm welcome — given a knighthood from the French government (becoming a “chevalier des arts et des lettres”) and serenaded with a blast of the Mission: Impossible theme in the arena. Sat just in front of him was Barbie director Greta Gerwig, becoming a fixture in France after her time as head of the Cannes Film Festival jury in May.

Lady Gaga posted a video of Biles on Instagram captioned, “She nailed it, what an honour to be so close”. The actor and singer, who will appear alongside Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie a Deux this autumn, performed at the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday, delivering a French music hall standard Mon Truc en Plumes. She treated fans in Paris to a sneak preview of her new album this week, sticking her head out of a limousine at her hotel to play snippets on a laptop.

Aussie stars

Some of Hollywood’s favourite Australians have also been in town, with Barbie star Margot Robbie and Moulin Rouge! director Baz Luhrmann spotted at the opening ceremony. Kidman, another Aussie, was present for the gymnastics and also skateboarding. She is partly working, though, promoting a watch brand that is the official Games timekeeper.

Similarly, US actor Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty, Interstellar) is also around town as the face of a major brand that dresses Team USA.

Director Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X) is well known for his obsession with basketball as a lifelong fan of the New York Knicks, so it was no surprise to see him show up on the sidelines for the US “Dream Team” in Lille. But he was also poolside with his friend Flavor Flav of the legendary rap group Public Enemy, who has become the unlikely sponsor of the women’s water polo team.

Spielberg, meanwhile, reunited with Cruise — with whom he made Minority Report and War of the Worlds — to watch the rain-drenched opening ceremony.

Perhaps they were taking notes — the Paris ceremony may have been wet but it was a highly audacious and complex undertaking that set the bar high for Los Angeles 2028.

The following day, a Los Angeles Times columnist wrote: “Glad I’m not the artistic director for the LA28 opener. You better be upping your game. Let’s see, Seine or LA River? OK, anybody got any other ideas?”

Snoop Dogg wows beach volleyball crowd

Meanwhile, US rapper Snoop Dogg entertained the crowds at a sizzling beach volleyball stadium on Wednesday, dancing along with fans after he turned up to support the US women’s team.

The rapper arrived at the iconic venue in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower by a side entrance, surrounded by a team of security — but once in the stands, he wasn’t shy about showing off his moves. Posing for photos with a few delighted fans, he shook his hands in the air to a pumped-up crowd that included US supporters dressed as cowboys.

Wearing a T-shirt that read “USA”, the rapper sheltered from the sun under an umbrella and clutched an electric pocket fan as temperatures soared into the early 30s, at a stadium with zero shade. The US players — Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng — waved at him and pointed in his direction as they warmed up on the sand before the game.

The US rapper was on his feet cheering and clapping as Hughes and Cheng fought a tight battle against France, joining spectators in the sport’s popular “monster block” chant which makes the temporary stadium shake.

After the US stormed to victory in two sets, the players danced back from the court and thumped their chests in Snoop Dogg’s direction. In return, he stood and waved a large US flag in both hands.

Speaking to US channel NBC, he had some advice for the US players: “Do what y’all do,” he said. “Bring home the gold.”

Hughes and Cheng — both making their Olympics debut at the Paris Games — managed to triumph in a tight match against Clemence Vieira and Aline Chamereau, with the second set finishing 23-21.

Wednesday’s searing heat marked a sharp contrast to the first day of competition, when relentless driving rain deluged the venue.

The US rapper has also been spotted watching the men’s street skateboarding and the artistic gymnastics women’s qualification after he was a torch-bearer in the opening ceremony.