Chris Russo said when he arrived at the European premiere of A Complete Unknown Tuesday, they had given him “the best seat in the house.”
Unfortunately, Russo gave up that prime seat halfway through the Bob Dylan biopic … because nature called. And once he went to the restroom, there was no going back.
Russo had been giddy with excitement about traveling to the premiere at the invitation of star Timothée Chalamet. He went with his daughter, Kiera.
He walked the red carpet and met Chalamet.
Maybe the strangest duo you’ll ever see …
Timothee Chalamet and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo pic.twitter.com/egpAtCmUWE
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) January 14, 2025
The first half of the movie went great for Russo. Then the bathroom beckoned. The First Take talent broke down his adventure from that point on in detail Thursday on Mad Dog Unleashed.
“You know me, when you get to be 65, you need to make sure washroom facilities are in the house, OK?” Russo said. “They gave me the best seat in the house … right in the middle, 10th row. Now the problem with right in the middle, 10th row, what happens if you have to use the facilities? I did have a cocktail before I went … I had to celebrate — how many times are you going to walk the red carpet?
“My one regret is, from the halfway point of the movie on, I had to go to the bathroom. And I had to figure out a way that when I crawled over 15 people, that I did it in a spot where it wasn’t a must-see spot. So the time that I did it was right after he said good-bye to Sylvie (Chalamet’s lover in the film) … which is a moving scene. I said, ‘Now might be the time.’
“I went to the men’s room. Everybody else there was saying the same thing: ‘Gosh darn it, my prostate.’ And I made sure I did not go back to the seat. I stood at the back of the theater and watched the rest of it.”
Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina clipped Russo’s bathroom dilemma segment from Thursday’s show.
Everything went superbly well for @MadDogUnleashed at the “A Complete Unknown” premiere except for when he had to pee, which he broke down as if it were an NFL playoff game. pic.twitter.com/lI6u2gZdCH
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) January 16, 2025
It doesn’t sound as if bathroom breaks were a problem for Russo’s transatlantic flight to the premiere and back home.
“The American Airlines flight was half full and I slept well, six hours there, seven hours back,” Russo told ESPN Front Row. “And I couldn’t believe how empty the planes were. On Monday night, I also bet the (Los Angeles) Rams on the money line and didn’t know the score.
“I had dinner in the lounge because I wanted to get on the plane and sleep. If you eat on the plane, you only sleep for two or three hours. I knew I needed four hours of sleep – had to! Oh, and I didn’t sit in coach!”
From “blowin’ in the wind” to “knockin’ on heaven’s door” 🎶
After months of trying, @MadDogUnleashed finally met @RealChalamet at the London premiere of #ACompleteUnknown
More: https://t.co/dfkAEh6BFe
Catch ‘Mad Dog’ Wednesday’s on @FirstTake w/@stephenasmith & @MollyQerim pic.twitter.com/2eliJemlSq
— ESPN Front Row (@ESPNFrontRow) January 16, 2025
Russo, a huge Dylan fan, had tried for some time to get Chalamet on his radio show to talk about the legendary musician. So to actually get a premiere invitation from Chalamet was a dream come true. Even with the untimely restroom breaks.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.