‘MacGruber’ stars, writers promote upcoming movie

Senior Dana Brej had been waiting for this moment since the first time she watched “Cruel Intentions”: the chance to meet Ryan Phillippe.

She had a test in two hours, but Brej and her friend, senior Hannah Todd, waited in line outside of Nick’s English Hut on Wednesday afternoon to meet their heartthrob.
“I’m living out my high school fantasy,” Todd said.

Phillippe, along with Saturday Night Live star Will Forte and two Saturday Night Live writers, Jorma Taccone and John Solomon, descended on Bloomington on Tuesday and Wednesday to promote their new film, “MacGruber,” based on the popular SNL skit.

The four stars attended a screening of their movie, which Forte, Taccone and Solomon wrote and Taccone directed. The sneak peek packed the Whittenberger Auditorium in the Indiana Memorial Union.

After the preview, Phillippe, Forte, Taccone and Solomon sat on stage and answered questions from the audience. They then encouraged those who liked the film to tell their friends via Facebook and Twitter.

But before they finished the question-and-answer session, one attendee asked the four if they were planning on going to the bars later. They answered yes and asked for recommendations. Kilroy’s Bar & Grill was the consensus.

Tony Espinal, a senior who attended the screening, said he went to Kilroy’s after and saw the stars there. Despite the fans hounding them, Espinal said the celebrities were “chill,” and they stayed until the bar closed.

“They looked like they were having a good time,” Espinal said. “They were chit-chatting with everyone.”

The “MacGruber” invasion continued through Wednesday with an autograph signing
outside of Nick’s English Hut. Phillippe, Forte, Taccone and Solomon were supposed to be there at noon, so by 11:50 a.m., the line reached from Nick’s entrance to Tracks. At 12:03 p.m., the four men weren’t out yet, but the line grew to Village Deli.

By 12:30 p.m., all four celebrities — including Forte in a navy-blue Nick’s T-shirt — started signing posters they provided. Fans were not allowed to take individual pictures, but they could take photos from afar, which many did with digital cameras and camera phones.

The four from “MacGruber” are touring college campuses to get the word out about the film, which also stars Kristen Wiig and Val Kilmer. Celebuzz.com blogger Alex Blagg, who is traveling with the stars, said the tour first went to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, then IU.

The stars will also visit the University of Colorado-Boulder, then travel to the University of Arizona in Tucson.

The tour will end in Los Angeles at the University of California.