What’s the one thing that could make a Stan seriously Stan out? How about a surprise appearance form Slim Shady himself at the New York premiere of the Stans movie? Eminem blew some superfans’ minds on Wednesday night (Aug. 6) when he pulled off an unannounced pop-in to the screening of the documentary about his most ardent admirers.
The gathering on The Rooftop at Pier 17 found Marshall briefly taking the stage to address his shouting Stans, thanking them for coming out. “Let me tell you why this s–t is crazy to me,” he said in a video of his remarks posted by Shady Media. “Because, when I was writing the song ‘Stan,’ I think I was just understanding the impact that my music was having on some people. And it’s so crazy to me to look at, over my career, just the fact that I was able to impact people,” he continued as the repeated shouts of “I love you” interrupted his comments.
“I love you too,” he replied. “I’m trying to think of what the f–k I’m saying here… When I was writing this song I didn’t understand the impact my music was having on people at the time and it was really surreal to me, and it’s still surreal to this day to look out here and see all you and the fact that my music has inspired you. This film is a thank you to all of you for sticking by me for this whole f–king time… I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
In addition to addressing the crowd, Eminem also met some fans and hung out with a few, again thanking them for their support over the past quarter century. In one video from the meet and greet, a woman thanks Marshall for “saving my life,” spurring the rapper to immediately turn to her and give her a huge hug.
In addition, actor Devon Sawa, who portrayed obsessive fan Stan in the original video for the 2000 song from his The Marshall Mathers LP also pulled up to the STANS lookalike contest in New York to meet some fellow Stans, pose with Slim Shady and help judge the contest.
Stans was directed by Steven Leckart (The Day Sports Stood Still) and produced by Eminem, his longtime manager Paul Rosenberg and Antoine Fuqua, among others. The film spotlights 20 fans who talk in depth about how Eminem’s music and story has impacted their lives, and features a rare sit-down interview with the rapper that is sprinkled throughout the nearly two-hour doc. It also features commentary from friends and close associates, including Ed Sheeran, Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine, Adam Sandler, LL Cool J, “Stan” collaborator Dido and former MTV TRL host Carson Daly.
