Inside the Los Angeles Premiere of <i>Battle of the Sexes</i>

It was a celebration of women’s equality and plenty of tennis mixed in as stars like Emma Stone and Steve Carell hit the red carpet at the premiere of Battle of the Sexes in Los Angeles Saturday evening.

We were in the middle of the action when the event kicked off at the Regency Theater, as the Oscar winner slayed the scene in a glitzy, metallic Louis Vuitton blazer tucked over a silk pinstriped shirtdress. While the buzzworthy drama is set in the early 1970s, Stone brought an essence of Old Hollywood glamour  with her platinum blonde locks styled in a coiffed bob paired with a soft pink lip.

Battle of the Sexes details the epic tennis match between groundbreaking tennis great Billie Jean King (Stone) and former men’s champ Bobby Riggs (Carell), and King’s fight to prove that women deserved to be treated as equal in the tennis world and beyond. In the midst of that battle, the sports star also had an internal one as she struggled with her sexuality.

As we headed into the premiere, a group of faux tennis players greeted us at the door palming tennis balls and racquets that made the scene perfect for a photo opp. After snapping one, we strolled inside and made a beeline for mini bottles of FIJI water and popcorn, and took our seats as the cast was introduced to the audience.

Stone, Carrell, Sarah Silverman, Elisabeth Shue, and the famed Billy Jean King all lined up at the top of the theater, before King stepped up to grab the mic to a round of applause. “Thank you Emma for making me look so good,” she said with a laugh. “I’m overwhelmed. It’s a really special night, because we have some of the Original 9 here,” she said as six of the women stood up in the audience.

The tennis players were dubbed the Original 9 after they rebelled against the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) because of the vast difference between the prize money paid to male tennis players and female tennis players.
After the show, we slapped on our Citizen paper watch wristbands and headed outside for the afterparty. A huge globe emblazoned with “Battle of the Sexes” glowed amongst strings of lights as we strolled into the bash, where guests noshed on grilled Mexican street corn, mini corn dogs, shrimp kebabs and more.

At the open bar, guests grabbed up signature Casamigos signature cocktails like the Billie Jean and Bobby, and sipped on the Red Bull infused Grand Slam, before heading to the gif photo booth. Meanwhile, Stone and King chatted at a private table topped with FIJI water as attendees hovered nearby.

The night wrapped up with mixing and mingling as a DJ spun house music, and guests played rounds of table tennis. It was a laid back affair, away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood, and a reminder of how far we’ve come in terms of women’s equality – and yet how far we still have to go.

Battle of the Sexes opens in limited theaters Friday and releases nationwide on Sept. 29. We highly recommend that you see it.