Vanessa Kirby looked sensational as she attended the world premiere of Napoleon in Paris with Rooney Mara on Wednesday.
As she walked the Salle Pleyel red carpet, the 35-year-old actress, who plays Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife Empress Joséphine in the film, wore a black backless dress.
She made sure she turned heads in the dramatic number with a thigh-high leg slit and a train with metallic gold embellishments.
Joining her at the event, Rooney, 38, opted for an elegant off-the-shoulder crop top with a semi-sheer chiffon skirt.
She upped her height with a pair of black stiletto heels and pulled her hair back into a sleek bun.
Glamorous: Vanessa Kirby (L), 35, looked sensational as she attended the world premiere of Napoleon in Paris with Rooney Mara (R), 38, on Wednesday
Stunning: While walking the Salle Pleyel red carpet, the actress wore a black backless dress
Rooney stepped out to support her fiancé Joaquin Phoenix, who plays the eponymous lead in Sir Ridley Scott’s upcoming epic, out on November 22.
Joaquin, 49, was pictured with his co-star Vanessa as he put on a smart display in a black suit and tie.
The Oscar-winning actor has been praised for his work in the epic The guard‘ Peter Bradshaw praises him for ‘a performance as robust as the glass of claret he knocks back: preening, brooding, seething and triumphant.’
The timesKevin Maher wrote that “the captivating strength of Phoenix’s performance, delivered in his American vernacular, is that it hovers in a nervous, sly, gray zone between imperious outbursts, wounded vulnerability and puckish charm.”
The independentClarisse Loughrey compared Joaquin’s performance to those of his predecessors, saying, “His Napoleon is one of the best in a long line of petulant baby men that can be traced back to his role as Emperor Commodus in Scott’s own Gladiator.”
Robbie Collin op The Telegraph says the role is “played with a surprisingly blunt charisma,” while BBC‘s Nicholas Barber praises Vanessa’s “cool charismatic” charm.
EmpiCatherine Bray of re, praises Ridley for a “version of Napoleon that is characteristically deadpan: a funny, idiosyncratic close-up of the man, rather than a broader, all-encompassing account.”
Brian Viner of the Ny Breaking noted the “spectacular” fight scenes and Vanessa’s “astute” casting, but was impressed with the overall film.
The premiere comes as Ridley Scott has slammed TV historian Dan Snow for his criticism of his upcoming historical epic Napoleon.
Snow, 44, has noted historical inaccuracies in the $200 million film, which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the French military commander.
The historian pointed out that Napoleon did not fight at the pyramids and never witnessed the execution of Marie Antoinette.
Snow also took issue with the film’s tagline, “He came from nothing, he conquered everything,” because Napoleon never conquered Britain.
‘I like historical epics. I love Ridley Scott. But if you watch this film, it’s not a documentary,” Snow said.
However, Ridley didn’t have much time for Snow’s criticism, as he told him to “get a life” in an interview with The New Yorker.
Incredibly, she made sure to turn heads in the dramatic number with a thigh-high leg slit and a small train with metallic gold embellishments
Sophisticated: Vanessa, who plays Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife Empress Joséphine in the film, carried a matching handbag
Beautiful: Rooney joined her at the event and opted for an elegant off-the-shoulder crop top with a semi-sheer chiffon skirt
Radiant: She upped her height with a pair of black stiletto heels and pulled her hair back into a sleek bun
VIPs: Rooney stepped out to support her fiancé Joaquin Phoenix, who stars as the eponymous lead in Sir Ridley Scott’s upcoming epic (Joaquin pictured with Vanessa)
Star: Joaquin, 49, was pictured with his co-star Vanessa as he put on a smart display in a black suit and tie
While Snow may not have been impressed, Ridley’s military advisor on the film, former paratrooper Paul Biddiss, insisted that the director put great care into the project.
“Uniformity is very important at Ridley – right down to the boys, who make sure their hats are straight,” he said.
Napoleon Bonaparte, later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a Corsica-born French military commander and political leader.
He rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars.
The film explores Napoleon’s rise to power through his relationship with his wife Josephine.
Phoenix will star opposite Vanessa Kirby, who played Princess Margaret in The Crown, after Killing Eve star Jodie Comer had to withdraw.
It also marks the first time Phoenix has reunited with director Sir Ridley Scott since starring in Gladiator in 2000.
The film was previously called Kitbag, which referred to the saying, “There is a general’s staff hidden in every soldier’s equipment.”
The expression means that it is possible for any soldier to become a general.
Pose: Director Ridley Scott was joined by his wife, producer Giannina Facio, and Vanessa on the red carpet
Drama: The premiere comes as Ridley Scott has slammed TV historian Dan Snow for his criticism of his upcoming historical epic Napoleon
Blockbuster: Snow, 44, picked up on historical inaccuracies in the $200 million film that stars Joaquin Phoenix as French military commander
Speaking about the film, Sir Ridley said: ‘Napoleon is a man I have always been fascinated by.
‘He came from nowhere to rule everything, but in the meantime he waged a romantic war with his adulterous wife Josephine.
“He conquered the world to win its love, and when he couldn’t, he conquered the world to destroy it.
‘No actor could ever embody Napoleon quite like Joaquin.’
Napoleon hits theaters on Wednesday, November 22.