Darren Aronofsky's Noah stormed the box office over the weekend, and only ET has his surprise red-carpet reunion with the teacher who inspired him to write a Noah's Ark-themed poem about peace back in 1982!
Darren Aronofsky's Noah stormed the box office over the weekend to float to the top of the competition, and the victory is that much more special to the Oscar-nominated director, seeing as the passion to make the project stemmed from an award-winning poem that he wrote back in 1982. Vera Fried, the teacher who inspired him to write his Noah's Ark-themed poem about peace, was invited to last week's New York premiere of the film, and only ET's cameras captured their surprise red-carpet reunion! Watch the touching video...
PICS: Role Call - Who Got Hired In Hollywood?
"I was Darren's teacher! That's my baby!" proclaimed the joyful Mrs. Fried to the ET cameras, then turned to her former pupil and told him, "You made me cry with the first letter that I got, then the second letter -- do you want me in the movie -- I cried. And tonight...Oh Darren, I'm so happy." They embraced, and Aronofsky, clearly moved, told her, "Thanks for coming," before making sure she was in safe hands with a publicist.
Aronofsky credits Mrs. Fried for sparking his creativity in writing and pushing him to succeed at an early age, and even gave her a cameo in the film opposite the film's star, Russell Crowe. You can read that full poem, which was honored by the United Nations, HERE.
WATCH: Crowe Addresses Criticism of Biblical Flick 'Noah'
With Crowe as the title character, Noah follows the biblical figure as he's given a divine mission: to build an ark to save creation from the coming flood. In theaters now, the film also stars Sir Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Logan Lerman and Emma Watson.