Will Smith, Guy Ritchie and Naomi Scott at the Aladdin press conference

On Friday, the cast and crew of Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of Aladdin came to the Rosewood London hotel to chat about the movie – and here’s what went down.

You know when Will Smith is at something it’s going to be fun. I’ve been to red carpets he’s attending and his presence makes such a difference – he is entertaining, he is enthusiastic and his energy is infectious. That was the same at the Aladdin press conference. He entertained us all with stories from the set and made everyone laugh constantly. Director Guy Ritchie even joked that reporters needed to stop asking him questions that can lead to long, rambling answers because Smith can talk.

In my social media clip below, you can see Smith and Ritchie entering the ballroom with Naomi Scott, Mena Massoud and composer Alan Menken.

And here's the cast entering the #Aladdin press conference: pic.twitter.com/WguDFXUW28

— Hannah Wales (@hannahwalesy) May 10, 2019

I was the most surprised by Scott, who plays Princess Jasmine, and how chatty and loud she was. She really held her own with Smith and I was impressed because she is so new. Massoud, another newcomer, was relatively quiet but was adorable and sincere when answering questions. Ritchie barely spoke besides to chip in with other people’s answers and Menken didn’t get asked much (naturally, most questions were for Smith), but he gave good answers when he was addressed.

I haven’t been to a press conference in almost 18 months so I was very excited to be there and it was hilarious.

I’m seeing the film later this week but reviews are under embargo until 22nd May, so keep your eyes peeled then.

Here are some of my picture highlights –