A ‘Beach’ Party With Leo and the Gang

“The Beach” premiere on Wednesday evening at Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood was a study in Leo-mania. Hundreds of fans, mostly young women, waited hours for a glimpse of Leonardo DiCaprio. To the delight of the crowd, the impish actor showed up dateless.

For the post-screening bash, party planner Jeffrey Best transformed the nearby club called Blue into the one-night-only Reclining Buddha (the film was shot in Thailand). Women dressed in sarongs greeted guests with such exotic treats as warm rose water hand wash and “snake blood” shots (cranberry juice and vodka).

The space was decorated with dozens of low-hanging paper lanterns, Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes and oversized floor pillows; the air was scented with incense. The menu featured chicken, beef and shrimp satay, vegetable dumplings and pork pot-stickers; guests were given boxes of tea and disposable cameras.

“I hope to make more English-language films, but we’ll see,” said French actress Virginie Ledoyen, who plays DiCaprio’s love interest.

Others in attendance from the film were director Danny Boyle and actors Tilda Swinton, Guillaume Canet and Paterson Joseph. Other celebs on hand included Juliette Lewis, Lukas Haas, Lori Petty, Rachel Hunter, John Leguizamo, Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst and Hugh Hefner and Co.

“The Beach” opens in theaters Feb. 11.