Virtual premiere introduces ‘Baba Yaga’

LOS ANGELES » Last week Daisy Ridley and Jennifer Hudson went to a movie premiere together.

They posed for photos and made remarks from a stage while an audience watched quietly.

Or, more accurately, their avatars did.

The actors were actually on different continents, brought together for a few minutes through virtual reality headsets to walk a red carpet, pose for photos in front of a step and to speak to a crowd of other avatars on behalf of their short film “Baba Yaga.” It’s being called the first ever VR movie premiere.

“I truly feel like I went to a premiere,” Hudson said later. “But I didn’t leave home! I think it’s a cool way to do it, especially right now.”