At the June 18 world premiere of Ghost‘s Rite Here Rite Now film, Tobias Forge emerged with a brand new look — one resembling ‘Black Album’ era James Hetfield.
The premiere took place at Picturehouse Central in London, where Forge was in attendance with director Alex Ross Perry, among others tied to the movie and rock community. Wearing a Venom shirt underneath a gothic suit jacket with white stitching for a gothic aesthetic, complemented by flashy silver lapels adorned by two small silver skulls near the clavicles.
The clean-shaven, short and spiky-haired Forge (seen in the photo below) is yesterday’s news, his now long-haired and mutton-chopped head resting atop the aforementioned wares.
Of course, this current appearance bears a striking resemblance to the Metallica frontman’s early ’90s appearance (seen at the top of the page). Critics have even compared Rite Here Rite Now to Metallica’s adventurous 2013 concert movie thriller Through the Never. So, there’s that connection!
Ghost’s Tobias Forge, 2024 and 2022
READ MORE: What Critics Are Saying About Ghost’s New ‘Rite Here Rite Now’ Film
Speaking with Rock Sound on the red carpet, Forge says of making Ghost’s first-ever feature length film, “As any semi-gargantuan task, as fun as it is, it’s also draining. I’m used to working towards deadlines, but filmmaking is definitely a lot… You can release records into the society and people will buy it or not, whereas tickets you have to sell too. But cinemas are a little bit like venues. So you can’t just release a film or move it, like, a week.”
Forge adds that this release date has been the target for nine months and there was still “a sense of urgency” to get all the pieces together in time. “But now we’re finally here, against all odds.”
Director Alex Ross Perry asserts he is a fan “first and foremost” and that he stays humble by just being “happy to be there.”
“If I can be of service here, I am ready to be of service. I think that’s a good attitude to bring to something that there’s room for a lot of other voices and a lot of collaboration, but you don’t need two bosses in that,” Perry reasons, “You just need one boss, and then someone who’s happy to be there. It’s just about translating what [Forge] wants, because what he wants is vast, visual, creative but not always practical or possible. He’s the first one to admit that, and he knows that.”
Director Alex Ross Perry, Ghost’s Tobias Forge at ‘Rite Here Rite Now’ world premiere