Even experienced performers like Julia Roberts confess to being terrified by the razzle and dazzle of the red carpet.So imagine being an unknown and facing a phalanx of snappersat your first big movie premiere like Kodi Smit-McPhee.Luckily, the Australian teenager had someone to show him how it's done at the Venice film festival.Viggo Mortensen shepherded him along the red carpet as they promoted The Road, in which they play father and son.With the Lord Of The Ring star's encouragement 13-year-old Kodi was soon posing and signing autographs like any pro.Based on the bestselling novel by US Pulitzer prizewinner Cormac McCarthy, the drama follows the voyage of a starving father and son through a ruined America of the near-future."It is about something everyone can understand and relate to: what will happen to my child if I'm not around to look after him or her?" explained Viggo, who has a 21-year-old son named Hank.He recalled ringing up the author for pointers before filming."I meant to ask him all these questions about the book," said the 50-year-old actor. "But he ended up speaking about his son and I spoke about mine. Afterwards, I realised that was all I needed to know."
