Jenna Ortega tells London premiere crowd to put down phones for 'Klara and the Sun'

“I think we gotta put our focus on one another and put down the computers and phones.” That was Jenna Ortega’s message on the red carpet as Klara and the Sun held its world premiere at the London Film Festival on 15 October 2026, she told Variety.

The premiere took place at BFI Southbank in London, according to Yahoo. It formed part of the 70th BFI London Film Festival.

The film is based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s bestselling 2021 novel of the same name, Variety reported. It is directed by Taika Waititi.

Ortega plays Klara, an artificial android companion purchased for an ailing girl named Josie, played by Mia Tharia. Amy Adams plays Josie’s mother.

Ortega said she hopes the story reminds people to live in the moment. She urged audiences to “remember to be present and to appreciate people while they’re standing right in front of you.”

Waititi echoed the theme. He said the message of the film is to “put the phone down” and to remember friendship and be in the moment.

There was separate news for Ishiguro fans on the carpet. The author confirmed to Variety that he is working on a new project with Tim Burton, for which he wrote an original script. He added that Ortega did not introduce him to Burton.

For fans, this means a familiar festival sight — stars pausing for photographs on a carpet lined with phones — came with an opposite request. Put the screen away. Look up.