The first two weeks of September in Toronto are amazing – you can squeeze in the perfect end-of-summer moments, enjoy the breezy weather and best of all, take in the glitz and glam of the Toronto International Film Festival! The 43rd edition, which just wrapped Sept. 16, once again hosted world premieres and screenings of hundreds of locally- and internationally-made films. With the movies also comes the actors, directors and industry greats who come to the city to do promotion, walk the red carpet and meet fans.
As a self-proclaimed “professional fangirl,” TIFF is right up my alley. This year’s talent guest list did not disappoint; Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, Hugh Jackman, Viola Davis and Canadian heartthrob Ryan Gosling were just a few of the A-list names attached to films premiering at the fest. With a mix of hard work and good luck, I had the incredible opportunity to meet all of them!
In the end, I came out of this year’s TIFF with almost 100 “photos with.” I feel the need to emphasize how truly awesome so many of these actors are on- and off-screen, so scroll down for my fave celeb selfies and the stories behind them! I also have a few tips on how you can meet your fave actors and directors at future fests.
Chloë Grace Moretz
My first celeb selfie of TIFF 2018!! Chloë has been one of my favourite young actors for years – it’s so weird knowing that we’re the same age! (You go, girl.) She starred in TIFF 2016 selection Brain on Fire, a gripping based-on-a-true-story medical drama. I highly recommend watching it or at least reading into the story of Chloë’s character, Savannah Cahalan – it drives home the importance of believing in yourself and fighting for your rights. Chloë returned to TIFF this year for another thriller/drama, Greta, and I was stoked to see its premiere would be at my university, Ryerson. Chloë was so gracious meeting fans outside the theatre after fulfilling her press obligations. I actually need to give her brother Trevor a special shoutout as he was the one who pulled her away from some demanding autograph seekers to come meet me. So happy with how this turned out!
Timothée Chalamet
This actually wasn’t my first year attending TIFF – I’ve done red carpets for the past three or four years. Ask anyone else who regularly does celeb hunting during the fest and we all have that one “d’oh!” moment when the festival comes and goes and you say, UGH! That actor was right there! Why didn’t I say anything?! Here’s mine: I met Armie Hammer, Timothée’s Call Me By Your Name co-star, by chance while walking from work to the subway two years ago. If I had waited another 10 minutes, I would have met Timothée as well – but nope, silly me WALKED AWAY! Of course, it was only after that encounter that I had a chance to see CMBYN and fall in love with Timothée’s talent. The second day of the fest this year was my redemption as Timothée came into town to premiere the highly-anticipated Beautiful Boy. Not only was he indeed a beautiful boy in person, but Timothée was also a beautiful soul! He promised me a photo as soon as he left a press spot, walked over to sign autographs and as he was being pulled away called out, “Where is she?!” 🙂
Olivia Munn
I’ve always been a fan of Olivia and hoped to one day meet her, but I feel especially grateful to have met her while she was doing press for The Predator. If you haven’t heard, she unwittingly shared the screen with a registered sex offender in a now-deleted scene and her cast and crew mostly left her to continue press on her own. In fact, aside from the premiere, Jacob Tremblay was the only star to join Olivia at the various TIFF interview studios. I think it was very brave of Olivia to voice her concerns, see them through and remain professional, saying the hard work of everyone involved still deserved to be seen. She’s a great role model and I have a newfound respect for her.
Patrick J. Adams
I JUST NEED A MINUTE FOR THIS ONE! Suits has been a secret obsession of mine for years and I was devastated when I found out Canadian Patrick J. Adams would be leaving the show (especially considering all my friends kept running into him downtown during filming season). After catching him in town for TIFF, I’m happy to report that he’s even nicer than everyone says he is. Learn more about his latest film Clara, which also stars his real-life wife Troian Bellisario, through my interview with director (and former Ryersonian!) Akash Sherman. (TIFF tips: When it’s shady and raining, pull out the professional camera! No one will suspect a thing in the final photo.)
Viola Davis
AKA Queen V, as I put in my Instagram caption. This was definitely one of the trickier snaps to get, but it ended up being one of my faves! The funny facial expression does it all. Acting-wise, Viola can truly do no wrong and I’m very excited to see Widows when it comes out in theatres this fall. Let me know what your favourite Viola film is in the comments below – I’m curious!! I can’t pick…maybe it will end up being Widows!
Bradley Cooper and Dave Chappelle
The real stars of TIFF this year were the lead cast of the highly-anticipated A Star is Born, including actor-director Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga and Dave Chappelle. They caused fan frenzy at Roy Thomson Hall and the Elgin Theatre for their two premieres and as they partied it up post-premiere at The Concert Hall (formerly Masonic Temple). I got up-close-and-personal with Bradley and Dave outside their press conference and my special moment with B.C. even made it onto the local news!
No selfie with Gaga this time around, but here’s hoping she returns to TIFF for her third year in a row in 2019!
My top three tips for upping your TIFF game:
- PLAN EARLY (and keep checking): As soon as the guest list drops, compare names with the films you want to see. Prioritizing is key so you see a good variety of people and don’t overwhelm yourself. One thing not enough people stress is to CHECK BACK as more events are added and times sometimes change for press conferences and second screenings.
- BE COOL: As I always say, celebs are just ordinary people with extraordinary talent as well as extraordinarily awesome jobs. Treat them with respect and don’t freak out too much and you’ll almost always come out with a photo or autograph. This tip applies to your fellow film buffs too – be kind to one another! Help each other out. (And stay cool literally – H2O will be your BFF!)
- HAVE FUN: Don’t turn things into a competition! Use TIFF as an opportunity to explore the city, meet and connect with friends, say a word to your fave actors and directors and catch a film before it comes out in theatres. (My #1 recommendation this year: Can You Ever Forgive Me? starring Melissa McCarthy – it’s best suited for fans of biopics, light comedies, dramas and my fellow writers.)
See you all at TIFF 2019!
Stay awesome xx
