Residing in Toronto during the school year provides me the amazing opportunity to hit the red carpet for movie premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival. Okay, the barricades blocking the red carpet, but I still get to see the celebs. And while I spotted Hilary Duff and Ellen Page in 2007, I seemed to forget about TIFF red carpets in 2008 and only participated in the festival through watching a series of short films. This year, I was thinking along the same lines, not realizing what BIG movie stars show up to promote their latest flick. Lucky for me, I got a reality check on day one of the festival and am now bound and determined to milk TIFF for everything its got.
So what gave me this harsh dose of reality? Two words: Megan Fox. I’ve been a fan of Fox’s since her small role in How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, and would obviously love to get a glimpse of her in person. Well, I had my chance and I blew it. What was I doing instead of seeing Megan Fox on the red carpet? Sleeping.
Two of my roomates decided to check out the premiere of Jennifer’s Body hoping to see some of the stars. They left a mere two hours early. Well I, in my delusional state, felt that to see the cast of Jennifer’s Body one would have to leave a lot earlier than two hours before the midnight premiere. Thinking that my roomies would be shuffled to the back of a large mob of people, only able to see the top of some actor’s head or get elbowed by an obnoxious fan in front of them, I opted to stay cozy instead. Well…I was wrong. Not only did they get right to the front of the cold metal barricades, but they got a quick chat with Adam Brody along with pictures of themselves with the former O.C. star. And yes, they also saw Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox.
Lesson learned. And luckily, I learned it on day #1 of TIFF as opposed to the last day of the international film festival.
Day #2 of TIFF unfortunately was a bust. I decided to scope out Matt Damon, who’s film, The Informant!, would be premiering at the Elgin Theatre. Because of the small crowded sidewalk, fans were forced to wait patiently for Damon across the street. Cars came and went, but no celebs arrived on the tiny red carpet. The carpet quickly filled with women in dresses and men in suits but no sign of Matt Damon. Finally, a black car pulls up and out walks a blonde haired man in a suit. “Matt! Matt!” hundreds of fans shouted from across the street. No wave, not even a turn around. I have a photo of the back of Matt Damon’s head, I still have no idea what he looks like in person. So much for that celeb spotting.
Matt Damon in a mob of people on the red carpet. Damon is wearing a grey suit with a white collar, standing behind the man wearing a headset. Too bad he didn't wave to fans. Sigh.
But that was only my first try at photographing a real movie star. So today I joined one of my roomates to the premiere of the Jason Reitman piece Up in the Air, starring the Holy Grail of celebrity himself, Mr. George Clooney. And yes, I did see him and I was thisclose to the Ocean’s Eleven star. Clooney spent time with fans across the street, fans beside the theatre and fans along the red carpet. Despite having a broken hand, he signed autographs and posed for pictures. And, unlike his costars, spent barely three minutes with all of the entertainment news crews.
Not only did I see George Clooney, but I saw Arrested Development’s Jason Bateman. Being a huge Development fan, seeing Michael Bluth himself was very exciting. And, although she spent no time with fans, Amanda Seyfried came for the Up in the Air premiere, so at least I saw one member of the Jennifer’s Body cast, plus producer Jason Reitman. Below are the pictures of my exciting experience photographing stars on the red carpet for Up in the Air. Oprah apparently watched the movie inside but bowed out of attending the red carpet. But since she’s out-and-about in T.O., perhaps I’ll run into her? How amazing would that be? Wish me luck star-gazing this week!
George Clooney spent time with all of his fans
Jason Bateman was friendly to fans and media alike
Twilight's Anna Kendrick
Melanie Lynskey
A blurry picture of Desperate Housewives' Dana Delany
Curb Your Enthusiasm's Richard Kind
Amanda Seyfried