Elle, Kiernan, & Co. at the Toronto Film Festival
A number of young actresses have been attending New York Fashion Week lately, but that event is all about fashion, so instead, let's see who was at the Toronto International Film Festival - an event that's all about movies!
Kiernan Shipka, 15, and Lucy Boynton ( Ballet Shoes), 21, attended a screening of their new movie February, held at Scotiabank on September 12. The film, which also stars Emma Roberts, is a horror/thriller set at an all-girls boarding school. Kiernan: "The set remained very calm and really chill and that was really nice to sort of be able to cut the scene and then have a nice environment to be in, but it was really fun, the whole experience was great. I'd never really played a character like this. It was kind of a treat to be able to do that."
Elle Fanning, 17, has two movies premiering at the Toronto Film Festival - and on the same day, no less! On September 12, she wore this red dress to the premiere of Trumbo, held at The Elgin. The movie is a biodrama based on the career of Dalton Trumbo, a 1940s screenwriter who was blacklisted by the government for his political beliefs; Elle has a supporting role as Trumbo's daughter, Nikola.
Elle really looked better with brown hair. The contrast between the color of her hair vs. her eyebrows is getting too severe.
Later that same day, Elle looked years older than 17 in an elegant, black-and-white gown with a plunging neckline, at the premiere of her new movie About Ray, held at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Elle stars as a transgender teen in About Ray, which looks like it could be a big role for her. She attended the premiere together with Naomi Watts and Susan Sarandon, who play her mother and grandmother. As her character transitioned from female to male in the film, Elle had to bind her chest: "It's like a sports bra that you wrap around, only it's Velcro. It really kills your back! I had to wear one every morning. It hurt so bad!"
Newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy, 19, attended the premiere of her horror/drama The VVitch at Ryerson Theatre on September 18. The VVitch earned a lot of buzz both here at at the Sundance Film Festival, where it screened back in January. In a recent interview, Anya said of the reaction to the film: "When we actually got a chance to see it with an audience, it was insane. We were all holding hands, feeling the energy of everyone around the room. It was surreal, unbelievably surreal, to see people reacting the way we wanted them to. That was a big fear of mine - that people weren't going to understand certain aspects of the story. But everyone got it. It was the best feeling in the world."
Katherine McNamara, 19, doesn't have any movies premiering at the festival, but she was there to attend the InStyle party, held at the Windsor Arms Hotel on September 12. Katherine's upcoming TV series Shadowhunters, based on The Mortal Instruments books, began filming in Toronto earlier this year.
Saoirse Ronan, 21, attended the premiere of her new movie Brooklyn at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 13. The film, a period drama that follows a young woman who moves from rural Ireland to Brooklyn to pursue her dreams, struck a deep chord with Saoirse: "I was right in the middle of feeling a deep, deep homesickness, missing my own mom and figuring out where I belonged in between these two places. When you move out on your own, you go through an identity crisis. Who am I? When am I a grown-up? It was raw for me to go through that, in life and in front of a camera."
Former child actress Kristen Stewart, 25, attended the premiere of her new movie Equals at the Princess of Wales Theatre on September 13. Equals, a science-fiction romance, is set in a futuristic utopian where all humans live in peace, until a new disease surfaces.
Former child actress Evan Rachel Wood, 28, attended the premiere of her new movie Into the Forest at The Elgin on September 12. She attended together with costar Ellen Page, also 28, who plays her sister. Into the Forest is a futuristic drama about two sisters left to fend for themselves in the woods. Evan: "This is a really realistic portrayal if every luxury you had was taken away from you. Extreme loss - no electricity, no power, hardly any food, no parents, and the relationship these two sisters have and how that can overcome what seems like impossible odds." Ellen: "We live in a time when our impermanence is so much more apparent, because of what's going on in the climate."
Former young actress Natalie Portman, 34, attended the premiere of her new movie A Tale of Love and Darkness at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 10. Natalie wrote the screenplay, directed, and stars in the film, a biopic based on the life of Israeli author Amos Oz. It was her decision to shoot the movie in Hebrew: "It was very meaningful to me to get to speak Hebrew better because I've always been kind of embarrassed and shy, and it's weird when your first language, and maybe the language of the emotions of your childhood, is sort of missing for you, you know, you go all these years without a command of it. So it is very exciting to be able to sharpen it as an adult."
Kiernan Shipka, 15, and Lucy Boynton ( Ballet Shoes), 21, attended a screening of their new movie February, held at Scotiabank on September 12. The film, which also stars Emma Roberts, is a horror/thriller set at an all-girls boarding school. Kiernan: "The set remained very calm and really chill and that was really nice to sort of be able to cut the scene and then have a nice environment to be in, but it was really fun, the whole experience was great. I'd never really played a character like this. It was kind of a treat to be able to do that."
Elle Fanning, 17, has two movies premiering at the Toronto Film Festival - and on the same day, no less! On September 12, she wore this red dress to the premiere of Trumbo, held at The Elgin. The movie is a biodrama based on the career of Dalton Trumbo, a 1940s screenwriter who was blacklisted by the government for his political beliefs; Elle has a supporting role as Trumbo's daughter, Nikola.
Elle really looked better with brown hair. The contrast between the color of her hair vs. her eyebrows is getting too severe.
Later that same day, Elle looked years older than 17 in an elegant, black-and-white gown with a plunging neckline, at the premiere of her new movie About Ray, held at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Elle stars as a transgender teen in About Ray, which looks like it could be a big role for her. She attended the premiere together with Naomi Watts and Susan Sarandon, who play her mother and grandmother. As her character transitioned from female to male in the film, Elle had to bind her chest: "It's like a sports bra that you wrap around, only it's Velcro. It really kills your back! I had to wear one every morning. It hurt so bad!"
Newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy, 19, attended the premiere of her horror/drama The VVitch at Ryerson Theatre on September 18. The VVitch earned a lot of buzz both here at at the Sundance Film Festival, where it screened back in January. In a recent interview, Anya said of the reaction to the film: "When we actually got a chance to see it with an audience, it was insane. We were all holding hands, feeling the energy of everyone around the room. It was surreal, unbelievably surreal, to see people reacting the way we wanted them to. That was a big fear of mine - that people weren't going to understand certain aspects of the story. But everyone got it. It was the best feeling in the world."
Katherine McNamara, 19, doesn't have any movies premiering at the festival, but she was there to attend the InStyle party, held at the Windsor Arms Hotel on September 12. Katherine's upcoming TV series Shadowhunters, based on The Mortal Instruments books, began filming in Toronto earlier this year.
Saoirse Ronan, 21, attended the premiere of her new movie Brooklyn at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 13. The film, a period drama that follows a young woman who moves from rural Ireland to Brooklyn to pursue her dreams, struck a deep chord with Saoirse: "I was right in the middle of feeling a deep, deep homesickness, missing my own mom and figuring out where I belonged in between these two places. When you move out on your own, you go through an identity crisis. Who am I? When am I a grown-up? It was raw for me to go through that, in life and in front of a camera."
Former child actress Kristen Stewart, 25, attended the premiere of her new movie Equals at the Princess of Wales Theatre on September 13. Equals, a science-fiction romance, is set in a futuristic utopian where all humans live in peace, until a new disease surfaces.
Former child actress Evan Rachel Wood, 28, attended the premiere of her new movie Into the Forest at The Elgin on September 12. She attended together with costar Ellen Page, also 28, who plays her sister. Into the Forest is a futuristic drama about two sisters left to fend for themselves in the woods. Evan: "This is a really realistic portrayal if every luxury you had was taken away from you. Extreme loss - no electricity, no power, hardly any food, no parents, and the relationship these two sisters have and how that can overcome what seems like impossible odds." Ellen: "We live in a time when our impermanence is so much more apparent, because of what's going on in the climate."
Former young actress Natalie Portman, 34, attended the premiere of her new movie A Tale of Love and Darkness at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 10. Natalie wrote the screenplay, directed, and stars in the film, a biopic based on the life of Israeli author Amos Oz. It was her decision to shoot the movie in Hebrew: "It was very meaningful to me to get to speak Hebrew better because I've always been kind of embarrassed and shy, and it's weird when your first language, and maybe the language of the emotions of your childhood, is sort of missing for you, you know, you go all these years without a command of it. So it is very exciting to be able to sharpen it as an adult."