Close Encounters of a Fannish Kind
Yeah. Hi. So today I went to the Toronto Film Festival and met Callum Keith Rennie.
As I've mentioned many times in my journal (many, many times) I'd gotten tickets to see the premier of his new flick Normal at the Toronto International Film Festival. I dragged my pal Sarah along for company and we showed up about an hour before the screening, which was to take place in the decidedly unglamorous Scotiabank Famous Players Multiplex in downtown Toronto. We waited in line for a bit and kept our eyes peeled for celebrities. Sarah was looking for Carrie-Anne Moss and Kevin Zegers (she loved him in Transamerica) while I was foolishly hoping CKR would put in an appearance despite the rumour that he wasn't coming to Toronto. No celebs presented themselves, unfortunately, and eventually we were admitted into the large stadium-style theatre for the screening.
Sarah and I took our seats in the centre of the second row just above the reserved-for-industry section and the temporary stage set up for the festival. The theatre filled up quickly and soon there was a bubble of excitement among the crowd: Carrie-Anne Moss had arrived, a scary-looking security guy in tow. A few more people entered the theatre and then I caught sight of some familiar-looking experimental hair. CKR had come to the film's premire! And I had no fangirls to squee with! My pal Sarah had dim memories of Hard Core Logo and was slightly puzzled by my excitement at the arrival of an obscure middle-aged Canadian actor but I ignored her skepticism as I was trying in vain to get scarfe's low-end digital camera to capture shots of Callum in the dark moviehouse.
Callum was wearing a dark pinstripe suit jacket, a grey T-shirt, dark jeans and tan cowboy boots. I was a bit disappointed to see that he'd brought a female-type companion to the party. (china_shop, I assume Hugh wasn't available and CKR had no choice but to call up a sister, a distant cousin, or possibly his agent as an emergency date). Callum seemed animated and playful around the cast and crew of the film as they waited for the screening to start. He and Kevin Zegers goofed around and Callum put him in a headlock. He told a funny and complex-looking story to Carrie-Anne Moss and Camille Sullivan (Elise in the film); he gestured a lot with his hands while he spoke and it got the women laughing. Normal's director Carl Bessai also talked with him at length as the final rush ticket-holders filled in and took their seats.
(I'll pause here to make the keen observation that Callum is either naturally a close-talker or he was having trouble hearing over the noise in the theatre. He stood very close to the people with whom he was speaking. There was a lot of leaning and invasion of personal space and whispering in ears. Oh yes.)
Callum's date was a short, sweet-faced, normal-looking woman who didn't look anything like an actress or a model. He was very attentive to her and it appeared to me (with my mad body-language interpretation skillz) that he was trying to include her in the conversations he was having with the other people in the film. He also stopped a few industry-type folks on their way to their seats and introduced her around. I'm still sticking with my theory that she was a relative. *puts on tin hat*
Promptly at nine o'clock (this being Toronto and all) Carl Bessai took the stage and asked the cast to join him and introduce the film. I wasn't able to get any clear shots of the action on stage but hopefully the trustworthy Sarah will send me some higher-quality photos that consist of more than a few vaguely Callum-shaped blurs.
Bessai called everyone up one by one and while Carrie-Anne Moss and Kevin Zegers got a nice round of applause there was some actual cheering when Callum's name was called (a couple of people shouted "Billy Tallent!"), and Bessai gave him an extended introduction ("...a great guy, he's been around a long time and he's a real joy to work with!"). Bessai briefly introduced the film, thanked the festival sponsors, and then promised a Q&A session would follow the screening. The cast found their seats in the rows above (Callum walked passed me! Eeeee!) and the lights dimmed.
(I've got some thoughts on the film but it's late so I'll save that until tomorrow. Suffice to say that while the movie wasn't great it did have some moments of greatness, and Callum was terrific. I think it's one of his best performances.)
After the credits rolled Sarah and I moved down into the empty seats lining the stage. The director and cast came up for the Q&A but (sob!) Callum wasn't among them. Bessai joked that he'd probably gotten shy and ducked out for a smoke :-)
The Q&A was good: the audience had clearly been moved by the film and there were a few questions about the film stock used and the editing process, a couple about some of the plot points, and then an audience member made an extended comment about the rawness of the grief experienced by Moss' character and the realism regarding death and mourning that permeated the film. Bessai thanked the audience, there was a round of applause, and as the cast was exiting we were told there would be pictures and autographs outside.
I was a bit disappointed about missing my chance to get non-blurry photos of Callum and hear his responses to the Q&A session but I thought it had been a good evening all around. (Plus, hello? I got to sit in a darkened room with CKR!) Despite the TIFF volunteer staff's promises I doubted there would be a photo/autograph session because, as Sarah and I were exiting, we saw the cast and crew from the Q&A had gathered in a glass-lined reception room where they were meeting with journalists. I didn't see CKR among them and surmised that he probably had left early. As we headed down the stairs to the exit I said to Sarah, "Too bad I couldn't get a photo [of him]. The internets will kill me."
And then I saw Callum standing outside the theatre chatting with his date and the film's composer.
I had my camera ready and asked (very politely, naturally) if I could take a photo. He seemed a bit surprised to be recognized but said, "Sure!" and posed for the shot.
Of course I turned the camera off instead of clicking the shutter. Those of you to whom I subjected my picture-taking abilities at MJ might remember how painful it was whenever I wanted to take a candid photo. "Sorry," I told him. "I'm not great with technology." Callum and his date laughed and he waited patiently for me to turn the camera back on and line up the shot again. He flashed a brilliant smile for the camera and this time I took the picture successfully. (Go me!)
I thanked Callum and said that I'd enjoyed the film. He said, "Thank you," and "I'm glad you liked it." (Ladies, I can assure you that hearing his gravely-soft voice in person is very close to a religious experience). Sarah was waiting so I smiled and said, "Goodnight!" and followed her down the street.
Okay. Impressions of CKR, because I haven't made enough hay out of the two minutes' time I spent talking to the guy. I was admittedly in a bit of a daze (shock! That's how I keep my cucumber-cool!) but I did observe that in person he's tall, good-looking (but not in a knee-meltingly-intimidating way) and quiet. He doesn't quite thrum with charismatic energy, although from what I saw in the theatre he's very friendly, animated, and he touches people a lot. It had been a long night and he seemed tired but relaxed, and he was very pleasant. I got a good vibe from him, for what that's worth. He was also very nice and patient while I futzed with the camera, and sounded genuinely happy to hear that I'd liked the movie. In conclusion, yay Callum!
So that was my night. I think I need to re-watch Normal a few times in order to appreciate it fully, but it's certainly bound to please Callum fans. I know I went home happy.
ETA: Thanks to scriggle and aislinn here are some more publicity photos of Callum and the cast and crew of Normal taken for the TIFF. Just in case my wee photo makes you hungry for more CKR goodness.
As I've mentioned many times in my journal (many, many times) I'd gotten tickets to see the premier of his new flick Normal at the Toronto International Film Festival. I dragged my pal Sarah along for company and we showed up about an hour before the screening, which was to take place in the decidedly unglamorous Scotiabank Famous Players Multiplex in downtown Toronto. We waited in line for a bit and kept our eyes peeled for celebrities. Sarah was looking for Carrie-Anne Moss and Kevin Zegers (she loved him in Transamerica) while I was foolishly hoping CKR would put in an appearance despite the rumour that he wasn't coming to Toronto. No celebs presented themselves, unfortunately, and eventually we were admitted into the large stadium-style theatre for the screening.
Sarah and I took our seats in the centre of the second row just above the reserved-for-industry section and the temporary stage set up for the festival. The theatre filled up quickly and soon there was a bubble of excitement among the crowd: Carrie-Anne Moss had arrived, a scary-looking security guy in tow. A few more people entered the theatre and then I caught sight of some familiar-looking experimental hair. CKR had come to the film's premire! And I had no fangirls to squee with! My pal Sarah had dim memories of Hard Core Logo and was slightly puzzled by my excitement at the arrival of an obscure middle-aged Canadian actor but I ignored her skepticism as I was trying in vain to get scarfe's low-end digital camera to capture shots of Callum in the dark moviehouse.
Callum was wearing a dark pinstripe suit jacket, a grey T-shirt, dark jeans and tan cowboy boots. I was a bit disappointed to see that he'd brought a female-type companion to the party. (china_shop, I assume Hugh wasn't available and CKR had no choice but to call up a sister, a distant cousin, or possibly his agent as an emergency date). Callum seemed animated and playful around the cast and crew of the film as they waited for the screening to start. He and Kevin Zegers goofed around and Callum put him in a headlock. He told a funny and complex-looking story to Carrie-Anne Moss and Camille Sullivan (Elise in the film); he gestured a lot with his hands while he spoke and it got the women laughing. Normal's director Carl Bessai also talked with him at length as the final rush ticket-holders filled in and took their seats.
(I'll pause here to make the keen observation that Callum is either naturally a close-talker or he was having trouble hearing over the noise in the theatre. He stood very close to the people with whom he was speaking. There was a lot of leaning and invasion of personal space and whispering in ears. Oh yes.)
Callum's date was a short, sweet-faced, normal-looking woman who didn't look anything like an actress or a model. He was very attentive to her and it appeared to me (with my mad body-language interpretation skillz) that he was trying to include her in the conversations he was having with the other people in the film. He also stopped a few industry-type folks on their way to their seats and introduced her around. I'm still sticking with my theory that she was a relative. *puts on tin hat*
Promptly at nine o'clock (this being Toronto and all) Carl Bessai took the stage and asked the cast to join him and introduce the film. I wasn't able to get any clear shots of the action on stage but hopefully the trustworthy Sarah will send me some higher-quality photos that consist of more than a few vaguely Callum-shaped blurs.
Bessai called everyone up one by one and while Carrie-Anne Moss and Kevin Zegers got a nice round of applause there was some actual cheering when Callum's name was called (a couple of people shouted "Billy Tallent!"), and Bessai gave him an extended introduction ("...a great guy, he's been around a long time and he's a real joy to work with!"). Bessai briefly introduced the film, thanked the festival sponsors, and then promised a Q&A session would follow the screening. The cast found their seats in the rows above (Callum walked passed me! Eeeee!) and the lights dimmed.
(I've got some thoughts on the film but it's late so I'll save that until tomorrow. Suffice to say that while the movie wasn't great it did have some moments of greatness, and Callum was terrific. I think it's one of his best performances.)
After the credits rolled Sarah and I moved down into the empty seats lining the stage. The director and cast came up for the Q&A but (sob!) Callum wasn't among them. Bessai joked that he'd probably gotten shy and ducked out for a smoke :-)
The Q&A was good: the audience had clearly been moved by the film and there were a few questions about the film stock used and the editing process, a couple about some of the plot points, and then an audience member made an extended comment about the rawness of the grief experienced by Moss' character and the realism regarding death and mourning that permeated the film. Bessai thanked the audience, there was a round of applause, and as the cast was exiting we were told there would be pictures and autographs outside.
I was a bit disappointed about missing my chance to get non-blurry photos of Callum and hear his responses to the Q&A session but I thought it had been a good evening all around. (Plus, hello? I got to sit in a darkened room with CKR!) Despite the TIFF volunteer staff's promises I doubted there would be a photo/autograph session because, as Sarah and I were exiting, we saw the cast and crew from the Q&A had gathered in a glass-lined reception room where they were meeting with journalists. I didn't see CKR among them and surmised that he probably had left early. As we headed down the stairs to the exit I said to Sarah, "Too bad I couldn't get a photo [of him]. The internets will kill me."
And then I saw Callum standing outside the theatre chatting with his date and the film's composer.
I had my camera ready and asked (very politely, naturally) if I could take a photo. He seemed a bit surprised to be recognized but said, "Sure!" and posed for the shot.
Of course I turned the camera off instead of clicking the shutter. Those of you to whom I subjected my picture-taking abilities at MJ might remember how painful it was whenever I wanted to take a candid photo. "Sorry," I told him. "I'm not great with technology." Callum and his date laughed and he waited patiently for me to turn the camera back on and line up the shot again. He flashed a brilliant smile for the camera and this time I took the picture successfully. (Go me!)
I thanked Callum and said that I'd enjoyed the film. He said, "Thank you," and "I'm glad you liked it." (Ladies, I can assure you that hearing his gravely-soft voice in person is very close to a religious experience). Sarah was waiting so I smiled and said, "Goodnight!" and followed her down the street.
Okay. Impressions of CKR, because I haven't made enough hay out of the two minutes' time I spent talking to the guy. I was admittedly in a bit of a daze (shock! That's how I keep my cucumber-cool!) but I did observe that in person he's tall, good-looking (but not in a knee-meltingly-intimidating way) and quiet. He doesn't quite thrum with charismatic energy, although from what I saw in the theatre he's very friendly, animated, and he touches people a lot. It had been a long night and he seemed tired but relaxed, and he was very pleasant. I got a good vibe from him, for what that's worth. He was also very nice and patient while I futzed with the camera, and sounded genuinely happy to hear that I'd liked the movie. In conclusion, yay Callum!
So that was my night. I think I need to re-watch Normal a few times in order to appreciate it fully, but it's certainly bound to please Callum fans. I know I went home happy.
ETA: Thanks to scriggle and aislinn here are some more publicity photos of Callum and the cast and crew of Normal taken for the TIFF. Just in case my wee photo makes you hungry for more CKR goodness.