Here's how some of the biggest stars at TIFF spent their time in Toronto
From beloved directors to pop stars to A-list actors, the Toronto International Film Festival welcomed tons of stars to the city over the past 10 days.
The film festival kicked off last Thursday, Sept. 4, with the world premiere of John Candy: I Like Me, which celebrates the Canadian comedian, who died suddenly at the age of 43.
The stars have taken to the red carpet to promote everything from documentaries to likely Oscar contenders in the days since. And with the buzziest moments of the 50th edition of the festival behind us, here are some of the stars who took over Toronto's entertainment district over the last week.
Jacob Elordi
After filming Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein in Toronto, Jacob Elordi landed back in town for the movie's North American premiere on Sept. 8.
The star told reporters on the red carpet that he was glad to be bringing the film back to the city where it came to life.
"I love Toronto; it's a great place for making films, and the city really loves movies in a sincere way," Elordi said.
Elordi said there was one reason he felt so comfortable playing the titular monster in the film: director "Guillermo motherf–cking del Toro."
According to Toronto Life, Elordi was absent from a cast dinner at Le Germain Hotel, however. Del Toro, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz and Felix Kammerer of the film all reportedly enjoyed tuna tataki, maple-glazed Brussels sprouts and more at the downtown hotel.
WATCH | Frankenstein is a love story, says director Guillermo del Toro:
Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson
Dwayne Johnson called his premiere at TIFF a "special night," especially because it was his first time attending the festival.
Johnson was promoting The Smashing Machine — an A24 flick that tells the story of former mixed martial arts fighter Mark Kerr as he rises to prominence in the sport while facing drug addiction.
The longtime WWE star said he put a lot of himself into the portrayal of a man in a difficult part of the fighting world.
"Not only my experience in the arena, but … I lost a lot of friends to addiction," he said. "I don't know what it's like to be addicted to drugs or [overdose]. Mark Kerr OD'd twice, he's lucky to be alive, so I was honoured to play Mark."
WATCH | The Rock talks about pulling from his own life to play Mark Kerr:
Amid the red carpet excitement, The Rock still made time for a trip to the gym. The actor turned up at Fit Squad Training Gym on Peter Street on Monday, which the gym's co-owner Aldo Frixione said was "very exciting."
"For a lot of us that grew up watch wrestling, it was a very surreal moment because they play these figures that are ... larger than life," Frixione said.
He says folks on the star's team called ahead of time but didn't say which celebrity they were representing. In the back of his mind, Frixione says he was hoping it would be The Rock.
Johnson stayed for a full upper body session before snapping pictures with some of the gym members.
James McAvoy
In town for the world premiere of California Schemin', McAvoy hit the red carpet on Sept. 6. The film tells a story inspired by a Scottish rap duo as they fake being American in an attempt to elevate their music careers.
The actor is known for roles in Split, Atonement and X-Men, but California Schemin' marks his directorial debut.
McAvoy told People that stepping into a director's shoes was stressful, but adds it was also "the most creative thing I've ever done."
But his TIFF experience wasn't all positive. While out at a bar near the festival, McAvoy was punched in the face, apparently unprovoked. A source close to McAvoy told CBC News earlier this week that a man at Charlotte's Room bar punched the actor-director while being escorted out of the building.
McAvoy was reportedly uninjured. He didn't speak publicly about the incident, but thanked festival audiences in an Instagram post and said he loved his time at TIFF.
Charli xcx
The pop star took on the silver screen for the first time this year — and not one but two films she's in premiered at TIFF.
Charli enjoyed a meal at Cafe Renée on her first night in the city, according to a photo diary of her time at the festival for Interview Magazine.
In Erupcja, she stars as a woman who rekindles a more-than-friendly relationship with someone from her past while on vacation in Poland with her boyfriend. Vinny, a new vinyl bar on King Street, played host to the after-party, where Charli pulled up with co-stars Jeremy O. Harris and Lena Góra.
The singer-actor was back on the red carpet a few nights later for Sacrifice, Romain Gavras's satirical film about a group of activists who try to take over a climate conference.
Her photo diary captures a few more nights out from the festival, including at Gucci's post-screening celebration of Sacrifice at Daphne in the financial district.
Sydney Sweeney
A number of other post-screening events took place at Vinny — including the premiere party for Christy, the biopic about former boxer Christy Martin, starring Sydney Sweeney.
Critics have praised the actress's performance, which reviewers say will likely put her in the running for a best actress Oscar.
Ahead of the screening, Martin commended Sweeney's preparation for the movie. The actress learned how to box for the film and does her own fight scenes.
"In fact, I have a contract in my room. I'm going to see if I can sign her up," Martin joked.
Martin said viewers can expect a side of Sweeney "that no one's seen before, and they're going to be amazed."
WATCH | Sydney Sweeney can box?:
Angelina Jolie
Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie arrived at Vinny after a screening of her film Couture, alongside other cast members.
She also signed autographs outside the BISHA Hotel, where the Deadline portrait studio was hosted again this year.
In the movie, Jolie plays the role of a film director whose life unravels when she learns of a cancer diagnosis. Given the actress's own choice to have a preventative double mastectomy because she's at high risk for the disease, Jolie said taking on the role was both difficult and healing.
Daniel Craig
The star and former Bond man took to Toronto to promote his third Knives Out film as detective Benoit Blanc.
This one is a slight departure from the rest of the films as the film revolves around "religion and faith, and the good and the bad of that," Craig said on the red carpet. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery centres on a gothic Catholic parish in a small New York town, and Craig's character is called in to solve the mystery when the priest is murdered.
WATCH | Knives Out filmmaker on why TIFF and his movies go hand-in-hand:
Despite its religious themes, Craig says this Knives Out movie is still a classic whodunit, like the two that came before it.
The mystery has a star-studded cast — including Mila Kunis, Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Andrew Scott and Jeremy Renner. Many of the A-listers in the cast reportedly ate and drank at Greek restaurant estiatorio Milos in celebration after the screening
These reports were written by our esteemed Deputy Chief Reporter of Daily Bangladesh Time Online News, Soyeb Sikder, LLB, LLM (The People’s University of Bangladesh, PUB), Dhaka, Bangladesh."
