Cillian’s Bounty: Toronto International Film Festival

By Less Lee Moore

This piece originally appeared on the The CillianSite.com on September 14.

For our review of Perrier’s Bounty, go here.

Toronto, Ontario is a big city. And as befits such a place, it has its share of big buildings, big festivals, and sometimes, big celebrities. They descend on the city every year for the Toronto International Film Festival, and for those two weeks, one cannot escape news coverage of which films are playing, what parties are being held, who was seen where (and with who), and what they said/did/were wearing.

For film buffs and celebrity spotters, it’s a dream come true. Truth be told, I’m one of the former not the latter. . . with one exception. Cillian Murphy has been my favorite actor for several years now, and for several of those years, one of his films has premiered at the TIFF.

Until now, I’d only attended one TIFF screening and it wasn’t one of the famed red carpet premieres. I wanted to see Breakfast on Pluto in 2006, but missed my chance. I managed to see The Wind That Shakes the Barley, but not the actual premiere. So this year I was determined to see Perrier’s Bounty, the new film from Irish director Ian Fitzgibbon, and starring Mr. Murphy.

The TIFF is a bit of a tease, letting slip bits of information like film lists, screening schedules, and ticket purchase information, only on a gradual basis. In the past, their website has been slow and difficult to maneuver, so I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to attend the premiere itself, much less any screenings. But then fellow film buff and friend Barry came to the rescue for me, scoring tickets for the bona fide premiere of Perrier’s Bounty, the one featuring the famed red carpet and blue eyes (in the form of one Cillian Murphy, that is).

But first, we should talk about a celebrity and actor everyone knows: George Clooney. I have nothing but respect for Mr. Clooney and his talent, charisma, and good looks. Yet, he probably gets more coverage than any other TIFF celebrity (with the exception of Brad Pitt, that is). This quickly becomes apparent during the local media’s TIFF coverage, when footage of him attending previous TIFF premieres is shown repeatedly. As a fan of other actors, namely the incredibly-talented-yet-underrated Cillian Murphy, this can become rather annoying.

It can also become embarrassing for Toronto and its denizens as reporters stalk the streets of the city, setting up camp outside of some Italian restaurant in which Mr. Clooney was spied, and flagging down celebrity watchers who detail a list of the stars they’ve met and whether or not George Clooney is 5 foot 9 or shorter. It makes Torontonians look a bit like slack-jawed yokels who’ve just discovered the Internet and DVD players (and really, they’re not).

The Clooney coverage and my excitement about seeing a Cillian Murphy movie with Cillian himself in attendance was so intense, I actually dreamed that I missed the premiere of Perrier’s Bounty because George Clooney and Matt Damon invited me to a screening of one of their movies. I couldn’t escape him even in my sleep! So it was in the wake of this that my husband Shaun and I set out for the Perrier’s Bounty premiere at the Ryerson Theatre on Friday, September 11.

On the way to the Ryerson, we passed the Elgin Theatre, where a line-up of film fans stretched for blocks. A lady in front of us stopped and turned to her friends. “I wonder if we’ll see George Clooney,” she mused. I couldn’t help it; I laughed out loud. As it turned out, the line was for The Informant, starring Clooney pal, Matt Damon. Shaun and I joked for the remainder of the afternoon about George Clooney: that he was going to attend Damon’s premiere to support his buddy; that he was duty bound to attend every premiere, whether he appeared in the film or not; and that if we actually saw him we’d probably laugh in the poor man’s face despite ourselves.

Yes, folks, this is how we whiled away the hours before the 5:45 p.m. screening time of the film. And since we were the third and fourth people in line, we had a few hours to while away. Finally, Barry arrived from work, barricades started moving around, and people with video cameras and microphones began to arrive. The theatre opened and Barry and Shaun went inside to save seats, freeing me up for “gawking duty.”

The first star to arrive was Brendan Gleeson, who smiled for photos and stopped for interviews with the attendant media representatives. Then a few folks I didn’t recognize arrived (who turned out to be producers Alan Moloney, Elizabeth Karlsen, and Stephen Woolley). Shaun came outside to gawk with me and wait for Cillian Murphy. And suddenly there he was!

I’ve seen quite a few famous folks in person and even met some of them. Yet, the most ridiculous, embarrassing, and obvious thought never fails to emerge in my brain every time: he looks just like he does in pictures! And so it was with Cillian Murphy, although he’s even more stunning in real life, with eyes even bigger and bluer and a smile even prettier than I expected. He graciously stopped for pictures and an interview with the media people, but not after exchanging what appeared to be happy and sincere greetings and hugs with people I didn’t recognize but who certainly recognized him.

Shaun and I giggled to ourselves; we felt exposed, like our silly fandom was going to be called out. So after a few minutes of staring, smiling, and snapping photos, we escaped back inside. But not after a woman near us stated, to no one in particular, “It’s the crazy guy from Snakes On A Plane!” (We think. . . hope. . . that she meant Red Eye.)

When everyone was seated inside, TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey introduced the film, the director Ian Fitzgibbon, the producers, and both Cillian Murphy and Brendan Gleeson. They spoke briefly and then were ushered towards their reserved seats for the screening.

Perrier’s Bounty was fantastic, and from the audience reaction, everyone in attendance agreed with me. After it was over, Fitzgibbon, Cillian, and Brendan Gleeson came back onstage to answer questions from the audience.

Fitzgibbon praised screenwriter Mark O’Rowe for his “humor, imagination, and dark obsessions,” mentioning that he’d also penned Intermission. He conveyed the terror and excitement of the first day on set, when you hope that what’s in your head makes sense. He mentioned that the cast often sees things differently than a director, but that is the joy of filmmaking. Fitzgibbon also praised the dynamic between Cillian and Brendan in some of the scenes towards the end of the movie, saying, “F___ me, they’ve got balls,” a statement which was met by knowing laughter.

Cillian himself praised the cast and Fitzgibbon, saying it was a real thrill to work with everyone involved. He mentioned that he was a fan of Gleeson’s before and now he’s both a fan and a friend. He also discussed how he was a big fan of Jim Broadbent, too and that he met with him for dinner to discuss their roles before actual filming began.

Brendan Gleeson praised Cillian, calling him a “gem” and one of the actors who makes Ireland proud. With all of the compliments going around I thought to myself that it was a bit of a love fest, upon which Gleeson himself soon commented, half-apologizing for the “love fest” going on onstage.

Also half-apologizing for the “love fest,” Cillian talked more about the joys of working with the cast and mentioned Intermission, stating that O’Rowe writes Irish males particularly well, identifying something about them that might be universal. He called it a tendency towards procrastination and the hope that by “letting things be,” they’ll work themselves out. He added that even when you “grow up” and are “successful,” you frequently “turn into a teenager” when you’re around your parents, and this was also captured brilliantly by O’Rowe in the script.

After about ten questions from audience members, they all left the stage and we filed out of the theatre. By this time, it was dark outside and the lineup for the next movie had already begun. Sadly, there were no more glimpses of Cillian, but we were so filled with glee from the movie itself and the charm and wit on display during the Q&A, that it hardly mattered.

I’m thrilled to have finally gotten the opportunity to see a real red carpet premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, one featuring not only my favorite actor but my favorite actor in a terrific film.

Sorry George Clooney, maybe I’ll see you next year.

For more information on Cillian Murphy’s career, current projects, and other news, please visit The CillianSite . . . the source for all things Cillian Murphy.

Many thanks to Melty_Girl for all of her editorial assistance.