BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (TIFF)

I wrote a week ago but I’ve had problems with my computer so I couldn’t send it out until today.

Women stars of THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU: Abigail Spencer, Tina Fey, Connie Britton and moi

I arrived early evening last Saturday, Sept 6th, and had dinner with my BFF, Paula Weinstein, her daughter Hannah Rosenberg (my goddaughter) and her friend at the Asian restaurant in the new Shangrila Hotel. (Sorry about the red eye problem. Can’t fix it on my iPad.)

Warner Brothers (who distributes “This Is Where I Leave You”) was having a party upstairs and I’d heard Al Pacino was there as well as Robert Downey Jr. Much as I wanted to see them and talk to Al about the Paolo Sorrentino film which he had originally turned me onto, I knew I had to skip parties and maximize my sleep. I’d worked a long day on Friday shooting “Grace & Frankie” in Los Angeles and didn’t want to catch a cold.

Toronto is one of my favorite cities. I made a number of films there in the 1980s when I was a biker and on my days off I’d ride for hours on the extensive bike paths through parks, past rivers and waterfalls and along the shore of Lake Ontario. It seems a different place now. Still clean and safe, it has grown by leaps and bounds. I was told it is the city with more construction cranes that any other. I hardly recognize it now.

View from my tub

Elan getting me ready

The famous Needle (from my tub)

You can just see Lake Ontario in the distance

Some nice person or company (there was no card) gave me the red parka and the blanket. Fortunately I returned to L.A. In the private Warner Bros jet or I wouldn’t have been able to take them. It’s not like one brings enormous luggage with room to spare.

I am back at Paramount now shooting “Grace & Frankie” so not much time to write so I’ll mostly just send pictures to give you a sense of what Toronto was like–back-to-back interviews, press conferences, red carpet and in-between precious few moments to catch up with my wonderful friends and co-stars.

Here are Matthew Shields and Elan Bongiorno, my glam team who got me ready for the photos and interviews.

This was a colorful hotel gift: various chocolates made up to resemble a painter’s palette. (I took a bite as you can see)

The bathtub in the suite where Tina Fey, Jason Bateman and I had our first interview

The first interview

Paula Weinstein giving me notes about the press conference

The first group press conference

Red carpet

Below: Sue Kroll, President of worldwide marketing and distribution for Warner Brothers, producer Paula Weinstein, the movie’s wonderful director, Shawn Levy, Greg Silverman, President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production for Warner Bros, and moi

With Sue Kroll, a true mensch

Left to right: Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Tina Fey, Abigail Spencer, Jason Bateman and Ben Schwartz.

The audience response to “This Is Where I Leave You” was fantastic! So much laughter you missed some of the dialogue. It was the first time most of the actors had seen it with an audience which made the evening really exciting

Sunday, going to the official TIFF press conference

Talking with Jason Bateman backstage before the reds conference. He is just the best! Kind, generous and truly talented.

I was thrilled to see Vanessa Redgrave at our premiere. Don’t forget we did “Julia” together…one of my most cherished memories.

In the back row are the hysterical Dax Shepard next to Corey Stoll (check out his new series, “The Strain”), our director Shawn Levy, Rose Byrne and Kathryn Hahn . . . what a cast, huh!

With Tina on the red carpet

Vanity Fair interview with Krista Smith

Last interview with Ben Mulroney. After that I hopped aboard a Warner Bros private jet and flew home (5-plus hours). On board were Warner execs Sue Kroll, Greg Silverman, Dan Fellman, Kathryn Hahn (who is terrific in our movie–as always!), her husband, Ethan Cory Sandler and my publicist Pearl Servat.

Kathryn is far left.
Pearl below.

Greg and me horsing around.

It’s nifty to take a private plane and as I sat there I thought, “I could get used to this!” Then I realized I used to be used to it (Ted T). When Ted and I split up, friends worried I would suffer from luxurium tremens (James Taylor’s expression for it!) but I didn’t. After all, I’d been flying commercial for 50 years. I eased back into real life pretty quick. Best never get addicted to the frosting, it’s far too ephemeral.