The Toronto Film Festival got off to a very British start on Thursday night, when Jeremy Irons and Annette Bening turned out to promote their latest flick. Being Julia, a silver screen tribute to the classic days of English theatre, was the first screening of this year's event.
In the movie Annette plays Julia Lambert, a West End diva who is the toast of 1930s London. Jeremy, meanwhile, is her theatre boss husband who is rather too proud of his reputation as the most handsome man in town.
"We love our movie. We're hopelessly partial to it," enthused the actress, who was sporting a black velvet coatdress. "It's something that I worked very hard on and I really care very deeply about it."
Her real-life husband Warren Beatty, who was looking as dashing as ever in a sharply-cut black suit with matching shirt and tie, was eager to praise his glamorous spouse. "You would never think that a human being would be able to do what this one does at home and still be what she is at work," he said. "She has a lot of energy and more talent than any actress alive - I'm always amazed by her."
Organisers at the festival were no doubt delighted to have some of Hollywood's biggest names present for their opening night. And there's plenty more to come, because the Canadian city will play host to a roll-call of big names in the days ahead. Among those expected to attend are Penelope Cruz, Colin Firth, Charlize Theron, Al Pacino, Sandra Bullock and Orlando Bloom.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
