ACTRESS Sydney Sweeney scores a hat-trick in a selection of outfits in one day.
The 28-year-old was spotted switching up her style in New York City while promoting her boxing biopic Christy.
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Sydney Sweeney scores a hat-trick in a selection of outfits in one dayCredit: GettySydney was spotted switching up her style in New York CityCredit: SplashThe actress was promoting her boxing biopic ChristyCredit: Getty
As well as the three outfits pictured, Sydney changed into three more throughout the day for a total of six.
Actress Sydney described her latest role as “one of the most inspiring” experiences of her life.
Talking of the female boxer she said: “Christy’s strength isn’t in all of her punches it’s in her heart.”
Sydney became emotional as she detailed how Christy was shot and stabbed in the chest and left for dead after threatening to leave her abusive spouse.
“Christy reminds us strength doesn’t have to look loud sometimes, it’s just about getting up again and again no matter who is watching.
“Playing her taught me it isn’t the end of the story, it’s about re-claiming it.
“And to every young girl out there I hope that you know your power is already within you.”
In her latest film, Christy, she learned to box to play US pro fighter Christy Martin — the first female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
She won a world title before her husband tried to murder her.
ADOLESCENCE star Owen Cooper has earned a major honor as the youngest male winner ever at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.
The actor nabbed the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
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Adolescence star Owen Cooper made history at the 77th Primetime Emmy AwardsCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
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Actress Sydney Sweeney presented the award to the young actorCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
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He was the youngest male winner in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or MovieCredit: Reuters
This was also the first nomination for the 15-year-old.
Owen tearfully hugged his parents and colleagues before approaching the stage where actress Sydney Sweeney presented him with the gold trophy.
He then delivered a heartfelt speech, acknowledging all those who had worked on the project.
His words touched host Nate Bargatze, who appeared to stop the countdown he’d set during his opening monologue, penalizing those who went over the allotted 45-second acceptance speeches.
The comedian jokingly threatened to take away money from his $100,000 donation to the Boys and Girls Club for every second an Emmy winner extended their speech.
Owen, however, didn’t have those same rules, despite it being an ongoing bit throughout the show.
Nate addressed the change in rules afterward, revealing that he hadn’t penalized the teenager, although his speech had exceeded the time limit.
Owen was up against some heavy hitters in the category, including his co-star Ashley Walters, Presumed Innocent’s Bill Camp and Peter Sarsgaard, Javier Bardem in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, and Rob Delaney for Dying for Sex.
Before Owen, the youngest actor to win the award was then-23-year-old Michael A. Goorjian, for his portrayal in 1994’s David’s Mother.
Adolescence premiered on Netflix in March 2025 and also stars Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, and Faye Marsay.
Sydney Sweeney leads the glamour as stars walk the red carpet for the 2025 Emmys
The psychological drama had gained recognition not only for its intense storyline but also for its impressive filming.
All four episodes of the series were shot in one continuous take, with no cuts.
Owen played Jaime, a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering his classmate in Northern England.
Ahead of the star-studded awards ceremony, the young star spoke with People about making his acting debut on the project.
2025 EMMYS NOMINEE’S GIFT BAG
The Emmy Awards Giving Suite will provide an exclusive backstage experience for presenters, nominees, and winners with a generous swag bag worth a fortune. The gifting suite will be open on Emmys rehearsal days as well as during the live telecast on Sept. 14. Among some of the items the stars will get to take home include:
Miage Skincare set – $200
Alma hair restoration treatment – $3,900
Hasbro game pack – $150
Krovblit Fine Art – ranges from $100 to $10,000
Peta x Miomojo vegan leather bag – $400
Beboe marijuana basket – $300
Brightharbor disaster relief for LA fire victims still struggling – Up to $1m in relief
DESUAR day spa experience – $400
Helight Sleep device – $140
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch Whisky – $230
LifeRegen skincare bundle – $200
Senorita THC-infused drinks – $100
SKANDINAVISK candles – $150
Training Loft personalized training, coaching, nutrition & wellness services for one month – $1,000
“It’s my first role — it’ll be the best role of my life,” Owen gushed to the outlet.
“It was the best summer of my life to film, and I just can’t wait to be there on the night of the Emmys. I can’t wait.”
The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed in March that the streamer is exploring options to extend the series after its rave reviews.
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Owen portrays a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering his classmate in AdolescenceCredit: Courtesy of Netflix.
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Adolescence premiered on Netflix in March 2025Credit: Courtesy of Netflix.
Claire Sweeney, who portrayed Lindsey Corkhill in Brookside, confirmed she is not taking part in the revival of the show – but said she is a big fan and supports the whole cast
Claire Sweeney isn’t taking part in the revival of Brookside(Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)
The 54-year-old actress portrayed Lindsey Corkhill in the soap opera, initially as a recurring character from 1991 and then as a leading character from 1995 to 2003, when the programme ended. She then went on to star in other major shows including Doctors, Holby City and Benidorm.
Most recently, she took on the role of Cassie Plummer – the estranged, drug-addicted mother of Tyrone Dobbs and daughter of Evelyn Plummer – in Corrie. She arrived on the street in 2023, initially under false pretenses, but has since become a regular fixture on the cobbles.
She starred as Lindsey Corkhill in the television series(Image: Channel 4)
Now Claire has confirmed that, despite being one of Brookside’s most-loved stars, she won’t make a comeback as she is now starring in rival soap Corrie. She told the Daily Star: “It’s wonderful that it’s coming back. But I’m not doing it.”
The actress added: “It’s wonderful that there’s such excitement about Brookside coming back. I’m still a big fan of the show. I took my son to the Close a few months ago to show it to him. I got out the car and I started filling up with tears. I was in front of my old house.”
Claire starred in the series until it ended in 2003(Image: INSTAGRAM)
Claire’s comments come just days after it was confirmed that Ricky Tomlinson is returning to Brookside as Bobby Grant after 37 years. Recently, it was also announced that Sue Johnston is set to reprise her character Shelia Grant.
The Grant family launched Brookside when it began on the first night of Channel 4 in 1982 and audiences quickly warmed to the married couple Shelia and Bobby as they settled into their first owned home with their three children. Talking about his return, Ricky said: “It will be lovely to take part in Brookside again, especially to work alongside Sue Johnston. I’m looking forward to being on the Close again after all these years.”
She recently visited Brookside Close, which is now a residential street(Image: INSTAGRAM)
The sitcom aired for 4 seasons over 14 years, after which Ricky went on to star in Grimsby, In The Flesh, and The Witchfinder. Filming for the revival is set to commence this month, with the owner of the Close and the Liverpool Film Office granting special permission.
This is because the former set and production offices, an unadopted road in West Derby, are now residential homes. The residents have been offered the chance to share a meal with the cast and crew from Lime Pictures. The special episode will air later this year.
TORONTO — Welcome to a special daily edition of the Envelope at TIFF, a newsletter collecting the latest developments out of Canada’s annual film showcase. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
Our photo gallery’s latest includes Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater and more.
But click through for our video interviews, including Mark Olsen’s sit-down with Sydney Sweeney and the crew of her boxing movie “Christy,” which required a total transformation.
Sydney Sweeney in “Christy,” a portrait of boxing champ Christy Martin, having its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
(Allie Fredericks / TIFF)
Here’s a taste of their exchange:
Sydney, people are already really talking about the physical transformation you make in the movie, the training that you did. What was it about the role that made it seem like you wanted to make that kind of commitment?
Sydney Sweeney: I mean, I couldn’t let Christy down, and I also love transforming for characters. That’s the whole reason of being an actor, is to be something different from yourself and to challenge ourselves.
So I had like two months of training. I built gyms in my house and I had a boxing trainer, I had a weight trainer, I had a nutritionist and would work out and train every single day.
And it was amazing. I loved it. Being able to completely lose yourself for somebody else and then have that person there next to your side. It was transformative.
Katy O’Brian, co-star: It was exhausting watching her do it.
Ben Foster, co-star: And in tribute to Syd, we’d shoot a 12-hour day that was dense, we’ll say, that would be a gentle word. She would then go train and choreograph the fights that she would do back-to-back after, one after another.
Sweeney: I’d be put in the middle of a ring and I’d have like nine girls and they would just drill me with all the different fights, one after the other for like two hours after we would wrap.
Because I really wanted the choreography to match the exact fights that she had in real life. So we would watch all the footage from her fights and memorize all the combinations and then implement those into the fight.
So everything you see were her actual fights. And so I’d wrap, I would do that for two hours, and then I would weight train.
David, there is something very unflinching about the movie. Why was it that you wanted to tell Christy’s story in a way that wasn’t afraid to explore these really dark and disturbing moments in her life?
David Michôd, director: In a way, the dark and disturbing was what made me want to make the movie. I had a clear sense that in this really wild and colorful story of a ’90s boxing pioneer was actually, underneath, it was a very important story to tell about how these coercive control relationships function.
And trying to wrap my brain around what keeps them functioning over, in this case, 20 years. And I knew that where Christy’s story went, it was harrowing.
And what the challenge for me then as a filmmaker was just to go, how do I do this being very conscious of not wanting to step into a world of representations of violence against women and all that kind of stuff, but not shying away from the horror that is very much there and is very palpable.
I could see a big sprawling movie that would start almost as a kind of conventional underdog pioneering sports movie and then morph into something that was deeply moving and important.
Sydney, Ben, what was it like for the two of you performing some of those darker scenes in the film and how did you keep some sense of humanity between the two of you?
Sweeney: There were so many conversations around a lot of those moments, and both Ben and I, we don’t like to rehearse and we kind of just want to feel it. And I think we both became very connected to who we were portraying and —
Foster: Listening.
Sweeney: We just listened
Foster: And Dave created a space where we could do that. And we would block it, we did a lot of talk privately, and then we would come in and jam and nudge. But the truth is Dave is quality control and would fine-tune moments.
The day’s buzziest premieres
‘EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert’
Elvis Presley performing live, as seen in Baz Luhrmann’s archival concert movie “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert.”
(TIFF)
How deep did Baz Lurhmann go researching his 2022 movie “Elvis”? Forty stories. That’s the depth of the Kansas salt mine where Warner Bros. had stored 59 hours of unseen recordings from Elvis Presley’s seven-year stint in Las Vegas.
Lurhmann studied it for his Oscar-nominated biopic, which mourned Presley as an artist in a cage and wondered who the curious, music-loving boy from Tupelo might have become if Col. Parker had let him, say, visit an ashram with the Beatles.
This time, the “Moulin Rouge!” director has said that he wants to use found footage to “let Elvis sing and tell his story” — as in, Lurhmann’s own spectacular sensibilities will cede center stage to Presley himself, who can still wow a crowd even during a late-career moment when his own fans feared he had more jumpsuits than ambition.
I’ll definitely be at the premiere to pay my respects to the King. — Amy Nicholson
‘Hamnet’
Jessie Buckley, center, in director Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet.”
(Agata Grzybowska / Focus Features)
You’re going to be hearing a lot of Oscar buzz in the coming months about various movies, along with people insisting that — seriously — this is the one you need to see. “Hamnet” is, far and away, that film, for three specific reasons.
Clockwise from right: Paul Mescal, Noah Jupe, Jacobi Jupe, director Chloé Zhao, Jessie Buckley and Emily Watson, photographed in the Los Angeles Times Studios at RBC House during the Toronto International Film Festival.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Second, I needed director Chloé Zhao to rebound after the mess that was “Eternals” to the confidence she displayed on “Nomadland” — and she’s done exactly that. Read our Telluride interview with her.
Finally, Jessie Buckley has uncorked one of the year’s most impressive turns: a grief-stricken plunge that elevates her to the level of Casey Affleck in “Manchester by the Sea.” Do not be surprised if, like Affleck, she goes all the way. — Joshua Rothkopf
Ron Howard’s new film “Eden” is a true story about disenchanted Europeans, who, in the 1930s, escaped from their society and decamped on a lonely rock in the Galapagos, only to see their handmade utopia devolve into petty power struggles and murder. It’s also lurid proof that Charles Darwin missed out on the truly juicy survival-of-the-fittest action by about a hundred years.
This is certainly unusual material for a mainstream stalwart like Howard, who knows his way around heroic problem-solving narratives (“Apollo 13,” the Thai cave rescue movie “Thirteen Lives”). But in screenwriter Noah Pink’s melodramatic imagining of incidents both well-documented and mysterious, one can see this Hollywood veteran on a mission to loosen the shackles of his reputation and have some nasty, brutish fun. To wit: A perma-sneering Jude Law greets intruders naked; a wild-eyed Ana de Armas insults and tries to seduce everyone; Vanessa Kirby lets foreplay include the pulling of her diseased tooth; Sydney Sweeney gives birth alone while growling at a pack of wild dogs.
The result may not be terribly illuminating about the (sub)human condition, despite the shout-outs to Nietzsche and Schopenhauer. “Eden” is probably closer to an expensive reality show about mismatched survivalists. But as August fare goes, it’s a sticky, sweaty hoot, well cast and paced like a disreputable beach read, even if you might sporadically wish Werner Herzog had gotten first crack at this material. (It was also covered in a 2013 documentary.)
The first transplants to the uninhabited island of Floreana were German botanist Dr. Friedrich Ritter (Law) and his devoted, ailing partner, Dore (Kirby). Scolds who glorified suffering against the world’s wrong turns, the pair sought a radical reboot of society in rugged isolation, save the inconvenient fact that Ritter’s grandstanding philosophical missives back home were published in newspapers, turning them into eccentric folk heroes. Soon, their precious suffering took the form of new neighbors: idealistic war veteran Heinz Wittmer (Daniel Brühl) and his wide-eyed young wife Margret (Sweeney), who are looking for a new, self-sufficient way of life for their budding family.
It’s difficult to imagine a worse addition to this oil-and-water mix of high-minded nonconformist cranks and hard-toiling middle-class settlers than a capitalist sybarite. Enter the grandiose Baroness Eloise (De Armas), carried like Cleopatra onto the beach by her male lovers (Toby Wallace and Felix Klammerer), and ready to claim Floreana as the future site of an exclusive luxury resort called Hacienda Paradiso. Her first order of business, however, is pitting the scowling Ritter and bland, industrious Wittmers, who had managed a bearable distance so far, against each other.
The island, given an appropriately sickly, uninviting sheen by cinematographer Mathias Herndl, clearly wasn’t big enough for all of these new-world experimenters. But the movie’s two hours offer plenty of room for their portrayers. Howard’s generosity with his actors keeps this ensemble a charged group of clashing molecules. You wouldn’t mistake anybody’s turn for a full-throated or, conversely, subtle characterization — there’s a messiness to the cutting that prioritizes motion over stillness — but the broad strokes of personality are fun.
At its most raw (or is it overcooked?), when de Armas’ loaded-gun vibe veers toward camp or Law peacocks his pomposity with a hint of desperation, the situation may remind you of some insane pre-Code potboiler like 1932 “The Most Dangerous Game,” when a tale of people at their worst seemed all the more fascinating for unfurling in an exotic locale. Just because this corrupting pity party doesn’t crescendo so much as peter out isn’t any more of a reason to dismiss “Eden.” A little time spent with the farcical maneuverings of isolated megalomaniacs means you can skip reading the news that day.
‘Eden’
Rated: R, for some strong violence, sexual content, graphic nudity and language
As “Madame Web” star Sydney Sweeney remains mum on allegations of promoting eugenics via her American Eagle advertisement, she has seemingly stirred up even more support from far-right figures after recently gaining the favor of President Trump.
A black-and-yellow banner covering a billboard on the 91 Freeway in Corona boldly states: “Proud Boys Love Sydney Sweeney,” according to a photo that one Corona resident shared with ABC7.
The banner, which uses the neo-fascist group‘s signature colors, also references the hot-button American Eagle ad. “She has the best blue genes,” the banner says. Note “genes,” not “jeans.” It’s worth remembering that President Trump during a 2020 presidential debate ordered the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” when pressed about condemning right-wing violent extremists.
It’s unclear who put up the banner bearing the far-right group’s name, according to ABC7.
A representative for Sweeney did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment on Friday.
Earlier this month, jeans retailer American Eagle dropped a string of commercials for its latest campaign featuring the “Euphoria” star. In one advertisement, the Emmy-nominated actor who is blond says, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue,” she says.
Posters for the American Eagle campaign also featured the totally innovative, never-before-seen wordplay on “jeans” and genes.” A slogan reads, “Sydney Sweeney has great genes,” with the final word crossed out and replaced with “jeans.”
Sweeney, who seems to have a penchant for odd marketing opportunities, and the ads quickly faced criticism on social media, with users alleging the campaign leaned into the language of eugenics. Eugenics is a discredited practice that essentially touted the idea of improving the human race through selective breeding. It gained traction in the early 20th century and was used as a justification for Hitler’s Nazi Germany to wipe out millions of Jewish people, and U.S. authorities to forcibly sterilize more than 60,000 people in California and more than 30 other states.
In an attempt to quell the ire, American Eagle posted a statement stating that its campaign “is and always was about the jeans.”
Sweeney and the American Eagle campaign notably found support among the conservative crowd — it wasn’t the first time for the 27-year-old “Immaculate” actor. Days after the ad dropped, public records revealing her most recent voter registration history resurfaced, unveiling she registered as a Republican in June 2024. Trump found that irresistible to post about on his Truth Social platform.
“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there. It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are ‘flying off the shelves.’ Go get ‘em Sydney!” he posted Monday. In an earlier version of his post, Trump misspelled the actor’s name as “Sidney Sweeney.”
He also used the post to diss brands he claimed used “woke” marketing, including Jaguar and Bud Light. Trump also couldn’t resist throwing shade at pop star Taylor Swift, who openly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election.
Amid the fashion fracas and social media discourse, it seems neither Sweeney nor American Eagle had anything to lose.
Sweeney shrugged off her latest bout of controversy last week as she was spotted doing karaoke with some “Euphoria” co-stars in Santa Monica. She also hit the red carpet on Monday to promote her latest film, “Americana,” from writer-director Tony Tost.
American Eagle, on the other hand, saw its stock surge this week.
Thanks to a lazy pun that’s as uninspired as the jeans it’s meant to sell, a series of American Eagle Outfitters ads starring 27-year-old actor Sydney Sweeney have sparked a culture war.
In one of several videos associated with the retailer’s campaign, the accomplished performer who also happens to be a blond bombshell says, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue,” she says, as the camera pans from her blue denim outfit to her blue eyes.
In another video, Sweeney defaces an American Eagle billboard that reads “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” crossing out the word “jeans” and replacing it with “genes.”
Jeans. Genes. Get it? Of course you do. It’s as basic as it gets. But that didn’t stop folks from assigning incredible complexity to the ads.
American Eagle Outfitters is accused of leaning into the language of eugenics to sell its mall wear. Eugenics is the absurd and bigoted theory that the human race can be perfected (i.e. made more Caucasian) through selective breeding. Eugenics gained traction in the early 20th century, most notably in Nazi Germany, where Hitler sought to create a master Aryan race, perpetrating unspeakable atrocities including the Holocaust.
Now there’s an argument across social media: Did Sweeney and the retailer play fast and loose with eugenics to sell jeans? Or is it just another distraction from a much scarier reality that “the great replacement theory” — a touchstone conspiracy among white supremacists that an “inferior” non-white population will displace them — is driving American policy and state-sanctioned actions? I pick Option 2.
Sleuthing for hidden white-power messaging in an otherwise playful commercial is easier than contending with the militarized xenophobia right in front of us. It’s happening on our streets, where immigrants with no criminal record are being kidnapped, then locked up and, in many cases, deported with no due process.
Too heavy? Let’s get back to the jeans/genes (again, who thought this pun was clever?). Commentary about the ad has proliferated across social media, where lefties, MAGAs and nondenominational Sweeney haters are chiming in, calling the ad a “Nazi dog whistle,” an excuse for a “woke freak out,” more evidence that “Western ideals of beauty” still dominate, and indisputable proof that Sweeney should remain a perennial target for those who still can’t separate the actor from the insufferable characters she played so well on “Euphoria” and “White Lotus.”
The American Eagle Outfitters’ fall campaign features “the Sydney Jean,” which was created in partnership with Sweeney, and revenue from sales of the jeans will be donated to the Crisis Text Line. According to its website, it’s a “nonjudgmental organization that champions mental well-being and aims to support people of every race, ethnicity, political affiliation, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, socioeconomic status, and other backgrounds.”
Hardly Third Reich fare.
Yet the clothing line’s ad has been called “regressive” and racist, and one critic wrote in Slate: “These days, a blond, blue-eyed white woman being held up as the exemplar of ‘great genes’ is a concept that maybe shouldn’t have made it past the copywriters room.”
Never missing a chance to complain about complainers, White House communications manager Steven Cheung posted: “Cancel culture run amok. This warped, moronic and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024. They’re tired of this bull—.” Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly took the opportunity to troll the opposition when she wrote Tuesday on X, “I love how the leftist meltdown over the Sydney Sweeney ad has only resulted in a beautiful white blonde girl with blue eyes getting 1000x the exposure for her ‘good genes.’”
American Eagle posted on Instagram Friday that it stands by its campaign. “‘Sydney Sweeney has great jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story,” said the statement. “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
It’s not the first time Sweeney’s actions have been used as fodder in a culture war. Her 2024 hosting gig on “SNL” included a sketch where she was dressed as a Hooters waitress, complete with ample cleavage. The skit satirized her standing as a sex symbol. MAGA bros saw it as the end of woke because Sweeney is “hot” and she made a joke about her boobs. Yes, even that was politicized.
So now that I’ve spent all this space explaining the unnecessary freak-out over a jeans ad, can we focus on a campaign that should spur just as much, if not more, condemnation?
The Department of Homeland Security has been posting images on its X account with captions that the father of eugenics, Sir Francis Galton, would have approved. On July 23, the DHS posted an image of a 19th century painting titled “American Progress” depicting Manifest Destiny, the religious belief that it was the right and duty of the United States to expand from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The DHS caption (with its curious usage of uppercase letters): “A Heritage to be proud of, a Homeland worth Defending.” If you aren’t Indigenous, of course.
A week or so before that, “A Prayer for a New Life,” artist Morgan Weistling’s westward-expansion-era scene featuring a white family in a covered wagon making their way across golden plains. The DHS shared the image with the caption, “Remember your Homeland’s Heritage.” Aside from getting the name of the painting wrong, they inferred that this was the heritage we all share. There was no footnote for First Lady Melania Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump advisor Stephen Miller, Vice President JD Vance’s wife, Usha, SCOTUS’ Clarence Thomas and millions more whose American origin story doesn’t resemble “Little House on the Prairie.” So can we freak out about that, instead?
Apparently not, because now armchair Nazi hunters are pivoting to a Dunkin’ Donuts ad featuring “The Summer I Turned Pretty” star Gavin Casalegno, who delivers a tongue-in-cheek monologue about his role as the “king of summer.”
“Look, I didn’t ask to be the king of summer, it just kinda happened,” he says. “This tan? Genetics.”
The program for the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival came into sharper view with Monday’s announcement of the majority of titles for the event’s galas and special presentations section. Along with TIFF’s news, some of the larger fall festival and awards season is also beginning to take shape.
Toronto, long known as a powerful showcase for launching awards-hungry and commercially ambitious fall titles, has been seen as losing some of its strength in recent years to festivals in Cannes, Venice and Telluride. This year’s TIFF program, which marks its 50th edition, will be closely watched for how its titles are received not only at the festival itself, but in the months ahead.
Among the notable world premieres in Monday’s announcement are Aziz Ansari’s feature directorial debut “Good Fortune,” a comedy of identity-swapping and self-discovery starring Ansari and Seth Rogen with Keanu Reeves as an inept angel, and James Vanderbilt’s “Nuremberg” starring Russell Crowe as imprisoned Nazi Hermann Göring, with Rami Malek as the psychiatrist tasked with interviewing him.
Maude Apatow will make her feature directorial debut with “Poetic License,” starring her mother Leslie Mann alongside Andrew Barth Feldman and Cooper Hoffman. “True Detective” creator Nic Pizzolatto will also make his feature directing bow with “Easy’s Waltz,” a drama of down-on-their-luck entertainers starring Vince Vaughn and Al Pacino.
TIFF will host the world premiere of Bobby Farrelly’s comedy “Driver’s Ed,” starring Kumail Nanjiani, Sam Nivola and Molly Shannon. Alex Winter directs and also appears in the comedy “Adulthood” alongside Josh Gad, Kaya Scodelario and Billie Lourd. David Mackenzie’s crime thriller “Fuze” stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Sam Worthington, Theo James and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Baz Luhrman will unveil “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,” which utilizes previously unseen footage the director discovered while researching his 2022 film “Elvis.” The result is what Luhrman has described as “not specifically a documentary, nor a concert film.”
Saoirse Ronan stars in “Bad Apples,” which is premiering at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
(Republic Pictures )
Other world premieres include Jonathan Etzler’s “Bad Apples,” starring Saoirse Ronan; David Michôd’s “Christy,” starring Sydney Sweeney as boxer Christy Martin; and Alice Winocour’s fashion world drama “Couture,” starring Angelina Jolie.
At this stage in the season, interpreting how a Toronto title is announced can give some clues as to where it may be popping up beforehand. “International Premiere” can mean a title is also first playing a week earlier at Telluride, while “North American Premiere” can mean something is playing first at Venice. “Canadian Premiere” means it is likely playing both Telluride and Venice (or already premiered at Cannes) before coming to Toronto.
The only title listed as an international premiere is Clint Bentley’s “Train Dreams,” which premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.
North American premieres likely headed to Venice include Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire,” starring Bill Skarsgård and Colman Domingo; Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi; Mark Jenkin’s “Rose of Nevada,” starring Calum Turner and George MacKay; Mona Fastvold’s “The Testament of Ann Lee,” starring Amanda Seyfried; and Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine,” starring Dwayne Johnson.
Canadian premieres include Edward Berger’s “Ballad of a Small Player” starring Colin Farrell; Jafar Panahi’s Cannes-winning “It Was Just an Accident”; Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague,” about the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless”; Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent,” which won best actor at Cannes for Wagner Moura; Daniel Roher’s “Tuner,” starring Leo Woodall and Dustin Hoffman; and Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” starring Stellan Skarsgård and Renate Reinsve.
Michaela Coel, left, and Ian McKellen star in “The Christophers,” which is premiering at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
(Department M / Butler & Sklar Production)
Toronto’s previously announced titles include the opening night selection “John Candy: I Like Me,” a documentary on the beloved Canadian-born actor, directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds, as well as the world premiere of Rian Johnson’s third Benoit Blanc film starring Daniel Craig, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.”
Other previously announced world premieres include Derek Cianfrance’s “Roofman,” starring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst; Nicholas Hytner’s “The Choral,” starring Ralph Fiennes; Paul Greengrass’ “The Lost Bus,” starring Matthew McConaughey; Hikari’s “Rental Family,” starring Brendan Fraser; Nia DaCosta’s “Hedda,” starring Tessa Thompson; Steven Soderbergh’s “The Christophers,” starring Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel; and Agnieszka Holland’s “Franz,” a biopic of Franz Kafka.
Other titles already announced for TIFF that will be premiering elsewhere include the Canadian premiere of Chloé Zhao’s highly anticipated “Hamnet,” starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley; and the North American premiere of Rebecca Zlotowski’s “A Private Life,” starring Jodie Foster, which premiered at Cannes.
More of the Toronto program will be announced in the coming days and weeks, including the Platform section for emerging voices and the popular Midnight Madness section. This year’s Toronto International Film Festival runs from Sept. 4 to 14.