emily hampshire
#INTERVIEW: “FITTING IN”
By Mr. Will Wong
Molly McGlynn‘s semi-autobiographical coming of age Comedy FITTING IN strikes that perfect balance of humourous, powerful and affecting. And it was made right at home! The Pink Carpet was rolled-out and the theatre was booked out at Paradise on Bloor, followed by a bustling after party at Osteria Rialto, right next door. In attendance were stars Maddie Ziegler in a breakthrough performance, plus amazing Supporting Actors Emily Hampshire and Djouliet Amara, both exceptional homegrown talent. The Cast also did a Q&A, following the Film’s premiere.
The Film centers on Lindy (Ziegler), who already is having a tough time navigating being a teen, only to be diagnosed with MRKH (Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser) Syndrome, a rare reproductive disorder that leads to her life falling into disarray. McGlynn, who wrote and directed the Film, pulled from her own experiences as a teen, when she was diagnosed with the condition and the on-screen results are something deeply personal and profound. Last night, some actual “MRKG Girls” were in attendance – the take away being to love ourselves exactly the way we were made.
We had the pleasure of chatting with the Cast of FITTING IN on the Pink Carpet, who shared their experiences filming here, and what they hope the audiences will get from the Film.
Amara has actually worked prior with McGlynn on series THE BIG DOOR PRIZE and was handpicked to play Lindy‘s best friend Vivian. She tells us what she feels is the more integral message of FITTING IN.
Amara: “Love yourself. You’re amazing, you’re awesome. You are built exactly the way you need to be built. Fall in love with yourself. I hope that people fall in love with themselves while watching this Film.”
We don’t need an introduction to the brilliant Hampshire, who continues to build her body of work as a national treasure, including beloved series SCHITT’S CREEK. She plays Lindy‘s mother Rita, who is coping herself with having had Breast Cancer and also being a single mom. Hampshire walks us through getting involved with FITTING IN.
Hampshire: “I read the Script, and I know it was Molly‘s personal story and I just really connected with the humour in it. To tell a story like this that is about a traumatic diagnosis that she gets, but it got me at this one point where Lindy‘s looking for people who have this condition and she the only person she could find is Hitler‘s wife, and I was like, this is the tone that I respond to.”.
Ziegler comes back to Toronto, after promoting Toronto-made MY OLD ASS at Sundance just last week. She loves this City and tells us the most revelatory thing she learned while researching her role as Lindy.
Ziegler: “I love Toronto, I feel like an honourary Canadian because I’ve now filmed two back to back films here, which has been incredible. And I went to Canada’s Wonderland, which is really fun!!”.
“It’s so hard to be a woman in general, and I think learning so much more from the MRKH community, I just feel so deeply for everyone. It’s so hard just to be a teenager, to be a human and on top of it, feeling shame and guilt over something that you can’t change. And through doing so much research with so many people and Molly, you learn that your flaws are what makes you so beautiful. I think having a difference is beautiful and I’m so lucky I’ve been able to be a part of this experience. It’s very chilling and moving.”.
Complete chats here:
Elevation Pictures release FITTING IN on February 2, 2024.
(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures/Mr. Will Wong)
#FIRSTLOOK: “FITTING IN” NEW RELEASE DATE
After premiering to raves at TIFF ’23, we get a new release date for Elevation Pictures’ FITTING IN: February 2, 2024.
Synopsis:
A joyful, comedic drama, from writer/director Molly McGlynn, Fitting In is a coming-of-age story that follows 16-year-old Lindy (Maddie Ziegler) who is unexpectedly diagnosed with a reproductive condition, MRKH syndrome. The diagnosis upends her plans to have sex, her presumptions about womanhood and sexuality, her relationship with her mother, and most importantly, herself.
A semi-autobiographical feature written and directed by Molly McGlynn (Mary Goes Round), Fitting In stars Maddie Ziegler, Emily Hampshire, Djouliet Amara, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, and Ki Griffin. The feature film is produced by Jennifer Weiss and Liane Cunje, and executive produced by Janelle Monae, Mikael Moore, Molly McGlynn, Brenden Brady, Adrian Love, Laurie May, James Huntsman, and Lisa Gutberlet.
Directed by Molly McGlynn
Screenplay by Molly McGlynn
Starring: Maddie Ziegler, Emily Hampshire, Djouliet Amara, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Ki Griffin
SXSW: “APPENDAGE” REVIEW
By David Baldwin
Hannah (Hadley Robinson) is a young fashion designer barely keeping it together under the weight of mounting anxieties. She keeps having sharp pains in her stomach due to all of the stress and one night, the pains get so bad that a literal appendage with eyes and a mouth violently pushes itself out of her. This monstrous entity can talk too and it seems keen on fueling her anxieties.
I am not going to lie to you – I laughed out loud the moment the “Appendage” appears. Kudos to the behind-the-scenes team for doing all the effects practically, but this ghastly creature is more hilarious than it is terrifying. That is, until Writer/Director Anna Zlokovic pulls the rug out and Hannah’s life starts to get increasingly more twisted as a result of this literal growing manifestation of anxiety and self-doubt. Zlokovic has adapted from her own wicked Short Film here (starring SXSW Queen Rachel Sennott as Hannah) and makes some very interesting choices along the way. Sometimes they are predictable, sometimes unpredictable, and other times positively outrageous. Not all of it works unfortunately, with some subplots and ideas introduced and forgotten within the same breath. I admire the ridiculous swings the film takes though and its lean and mean running time. I just thought there would be more to it.
All of that said, Robinson is terrific, absolutely relishing in the chaotic journey Zlokovic puts Hannah through. She is very much lock in step with the tone of the picture and has a way with pivoting her emotions with chilling precision. Schitt’s Creek’s Emily Hampshire does well in her juicy supporting turn as Claudia, who has a special connection with Hannah, and I loved the standout work from Desmin Borges and Brandon Mychal Smith (who starred together on the criminally-underrated FX show You’re the Worst). I only wish they got even more to do here!
APPENDAGE screens at SXSW ’23 as follows:
Mar 11 at 11:15am at Alamo Lamar C
Mar 14 at 9:45pm at Alamo Lamar E
Mar 16 at 2:00pm at Alamo Lamar C
#TIFF22: “THE END OF SEX”
By David Baldwin
With the kids away at camp for the week, Josh (Jonas Chernick) and Emma (Schitt’s Creek’s Emily Hampshire) have the house to themselves. Initially unsure of what to do next, they quickly land on recapturing the sexual energy of their youth. Except that spark is not there anymore, just a never-ending routine of going through the motions. Dissatisfied, the pair come up with different ways to spice up their marriage – each more wild than the next.
THE END OF SEX is a sweet little Canadian romp that is just as charming as it is raunchy and cringe inducing. I laughed, I shrieked and I stared wide-eyed in bewilderment at some of the situations this couple finds themselves in. And just when you think it could not get any more mortifying, Colin Mochrie drops in for an extended bit you will not forget anytime soon.
While Chernick’s writing is nothing spectacular, the tonal pivoting honesty he brings to his performance as Josh is wonderful, as is Hampshire’s as Emma. They have a winning chemistry and a shared history that enriches the backstory we are only given precious few details of. The Comedy here is some of the most awkward you will see this year, yet it comes from a place of love and truth. I just wish the terrific supporting players like Lily Gao, Gray Powell and Melanie Scrofano were given so much more to do. They get many of the best and wildest lines in the Film, but their character development rings hollow.
And as a Hamilton boy, I loved seeing the way the city is portrayed here. Minus that terrifying moment when the Film turned a bar I used to frequent into a sex club.
THE END OF SEX screens as follows at TIFF ’22 as follows:
Sat, Sep 10 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre 7:30pm
Wed, Sep 14 DIGITAL digital TIFF Bell Lightbox 10:00am
Wed, Sep 14 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre 2:00pm
#CSAs: “ROOM” + “SCHITT’S CREEK” TOP WINNERS AT 2016 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS
Taking place tonight at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, the fourth annual Canadian Screen Awards fêted the very best in both Television and Cinema this past year. Sweeping in the Film categories including Best Film, was Academy Award Nominee for Best Picture, ROOM, shot here in Toronto last winter and subsequently winning the Cadillac People’s Choice Award at TIFF 2015.
In addition to garnering Brie Larson her first Oscar victory last month, the American Actress won Best Film Actress tonight for her work in the Film Adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s best-selling novel, its screenplay also penned by the latter. Director Lenny Abrahamson and Donoghue herself also won in their respective categories.
Child Actor Jacob Tremblay stole the show, garnering a well-deserved victory for Best Film Actor for his portrayal of a child named Jack whom after living all his life isolated from the world with his Ma (Larson), is faced with the challenge of adapting to the real world after he manages to flee from his and his mother’s captor. He tells the Press Room with great pride that he will be displaying his award on his shelf alongside his Millennium Falcon. As we all know by now, he loves Star Wars.
I ask Tremblay what he has to say to Brie Larson whom he has navigated so successfully through Awards Season these past few months. He tells me, “I hope we can work together again”.
CBC Comedy Schitt’s Creek also dominated the Television categories with three wins tonight including Best TV Comedy Series, Best Actor (Eugene Levy) and Actress (Catherine O’Hara) in a TV Comedy. O’Hara and Levy both agree that the Canadian Screen Awards should be given an official nickname of the “Candies” for phonetic and sentimental reasons. The name pays tribute to their SCTV Co-Star John Candy, a Canadian icon who left us far too soon.
Orphan Black also once again was recognized tonight, its upcoming season having wrapped in Toronto just recently. Its star Tatiana Maslany won Best Actress in a TV Drama Series, but unfortunately was busy at the SXSW Festival promoting her new Film with partner Tom Cullen this weekend. Her Co-Star Ari Millen was honoured with Best Actor in a TV Drama Series.
Complete list of winners announced tonight:
TELEVISION
Best Comedy Series
Schitt’s Creek
CBC (CBC)
(Not A Real Company Productions Inc.)
Eugene Levy, Daniel Levy, Andrew Barnsley, Fred Levy, Ben Feigin, Mike Short, Kevin White, Colin Brunton
Best Dramatic Series
Sponsor | Innovate By Day
19-2
Bravo! (Bell Media)
(Sphere Media Plus, Echo Media)
Jocelyn Deschenes, Virginia Rankin, Bruce M. Smith, Luc Chatelain, Greg Phillips, Saralo MacGregor, Jesse McKeown
Best International Drama
Vikings
History Channel Canada (Shaw Media)
(Take 5 Productions)
Sheila Hockin, John Weber, Michael Hirst, Morgan O’Sullivan, James Flynn, Alan Gasmer, Sherry Marsh, Bill Goddard
Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role
Schitt’s Creek – Carl’s Funeral
CBC (CBC)
Eugene Levy
Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role
Orphan Black – Newer Elements of Our Defence
Space (Bell Media)
Ari Millen
Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role
Schitt’s Creek – Don’t Worry, It’s His Sister
CBC (CBC)
Catherine O’Hara
Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role
Orphan Black – Certain Agony of the Battlefield
Space (Bell Media)
Tatiana Maslany
Best Performance in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series (Individual or Ensemble)
Sunnyside – Top Hat
City (Rogers Media)
Kathleen Phillips, Pat Thornton, Patrice Goodman, Kevin Vidal, Alice Moran, Rob Norman, Norm Macdonald
Best TV Movie or Limited Series
Sponsor | Entertainment One
The Book of Negroes
CBC (CBC)
(Entertainment One, Conquering Lion Pictures, Out of Africa Entertainment)
Damon D’Oliveira, Clement Virgo, Margaret O’Brien, Carrie Stein, Lance Samuels, Bill Niven, Michael Levine
FILM
Achievement in Art Direction / Production Design | Meilleure direction artistique
Ethan Tobman, Mary Kirkland – Room
Achievement in Cinematography | Meilleures images
Sponsor | Commanditaire | RUSHCUT
Yves Bélanger – Brooklyn
Achievement in Costume Design | Meilleurs costumes
Joanne Hansen – Beeba Boys
Achievement in Direction | Meilleure réalisation
Sponsor | Commanditaire | Pinewood Toronto Studios
Lenny Abrahamson – Room
Achievement in Editing | Meilleur montage
Sponsor | Commanditaire | The PostMan Post-Production Studio
Nathan Nugent – Room
Achievement in Make-Up | Meilleurs maquillages
Sponsor | Commanditaire | M●A●C Cosmetics
Sid Armour, Jennifer Gould – Room
Achievement in Music – Original Score | Meilleure musique originale
Michael Brook – Brooklyn
Achievement in Music – Original Song | Meilleure chanson originale
Sponsor | Commanditaire | Slaight Music
Jenny Salgado, André Courcy – Scratch – A Hip-opera | Scratch – Un Hip-Opéra – “C’est aujourd’hui que je sors”
Achievement in Overall Sound | Meilleur son d’ensemble
Sponsor | Commanditaire | Deluxe Toronto
Lou Solakofski, Ian Rankin, Joe Morrow, Russ Dyck, Graham Rogers, James Bastable, André Azoubel, Don White, Jack Hereen – Hyena Road
Achievement in Sound Editing | Meilleur montage sonore
Jane Tattersall, David McCallum, Martin Gwynn Jones, Barry Gilmore, David Evans, Dave Rose, Brennan Mercer, Ed Douglas, Kevin Banks, Goro Koyama, Andy Malcolm – Hyena Road
Achievement in Visual Effects | Meilleurs effets visuels
Phil Jones, Sarah Wormsbecher, Eric Doiron, Anthony DeChellis, Lon Molnar, Geoff D.E. Scott, Nathan Larouche, Mark Fordham – Hyena Road
Adapted Screenplay | Meilleure adaptation
Emma Donoghue – Room
Best Animated Short | Meilleur court métrage d’animation
The Ballad Of Immortal Joe – Hector Herrera, Pazit Cahlon
Best Cinematography in a Feature Length Documentary | Meilleures images dans un long métrage documentaire
Sponsor | Commanditaire | Sony of Canada
Arnaud Bouquet – Last of the Elephant Men
Best Editing in a Feature Length Documentary | Meilleur montage dans un long métrage documentaire
James Scott – How to Change the World
Best Live Action Short Drama | Meilleur court métrage dramatique
She Stoops To Conquer – Zack Russell, Marianna Khoury
Best Motion Picture | Meilleur film
Room – David Gross, Ed Guiney
Best Short Documentary | Meilleur court métrage documentaire
Sponsor | Commanditaire | Hot Docs
Bacon & God’s Wrath – Sol Friedman
Original Screenplay | Meilleur scénario
Benjamin August – Remember
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | Interprétation masculine dans un premier rôle
Jacob Tremblay – Room
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | Interprétation masculine dans un rôle de soutien
Nick Serino – Sleeping Giant
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role | Interprétation féminine dans un premier rôle
Brie Larson – Room
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role | Interprétation féminine dans un rôle de soutien
Joan Allen – Room
Ted Rogers Best Feature Length Documentary | Meilleur long métrage documentaire Ted Rogers
Hurt – Peter Gentile, Alan Zweig
See our Snaps of the Talent on the Red Carpet tonight:
Lyriq Bent:
Wendy Crewson + Missy Peregrym:
Jacob Tremblay:
Cast of Schitt’s Creek:
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong ⛄ (@mrwillwong) on
Martin Short receiving Lifetime Achievement Award:
Kardinal Offishall + Vinay Virmani:
#KardinalOffishall + #VinayVirmani at #CDNscreen16.
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Nick Serino:
Ari Millen + Kassandra Santos:
#AriMillen + guest at #CDNscreen16. #OrphanBlack
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Lainey Lui + Cynthia Loyst:
#CTVTheSocial’s #LaineyGossip + #CynthiaLoyst at #CDNscreen16.
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Michelle Nolden + Julia Taylor Ross:
#MichelleNolden + #JuliaTaylorRoss of #SavingHope at #CDNscreen16.
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Jamie Dagg + Rossif Sutherland:
#JamieDagg + #RossifSutherland of #RiverMovie at #CDNscreen16.
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Emily Van Camp:
#EmilyVanCamp, star of #Revenge + #CaptainAmerica, at #CDNscreen16.
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Martin Short:
Emily Hampshire + Annie Murphy:
#EmilyHampshire + #AnnieMurphy of #SchittsCreek at #CDNscreen16.
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Emmanuel Kabongo:
Chantal Kreviazuk:
Gerry D + Family:
#GerryD + Family at #CDNscreen16.
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Jay Baruchel:
#JayBaruchel of #ManSeekingWoman at #CDNscreen16.
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Martin Katz + Helga Stephenson:
#MartinKatz + #HelgaStephenson, the masterminds behind #CDNscreen16!
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Giacomo Gianniotti:
#GiacomoGianniotti of #Reign, #RACEMovie + #GreysAnatomy at #CDNscreen16.
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Jessi Cruickshank + Evan Gatica:
Stephan James:
Brent Butt + Eric Peterson:
#BrentButt + #EricPeterson of #CornerGas at #CDNscreen16.
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The Tremblay Family:
The Tremblay family after #RoomtheMovie @jacobtremblay’s #CDNSCREEN16 sweep.
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Matt Hansen:
Our friend @mattiojelly, nominated for Original Screenplay for #ZOOM. #CDNSCREEN16
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Red Carpet Rollout:
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See our Chats with Martin Short, Missy Peregrym, Aaron Poole, Stephan James, Julia Taylor Ross + more:
More on the CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS here.
Until next year!
(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)
#GIVEAWAY: ENTER TO WIN RUN-OF-ENGAGEMENT PASSES TO SEE CORY MONTEITH IN “ALL THE WRONG REASONS”
We forever will love Cory Monteith, and that is why we are particularly eager to see All the Wrong Reasons, one of his final Films. After premiering to an emotional response at TIFF ’13, Pacific Northwest Pictures and Mr. Will Wong are proud to give Readers a chance to win Run of Engagement Passes to see All the Wrong Reasons.
The Drama-Comedy centers around four young Adults who deal with the aftermath of Trauma. Directed and written by Gia Milani, the Film stars a talented and distinctly Canadian Cast which includes Kevin Zegers, Karine Vanasse, Emily Hampshire and of course, Cory Monteith.
Watch the Trailer below:
To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at Mr. Will Wong on Facebook. Increase your chances by sharing this Post with your Friends on Facebook or Re-Tweeting the below:
http://www.mrwillwong.com/allthewrongreasons @MRWILLW wants us to #win Run of Engagement Passes to see #CoryMonteith in #AllTheWrongReasons. In theatres 11/1.
See Mr. Will and some of the Stars of All the Wrong Reasons:
Myriad Pictures releases All the Wrong Reasons in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto on Friday, November 1, 2013. It opens in additional Cities in the following weeks.
(Photo/video credit: Pacific Northwest Pictures)
For advertising opportunites please contact mrwill@mrwillwong.com