Exclusive! See the Biggest Stars of #TIFF14 Through the Eyes of InStyle’s Photographer Jerome Corpuz

By Sharon Clott Kanter
Updated Sep 09, 2014 @ 9:58 am
Credit: Jerome Corpuz

Team InStyle is in Toronto right now, checking out all the coolest stars and movies at the Toronto International Film Festival. The best part? We set up a pop-up portrait studio right in the middle of heart of downtown to get the inside scoop on all the celebs' newest projects. Photographer Jerome Corpuz is behind the lens taking pictures of the stars, including Salma Hayek and Jake Gyllenhaal. "We kicked off the project with Jake, and it was nice start," Corpuz said. "I knew a little about the film he was in, Nightcrawler, and at the moment when he was discussing his film briefly, that's the moment we got the picture."

As for Salma Hayek, she was totally hands-on—she changed the lights to exactly what she wanted and kept checking the photos to make sure she got the angle she wanted. "She definitely knows her face and how she wants to be photographed," Corpuz said. "I was surprised to see how much she knew about photography technically, which is an interesting place to be for a photographer." At the end, it was a collaboration. "We got into a vibe and came to the result together, which was really great." The result is what you see above.

Overall, it's been star after star, gorgeous picture after gorgeous picture. "Everyone who has come in to be photographed is really passionate about their work," Corpuz added. "When we're taking the pictures, we talk a lot about the films they have here. Then I try to bring a bit of their real personality into it. These actors are all about creating characters, and that's kind of what it feels like taking their pictures—creating a character through the camera."

Click through the gallery to see more of the photos, exclusively on InStyle.com.

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Salma Hayek of Khalil Gibran's 'The Prophet'

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

Hayek produced the animated film about poetry, in addition to voicing a character. “When you’re acting, you’re doing it exactly the same,” she says of filming an animated role. "My body is moving as if I was doing the scene.”

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FELICITY JONES AND EDDIE REDMAYNE OF ‘THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

Jones plays the wife of Professor Stephen Hawking in the film, which follows the couple’s relationship as they face the physicist’s diagnosis of motor neuron disease. “Jane had about a hundred costume changes throughout the film, and it shows the changes in her character,” Jones says. “She’s someone who very much cares about her appearance-especially when going through something very difficult.”

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Jake Gyllenhaal of 'Nightcrawler'

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

“I thought about animals that hunt for food and decided that the character is really hungry-both figuratively and literally,” Gyllenhaal says of the inspiration behind his physical transformation for his role in the drama as a shady crime news journalist.

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Rene Russo of ‘Nightcrawler’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

“I watched the local news, and it’s interesting because the women wear a lot of makeup and a lot of jewelry-they’re done up,” Russo says of preparing for her role as a news producer in the film. “I thought that was a cool look, so I sort of based my character on it.”

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Naomi Watts and Melissa McCarthy of 'St. Vincent'

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

“Every day to me is Bill Murray Day,” said Melissa McCarthy, who stars alongside Murray and Naomi Watts in the comedy about an unlikely mentorship between a retiree and his young neighbor.

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Chris Evans of 'Before We Go'

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

“There are certain songs you listen to that you just think belong in a movie,” Evans says of choosing the soundtrack for the romance about two strangers who spend a night together in New York-his favorite part about directing in addition to starring in the film.

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Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, and Anthony Mackie of ‘Shelter’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

“It’s unique, obviously, because of the amount of trust that we have with one another,” Connelly says of working with her husband, Bettany, who directed the film. “For me, that was invaluable. I felt completely safe to give him everything that I had and know that he had my back,” she adds.

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Anthony Mackie of 'Shelter’ and 'Black and White'

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

Mackie tried to step away from the heavy nature of Shelter, a story about homelessness in New York City, whenever possible. “I took every opportunity I could to just decompress,” he says. “I played more golf, which I love because it's a game that allows you to check back in with yourself.”

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Chloe Moretz of 'Laggies,' 'The Equalizer,' Clouds of Sils Maria,' and 'Tales of Princess Kaguya'

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

For her portrayal as a teenage prostitute in The Equalizer, Moretz wanted to be completely unrecognizable. “I gained 10 or 15 pounds for the role,” she says. “I ate a lot of pasta and a lot of cannoli-a lot of doughnuts, actually!”

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SAM ROCKWELL AND DIRECTOR LYNN SHELTON OF ‘LAGGIES’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

It was surreal for Rockwell to play the father of Chloe Grace Moretz in the film. “I’m a young, awesome dude,” he says. “It’s weird to have a daughter that’s almost a grown woman.” As for his own teen years, “I was a big geek. We’re all geeky in high school-even if we think we’re cool.”

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KEIRA KNIGHTLEY OF ‘THE IMITATION GAME’ AND ‘LAGGIES’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

“When I first heard that they were doing a film version of the Alan Turing story, I asked if there was any way I could get involved without even knowing what the part was,” says Knightley. She plays the mathematician’s co-worker on Britain’s team of German code-breakers during World War II, as well as his fiancee prior to the revelation of-and persecution for-his homosexuality.

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Allen Leech of ‘The Imitation Game’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

Off-screen, Leech and co-star Matthew Goode bonded plenty. “He attempted to explain the machine that Alan Turing built almost every day to me, and he failed miserably every time,” Leech says. “We also did crossword puzzles together all the time.”

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BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH OF ‘THE IMITATION GAME’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

When prepping for the lead role in the film, Cumberbatch spoke to one of Alan Turing’s nieces to learn more about his character. “She said that he was an exceptional person to be around as a child,” Cumberbatch says. “He did fun tricks to make them laugh, like playing chess with his back turned to the board.”

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ANNA KENDRICK OF ‘CAKE’ AND ‘THE LAST FIVE YEARS’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

Filming ‘The Last Five Years’ alongside Broadway star Jeremy Jordan was a thrill for Kendrick. “Singing next to somebody of his caliber was intimidating,” she says. “It really kept me on my toes and working hard!”

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Jeremy Jordan of ‘The Last Five Years’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

Jordan was thrilled to work alongside co-star Anna Kendrick. “She’s sarcastic as hell-a total firecracker and dork,” he says. “But then on set, she’s always present and it was great to learn from a seasoned film actress.”

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Kate Beckinsale of 'Face of an Angel'

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

“I was struck by the similarities of being ready to pack a bag and leave your family to run off for something that thrills you,” Beckinsale says of relating her acting career to her role as a journalist in the drama based on the story of Amanda Knox.

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Greta Gerwig of 'The Humbling' and 'Eden'

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

“We were in Paris, and I got to dress like it was 1992,” Gerwig says of shooting Eden, a film about the '90s French music scene. "I wore a lot of thick corduroys!"

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Michael Douglas of 'The Reach'

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

“It was very physically testing,” Douglas says of shooting the film about a hunting trip in the desert of New Mexico. “You literally crawled on all fours back to your hotel room at night to take a bath."

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Jeremy Irvine of 'The Reach'

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

To get into character, the British actor maintained his American accent off the set. “After a couple of weeks, if you’ve only spoken to someone as an American, suddenly they go, ‘What is that pretentious British accent?’” Irvine says. “It’s good fun.”

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KATE BOSWORTH OF ‘STILL ALICE’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

“We immediately fell into a natural family dynamic,” Kate Bosworth says of her co-stars in the film about a woman’s struggle with early onset Alzheimer’s. She and co-star Kristen Stewart looked up to Julianne Moore and Alec Baldwin, who play the duo’s parents in the story, both on-screen and off while filming. “They were the leaders of the family, and they really set a standard,” she says.

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ROSE BYRNE OF ‘ADULT BEGINNERS’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

Byrne explains that filming in Upstate New York had it’s perks—including a sleepover at co-star Nick Kroll’s family home. “He grew up not far from where we were shooting,” she says. “His mom put us up and was lovely-she made this gorgeous spread. The movie is about family and relationships, so it was really fitting that we did that.”

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BOBBY CANNAVALE OF ‘ADULT BEGINNERS’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

In 'Adult Beginners,' Cannavale and his on-screen wife-played by Rose Byrne-allow the brother of Byrne's character to move in with them after his seemingly-perfect New York City life falls apart. Thanks to a broken swimming pool heater, the comedic cast took a laughter break when filming outdoors in the winter. “We look like we’re freezing because we’re freezing,” Cannavale says. “It was eight degrees outside. You couldn’t even act like it wasn’t cold.”

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Jon Stewart of ‘Rosewater’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

“It’s nice to be behind the scenes, as opposed to in front,” Stewart says of his directorial debut. As for how the cast bonded, “We took peyote and went into a smoke tent. Two weeks later we came out,” Stewart jokes.

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GAEL GARCIA BERNAL OF ‘ROSEWATER’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

Bernal stars in the Jon Stewart-produced film adaptation based on the true story of Maziar Bahari, an Iranian Canadian journalist who was imprisoned for five months in Iran after he appeared on Stewart’s show. “I love being in places of conflict,” he says of filming in Jordan. “Conflict is an open ground, a very personal ground for creativity.”

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JESSICA CHASTAIN OF ‘MISS JULIE’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

The story of ‘Miss Julie’ takes place entirely in one evening, so Chastain's character wears the same outfit for the whole film. “As the night goes on, she becomes more and more unraveled,” Chastain says. To accommodate wear and tear both on-screen and off, there were two versions of the dress on set.

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JUSTIN LONG OF ‘TUSK’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

Long was fully prepped for his role in the horror-comedy about a podcast host’s trip to Canada that quickly takes a turn for the strange. “It sounds silly, but I watched a lot of walrus footage on YouTube and a bunch of great nature shows,” he says. “I also listened to a lot of morning radio-mostly comedians known for meaner-spirited comedy.”

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Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez, and Justin Long of ‘Tusk’

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

A fan of Homeland, Osment made an exciting discovery while shooting in North Carolina with the crew that works on the Showtime series. “We had the same prop department, and I got the holster for my gun and it said ‘Claire’s gun,’” Osment says. “I was like, is this Claire Danes’ gun from Homeland? This is the gun that fights terrorism!”

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Gemma Arterton of 'Gemma Bovary'

Credit: Jerome Corpuz

“I’m one of those annoying people that wherever I go, I sort of pick up the accent after a few weeks,” Arterton says about learning to speak French for this updated take on Madame Bovary.

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