The Stars of the Toronto International Film Festival: Exclusive Portraits

The actress’s appearance at TIFF was her first in a decade. “It’s nice to be back,” she said. “It’s a nice festival. The city is well-equipped for a festival of this size. It’s also not so crowded each place. It’s big enough that you feel like you can still get a restaurant reservation.”

The three ladies in this beautiful trio play sisters in the play-turned-film ‘August: Osage County.’ “Everybody is so lovely and funny and it was that way immediately,” said Nicholson. “It probably started with Julia and her openness and excitement about doing the movie.”

Garner was excited to have a night with her co-stars that was more jovial than the intense filming process. (McConaughey and Leto each lost a lot of weight for their roles in the movie.) “It was very focused,” she said. “These guys were doing something so hard and that asked so much from them that I didn’t want to take extra energy by being goofy or silly. We really put our head down and did our work.”

After a day of promoting ‘Rush’ at TIFF, Olivia Wilde hit the rounds again to support her role in the new Paul Haggis (director of ‘Crash’) film, ‘Third Person.’ Of her role, she said it was one of the most challenging of her career. "I didn’t think I was going to get through it,” she reflected. “It took a lot out of me. I was working harder than I’ve ever worked. I was just turning myself inside out every day.”

Kunis described her Toronto experience like “hoarding sheep” saying, “everyone is getting moved from location to location. No one knows what’s happening or when they’re getting moved!” Just then, her handlers came over to move her to, yes, another location.

Chastain (in Dolce amp Gabbana) stopped by with her ‘The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby’ co-star just several hours before the premiere. “I’m really excited to see the film with an audience today,” she said. “It’s kind of a labor of love. I saw a rough cut of it about six months ago I haven’t seen it recently. I’m so nervous.”

Jones (in Erdem) stars as the love interest to Charles Dickens in this drama directed by her co-star Ralph Fiennes. "It was amazing to be pushed to your edge in that way as an actor, which I hadn’t quite experienced before," she explained of making the film.

The clean-cut star played a punk girl with an attitude for a portion of her new film, 'How I Live Now,' complete with piercings. Don't worry -- they were fake. "I had little stick-on things on my nose and my eyebrow," the actress (in Burberry) explained. "They would always pop off, so there would always be one missing and we'd have to make sure they were still on."

The cast of the beat generation film 'Kill Your Darlings' and its director (Krokidas) swung by and brought a feel-good attitude into the studio. It's the same feeling they had while filming, DeHaan explained. "Everyone was really great, it’s always fun to work with peers and people your age that are doing this for all the right reasons," he explained. "Everyone got along really well, we had a really good time."

With three movies at the festival, the actress had a packed schedule. "It’s sort of like my entire last year is here at this festival," she reflected. "They are all films that I am really passionate about and it’s nice to be able to support them."

“Reading ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ changed my life,” said Newton of why she chose to be involved in the film interpretation of the book. Her role in the film is as Olanna, a woman during wartime Nigeria. “It’s a universal story. This woman is fighting for her identity and what it means to be an empowered woman in a traditional environment. It’s very modern.”

"It really keeps your attention the whole time, which I think is kind of a shocker for a period film," she said of her film, 'Therese,' which is set in 1860s Paris. "It’s not as pretty, made up as you would imagine a period piece to be. It is messy."

The pair's chemistry is as palpable in this photo as much as it is on screen, as they play husband and wife Nelson and Winnie Mandela in 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.' "It definitely helped me having someone who you’re working with who’s fantastic as Idris is," Harris said.

In 'Parkland,' the actor stars as the resident doctor who works in the hospital JFK visits on the day of his assassination. "It was fun using all of the doctor’s equipment that was from yesteryear," he said. "It all looked like torture devices."

"Everything in that movie gives me a great sense of pride," said Lupita Nyong'o of her work on '12 Years a Slave,' one of the most talked-about movies of the festival. She glowed in the studio wearing Katie Ermilio cerulean blue pants and Wanderluster earrings.

The cast of 'Bad Words' united in the studio to celebrate the film, which Bateman both starred in and directed. His co-stars Hahn (in Derek Lam) and Chand helped make his debut directorial experience a success. "To be given all that responsibility and to be able to finish it and on time felt great," said Bateman.

Tom Felton revealed he found a friend on set in his 'Therese' co-star Elizabeth Olsen. "Her and my girlfriend seem to be best friends now, which is cool," he remarked.

The Swedish actress -- representing her native land in an H&M top -- had two movies at the festival, 'The Fifth Estate' and 'Hotell.'

'The Railway Man' star was cast as the younger version of Colin Firth's Eric character in the film, and the pair rehearsed for the movie in Firth's living room. "amp#91;As we workshopped, I thoughtamp#93; most people would kill to get this kind of master class from someone like Colin Firth,” said Irvine.

The actor swooped into the studio for an eight-minute photo shoot and a brief catch-up session with his castmates, Nicole Kidman and Jeremy Irvine.

The most surprising element of 'Parkland' for Bitsie Tulloch? "The crazy thing about it is that it is so gripping. And we know the outcome - it’s not like you don’t know JFK is going to die - but you’re totally, especially in the hospital room scenes, you’re just like, ‘No, come on, just make it.'

The actress celebrated her first trip to the festival and gushed about working with co-star Jude Law. "He is such a phenomenal actor. He gives so much, you are just like, this is a joy. I learned so much because I am still so new to everything — getting to act with amazing people, like Jude is just a treat."

As part of the all-star cast of 'Labor Day' that includes Josh Brolin, Kate Winslet, and Tobey Maguire, Van Der Beek revealed his proudest moment while filming. "Just being a part of it — I just liked to be on the team."

Interesting fact about Jesse Eisenberg? He never watches his own movies. "I’d compare it to, like when you go on vacation and you come back and you’ve taken a hundred pictures. And five of them you want to show your friends and family, and 95 percent of them, you’re mortified that that’s how you look, that’s what you wore. And that’s the experience of watching a movie. Ninety-five percent of it is mortifying and 5 percent you’re like, oh that was really good, I like how it turned out, that’s what I wanted to do."

"I think when you are doing a piece like this, trust is such an important thing, and being comfortable with one another, and relying on one another is key," said Michael Fassbender of his time on the '12 Years a Slave' set with his castmates. "There was a lot of support and love there, which made it so much easier. I don’t think it could have been done properly without that support."

The ever-busy actor promoted multiple projects at the festival.

Part of the all-star cast of '12 Years a Slave,' Sarah Paulson worked alongside Brad Pitt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lupita Nyong'O, Paul Giamatti and Michael Fassbender on the film.

The acting newbie called himself lucky to be in a movie with such a strong and spectacular cast, but tried not to focus on the pinch-me moments of being in his first film. "You kind of have to pretend like it’s what you do and forget about the cameras and forget about all that surrounds you, and try to be as real as you can."

The actor had a lot to celebrate at the festival, as he premiered two films in which he stars, 'Half Of a Yellow Sun' and '12 Years a Slave.'

The Venezuelan actor premiered his film 'Libertador' at the festival.

Filming 'The Green Inferno' was a real-life adventure. "We were down in the Amazon, in Peru, in the jungle with tarantulas literally the size of my hand. We were down there for a month. I got to meet amazing people. We worked in a village of real people; it wasn’t actors. So, I had an amazing experience," Lorenza Izzo said.

The star of 'How I Live Now' enjoyed the ensemble nature of the film. "We all got on so well we became a little family," MacKay stated. "We’re all very comfortable with each other."

The actress stars alongside Outkast's André Benjamin in 'All Is By My Side,' a biopic about Jimi Hendrix.

The cast members of 'Felony' truly enjoyed working together. "Where the film lands really starts to put you in a place where you have to really think about or question your own morals and ethics. It’s all sort of launched off the crisis these characters have in this movie," said Joel Edgerton.

The actor was excited to work with co-star Kurt Russell, who he has been a fan of since childhood. "We all really enjoyed each other’s company, which I think helps the whole thing because we are a bit of a posse — a team in that movie," Jay Baruchel said of his castmates.

This was unique role for the actress, but she truly enjoyed it. "I’m literally playing a memory of the love of my life which is kind of a fantastical honor because memories are so precious to people," Temple stated.

"Listen to who you’re collaborating with, what are they trying to do. But also when you’re trying to communicate your idea, be as forceful and authoritarian as you can. I’m kidding!" remarks Keanu Reeves, discussing his first go at directing in 'Man of Tai Chi.'

During her first time at TIFF, Laura Ramsey gushed about working with talented castmates Owen Wilson and Zach Galifianakis. "They’re very humble, down-to-earth people. I really connected with them. That’s probably why they do the work that they do and keep working in the business, because they’re just grounded, great human beings. I felt really comfortable around all of them."

"I think you can learn things when you go to see this movie, even if it’s a bit painful," Lea Seydoux said. "The subject is universal."

In 'Starred Up' the actors play an inmate and prison counselor, respectively, who help each other through an intense situation.