It was a star-studded day at the Newport Beach Film Festival on Sunday, Oct. 19, as rising stars and legendary performers came together to celebrate their work.
Newcomers Chase Infiniti of “One Battle After Another” and Miles Caton of “Sinners” were among this year’s class of Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch recipients, while Oscar winner Brendan Fraser, “Star Wars” legend Mark Hamill and actor-turned-director Scarlett Johansson each received awards for their achievements in film.
The Desert Sun had a prime spot on the red carpet, and a number of Hollywood stars stopped by to reflect on their films, collaborators and what makes them excited about the future of film.
Here’s what the stars told us on the red carpet.
Scarlett Johansson didn’t have to worry about this when directing ‘Eleanor the Great’
While we’re used to seeing Oscar nominee Johansson in front of the camera — most recently in “Jurassic World Rebirth” — she decided to make her directing debut with “Eleanor the Great.” As a way to honor all her achievements, she received Variety’s Legend & Groundbreaker Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival.
“Eleanor the Great” stars June Squibb as Eleanor, who, after the death of her oldest friend, moves to New York City and ends up wandering into a support group for Holocaust survivors. She tells a tale that captures the attention of journalism student Nina (Erin Kellyman, also an honoree at the festival), that eventually takes on a dangerous life of its own.
Johansson joins a long list of actors who have made the jump to directing, including Greta Gerwig, George Clooney, Regina King and Bradley Cooper. That switch often comes with a lot of unknowns, but Johansson said there was one aspect she didn’t have to worry too much about.
“Acting and directing … one informs the other. I’ve worked with a lot of actor-directors and it’s always such a pleasure as an actor to work with a director who’s an actor because you are using the same vocabulary,” she said on the red carpet. “I didn’t know going into doing ‘Eleanor the Great’ how I would communicate with other actors, I wasn’t doing it from the position of director before.”
“But, in fact, what I realized almost immediately was, ‘Oh yeah we’re having the same conversation,’ and directors who are non-actors spend a lot of time trying to understand how to communicate with actors, so that was a hurdle I didn’t have to face,” she added.
Mark Hamill makes us laugh with reaction to Icon Award
Hamill received the Icon Award from the Newport Beach Film Festival. But does he feel like one?
“No. In a word, no,” he said with a laugh.
“It’s hard to process because I do my job, and I’m grateful just to be able to do what I love and make a living out of it,” the “Star Wars” star said. “To me, that’s the benchmark, and anything above and beyond that is really gratifying, but totally unexpected.”
But it’s hard not to associate icon status with Hamill, who starred as Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” franchise, voiced the Joker in various animated projects and is credited in more than 300 projects on the entertainment website IMDb.
This past year has continued to be a busy one for the actor, as he starred in “The Wild Robot,” “The King of Kings,” “The Life of Chuck,” “The Long Walk” and the upcoming “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants.”
“They’re all so different, they only share the fact that every title begins with the word ‘the,'” Hamill said.
Chase Infiniti talks sisterhood formed on ‘One Battle After Another’
Life has been quite a rollercoaster for newcomer Infiniti, who was named one of Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch this year.
She made her film acting debut in Paul Thomas Anderson’s revolutionary epic “One Battle After Another,” joining a star-studded cast with Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Teyana Taylor and Regina Hall. The film follows ex-revolutionary Bob (DiCaprio) and his daughter Willa (Infiniti), who are on the run when an evil nemesis resurfaces.
Reflecting on the experience, Infiniti looks back on it “with so much joy.”
“I learned so much on that set,” she said. “Paul Thomas Anderson’s sets are truly a masterclass, and he lets you explore and create in ways that I couldn’t have even imagined.”
In particular, she formed quite an off-screen bond with Taylor, who plays her mother, and Hall, who plays a former member of a revolutionary group. Infiniti joked that it’s difficult when all three of them are in the same room because “trust we’re going to go a bit crazy.”
When they weren’t goofing off on set or in TikTok videos, she said she took every chance she could to learn from them, observe their skills and ask them questions about acting, the industry and life.
‘Sinners’ actor Miles Caton reveals how Michael B. Jordan helped him with his audition
Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” won over audiences earlier this year with its sinister Southern Gothic tale. One of the stars of the film, Caton, was named one of Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch.
“When we all watched the movie together, we knew that it was something special,” Caton said. “We were happy regardless of what happened, but to see the impact that it’s had on the culture and the world has been unbelievable.”
One of the more special aspects of being a part of the film for Caton was getting the chance to work with his idol, actor Michael B. Jordan. Caton said from the moment they met, he was “such a good person.”
“I remember even in the audition he was like, ‘Yo, pull up real quick.’ We went outside the room and he just talked to me,” Caton said. “He just gave me some cues about what to do, how to make it better, and from then on it just developed and became something really cool.”
In the film, Caton plays an aspiring guitarist whose soulful music is transcendent. The actor, who comes from a family of musicians and is one himself, said the role further deepened his connection to music. Specifically, learning about blues musicians Buddy Guy, Son House and Howlin’ Wolf gave him “a deeper love for music,” and he learned how to play a blues-style guitar for the film.
“It’s become my thing now. I’m learning guitar, still practicing it, still incorporating it into my music,” he said.
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas joins the unofficial Norwegian royal film family with ‘Sentimental Value’
Unbeknownst to her, actress Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, one of Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch, has joined the unofficial Norwegian royal film family with “Sentimental Value.” The Cannes Film Festival-winning film is directed by Oscar nominee Joachim Trier and stars Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie, Trier’s frequent collaborators.
Lilleaas said it was easy stepping onto that set and working with that already established team.
“They’re all really good at making people feel at home and to feel a connection to the material and the movie,” the Norwegian actress said. “And not just the actors, but the whole crew, so everyone has ownership. It makes it feel like we’re making it together and everyone is invested, which is a really special experience.”
“Sentimental Value” focuses on a strained father-daughter relationship between Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård) and Nora (Reinsve), with Lilleaas playing Nora’s sister Agnes. As they all navigate awkward conversations and deeply hurt feelings, the sisters share a moving moment that ultimately becomes the heart of the film.
“For me, the whole movie is about love and the human need for connection and safety within a family. Working with Renate, especially, and also Stellan, they’re so emotionally available, so when we were working together and preparing, we just sort of grew into each other and it became like a family dynamic in a way,” Lilleaas said. “It was just so filled with love, not only in the script, but from the people around you. They really influenced our performances.”
Losing 45 pounds for ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ was worth it to Tonatiuh
Tonatiuh’s road to “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and the role of Molina took countless auditions, a massive weight loss and 10 years of work. But it all paid off in the end, as he was named one of Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch.
“Kiss of the Spider Woman” tells the story of Molina and Valentin (Diego Luna), two political prisoners sharing a cell during the tail end of the Argentine Dirty War. To keep their spirits high and help the time pass, Molina recounts their favorite movie musical, “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” starring Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez).
“I think the first emotion was shock. The second emotion was definitely a massive sense of responsibility,” Tonatiuh said about getting the role. “Not only did I get to be in a 1950s-style musical, but then I also had to essentially play three different versions of the gender spectrum and to be able to center a gender-nonbinary and gender-queer individual as this protagonist, so there was this massive sense of responsibility of doing right by those communities and making them feel like they were getting the Hollywood treatment.”
The actor had to lose 45 pounds in 50 days for the role, adding “that one hurt.” However, they said they would consider doing it again “depending on the role.”
“It has to be worth it, and I think this was worth it,” Tonatiuh said. “Last weekend, we showed screenings … specifically to the LGBTQ Center in Los Angeles, the Hispanic federation, CHIRLA, and when members of that community were able to look me in the eyes and say they felt seen, and that their hearts were broken open, I was like, man, I just won. There’s nothing more that you could want.”
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: See Scarlett Johansson, Mark Hamill, ‘Sinners’ cast on the Newport film fest red carpet
Reporting by Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
