ALL THE WRONG REASONS written and directed by Gia Milani, with Karine Vanasse, Kevin Zegers, Emily Hampshire and Cory Monteith. A Pacific Northwest release. 119 minutes. Opens Friday (November 1). For venues and times, see listings.
Of the four actors who star in All The Wrong Reasons, only Karine Vanasse and Emily Hampshire have accompanied it to the Toronto Film Festival.
Kevin Zegers is off prepping the Mortal Instruments sequel, and Cory Monteith died after ingesting a combination of heroin and alcohol in July, making Gia Milani’s East Coast indie film one of the Glee star’s final performances.
Monteith’s death has cast a pall over Vanasse and Hampshire’s press day, since it’s impossible to discuss the movie without acknowledging the actor’s absence.
“I think this has been very eye-opening in terms of the media,” Hampshire says, seated next to Vanasse at a wobbly table in a boardroom at the Intercontinental Hotel. “A lot of people today have been like, ‘I hate that I have to ask this question, but I have to’ – and you have to, because that’s the story.”
“And at the same time,” says Vanasse, “you’re like, ‘But is it okay to want to shift it back to the movie?’ That’s what we’re here for.”
Monteith saw the final film, explains Hampshire.
“We went to a screening, and a week later …” she shrugs.
Vanasse, who like Monteith was a late addition to the cast, would rather celebrate her co-star’s work than talk about his death.
“You just want to tell people, ‘Look what he’s done!'” she says. “He challenged himself. He was doing all the promotion for the next season of Glee, this ultra-popular show, but he chose to do this small Canadian film. [And now] his fans and the industry can see what he could have done, all the potential he had.”
“And the movie is like a celebration of him, too,” Hampshire says. “I think the work he does in this movie is a testament to how talented he was.”
Not that Monteith’s the only actor doing good work in All The Wrong Reasons. I have issues with the script and the pacing, but all four actors give strong performances.
“Gia drew real human characters that weren’t just your stock kind of person,” Hampshire says. “So I felt like that work was pretty much done for me.”
Vanasse says the bleak surroundings – a crappy department store, a shabby apartment – helped her get into character.
“When you look at this film, it’s real,” she says. “The offices aren’t polished.”
“It looks like a shitty office,” Hampshire laughs, “because it was a shitty office. We shot in a real Zellers.”
Interview Clips
Emily Hampshire and Karine Vanasse on working with writer-director Gia Miliani:
Vanasse and Hampshire on what drew them to the project:
Hampshire and Vanasse on finding the keys to their characters:
normw@nowtoronto.com | @wilnervision
