Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

30
1 COSMOPOLIS Production notes

Transcript of Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

Page 1: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

1

COSMOPOLIS

Production notes

Page 2: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

2

Paulo Branco & Martin Katz Present

An Alfama Films/Prospero Pictures Production

In Coproduction with

Kinologic Films (DC) & France 2 Cinema

A David Cronenberg Film

Robert Pattinson

COSMOPOLIS

Directed by

David Cronenberg

Screenplay by

David Cronenberg

Based on the novel by

Don DeLillo

Produced by

Paulo Branco

Produced by

Martin Katz

Executive Producers

Grégoire Melin

Edouard Carmignac

Rene Tab

Pierre-Ange Le Pogam

Juliette Binoche

Sarah Gadon

Mathieu Amalric

Jay Baruchel

Kevin Durand

K’Naan

Page 3: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

3

Emily Hampshire

with

Samantha Morton

and

Paul Giamatti

Director of Photography

Peter Suschitzky, ASC

Production Designer

Arv Greywal

Edited by

Ronald Sanders, CCE, ACE

Costume Designer

Denise Cronenberg

Music composed by

Howard Shore

Line Producer

Joseph Boccia

Casting by

Deirdre Bowen

Page 4: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

4

COSMOPOLIS COSMOPOLIS is a contemporary thriller about a young man’s journey across Manhattan.

Eric Packer (Pattinson), a billionaire asset manager, wants a haircut from his old barber.

Despite traffic blockades, security threats, and looming financial disaster, Packer ignores his

advisors and departs in his stretch limousine. It will take him all day to cross town. During

delays that include a presidential motorcade, a celebrity funeral, and violent political

protests, Eric receives visitors in his opulent, technologically advanced automobile. Some

come for business, some for pleasure. Other encounters occur outside the car, much to his

bodyguard’s dislike. The city grows chaotic, and Eric’s behaviour gets riskier in both the real

and the financial worlds. He cynically gambles his clients’ fortunes and his own on the

currency market; they will rise or fall depending on the value of the Yuan. The stakes are

enormous, but Eric persists on his journey, and as the hours pass, his limousine, and his life

careen toward catastrophe.

David Cronenberg’s COSMOPOLIS is his adaptation of Don DeLillo’s 2003 novel. It stars

Robert Pattinson (Water For Elephants, The Twilight Saga) and was shot in Toronto over

forty-two days in the spring and summer of 2011.

COSMOPOLIS is a Canada-France co-production by Paulo Branco (Mysteries of Lisbon)

through Alfama Films Production (Paris) and Martin Katz (Hotel Rwanda) of Prospero

Pictures (Toronto). Katz and Cronenberg previously collaborated on the multi-award-

winning Spider and A Dangerous Method. Executive Producers are Edouard Carmignac and

Grégoire Melin. Joseph Boccia serves as line producer, and Walter Gasparovic is associate

producer. David Cronenberg directs COSMOPOLIS.

Joining Robert Pattinson in the all-star international cast are Academy Award-winner Juliette

Binoche (Chocolat), Academy Award-nominee Paul Giamatti (The Ides of March), Academy

Award-nominee Samantha Morton (In America), Sarah Gadon (A Dangerous Method),

Cesar-winner Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Kevin Durand (Real

Steel), and Jay Baruchel (The Trotsky).

The creative team includes many of Cronenberg’s long-time collaborators, including Director

of Photography Peter Suschitzky (A History of Violence), Production Designer Arv Greywal

(Lars and the Real Girl), Costume Designer Denise Cronenberg (Eastern Promises), and

Composer Howard Shore (The Lord of The Rings trilogy), who wrote original music for

COSMOPOLIS in collaboration with Metric and K’Naan.

Page 5: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

5

Grégoire Melin's Paris-based Kinology handles International Sales; Entertainment One

distributes in Canada; Stone Angels distributes in France.

COSMOPOLIS is supported by Telefilm Canada, The OMDC and the Harold Greenberg

Fund.

Paulo Branco created Alfama Films in 2006. An award-winning producer, Branco committed

his independent production company to developing international co-productions. He has

long-standing relationships with some of the world's most innovative directors, including

Raoul Ruiz, Laurence Ferreira Barbosa, Christophe Honoré and Werner Schroeter.

Martin Katz founded Prospero Pictures as an independent production and finance

company specializing in international co-productions. Katz has worked with such highly-

respected directors as Richard Attenborough, Michael Winterbottom and Terry George.

George’s Hotel Rwanda received wide critical acclaim and nominations for three Oscars and

three Golden Globes; it won the Humanitas Prize, as well as the People’s Choice Awards at

the TIFF, LA and Berlin festivals.

Kinology represents some of the most ambitious and innovative feature films in Europe,

including Mesrine/Public Enemy Number One, starring Jean-Francois Richet, and the 2010

international hits Buried (Rodrigo Cortés) and Heartbreaker (Pascal Chaumeil). With the

soon-to-be-released Upside Down, a !45 million budget science fiction romance, Kinology

has established itself as a major international entertainment company.

Page 6: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

6

PRODUCTION NOTES

Cosmopolis - a city inhabited by people of many different nations; a city of international importance.

Example: <a sprawling cosmopolis where ambitious people from all over come to make their fortune>

MERRIAM-WEBSTER ONLINE (www.Merriam-Webster.com) copyright © 2012 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

ADAPTATION

When asked how COSMOPOLIS came into his life, David Cronenberg smiles:

“COSMOPOLIS is one of those gifts that come out of the blue,” the kind one hopes for, but

which are rare. Paulo Branco—a recognized Portuguese producer whom Cronenberg knew

of but had never met—approached him with the rights to DeLillo’s Cosmopolis. Branco

thought David was perfect to adapt it: “I knew David’s artistry would balance the novel’s

sensitivity and violence on screen.”

David knew DeLillo’s work but not Cosmopolis. Within two days he’d read it and agreed to

write the adaptation and direct the film. David wrote the screenplay in an astonishing six

days. “Adapting COSMOPOLIS went so beautifully because Don’s book has a cinematic

core with the most amazing dialogue that stood on its own, so I spent the first three days

transcribing dialogue and the next three days filling in the descriptions of the scenes. And

that’s pretty much the script we shot with.”

However, Cronenberg acknowledges that in “reinventing the story for the cinema...in a

strange way I think you have to betray the book in order to stay faithful to it.” David explains

that some material in the novel wouldn’t translate to the screen: “Specifically, there is a lot

that goes on inside the heads of certain characters, and that’s not something a movie can do

without a voiceover, which to me is not the solution. I think the film should feel like the book,

so I was quite prepared to be brutal in cutting things out to preserve the essence of the

story.” Although David closely adheres to what Producer Martin Katz calls DeLillo’s “terrific

concentration on thoughtful, clever, stagey, theatrical dialogue,” the story had to be altered

for the screen. Because of the changes, David cautioned the actors against reading the

novel. Nevertheless, DeLillo was supportive throughout the filmmaking process and told

Cronenberg he approved of the script when they met at Paulo Branco’s Estoril Film Festival.

Page 7: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

7

Don DeLillo’s Cosmopolis was published in 2003 and seemed to foretell events to come in

2008 and beyond—criminal activity on Wall Street, IMF scandals, the impact of technology

on market fluctuations, and the crises of the American and European economies.

Cronenberg notes, “It was spooky, almost eerie working on COSMOPOLIS because so

much has played out in reality.” For example, the anti-globalization protests in the novel

parallel the global Occupy movements, one of which occurred just blocks from the Toronto

studio while COSMOPOLIS was filming. The director calls DeLillo’s novel “prophetic—in

that he pretty much predicted the economic crisis, yet it’s all absolutely fresh right now.” As

for DeLillo, when he screened it for the first time, he declared COSMOPOLIS a “great film” of

which he was “proud to be a part.”

CAST

David Cronenberg and long-time collaborator, casting director Deirdre Bowen, have

assembled a remarkable cast, with talent from America, Canada, England, and France. The

script is character-driven—much of the plot involves short, intense encounters between the

protagonist and the secondary characters. The dialogue is central and often demanding.

Eric Packer’s personality and psychological journey unfolds in a series of close interactions

with the people of the cosmopolis—his employees, lovers and enemies. Choosing the lead

actor was crucial, of course, and because the rest of cast would have to work briefly but

intimately with the lead, supporting roles also required strong casting.

“Casting is a black art,” proclaims David Cronenberg. “You can kill your movie by making a

mistake before you’ve even shot film.” When Robert Pattinson’s name was proposed for the

lead role of Packer, Cronenberg watched much of his work—including the young actor’s role

as Salvador Dali in Little Ashes—and he was sold: “Rob was the most interesting and

exciting actor suggested for COSMOPOLIS, and I knew that he would bring something

wonderful to the screen—maybe even something he didn’t know he had.” Under David’s

direction, Robert delivers an edgy, understated performance. In fact, Robert notes that he

has never felt “utilized to this degree as an actor,” and fellow cast member Paul Giamatti

describes Robert’s casting as “genius.”

Page 8: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

8

Robert Pattinson—Eric Packer

Eric Packer is a selfish young member of the ruling class, at the top of the super-rich 1%.

He is an anti-hero whose privileged reality is decadent and isolated. Casting Robert

Pattinson in this unsympathetic role wasn’t obvious. Robert’s super-stardom perhaps gives

him some insight to the pressures of success, but his pressures include the attention of a

zealous fan base that might expect him in a different role. And he is younger than Eric

Packer was envisioned, an age difference that influences the rest of the casting process. On

the other hand, young billionaires and tech-savvy traders are not unusual in today’s society.

Plus, casting Robert presents an opportunity to attract a new generation to Cronenberg’s

work.

Ultimately, the choice rested on Pattinson’s talent and experience, with or without celebrity.

Cronenberg found Robert mature and willing to challenge himself: “...Rob is not deluded

about his fame; he understands that popularity is not the essence of being a good actor, and

recognizes the danger of taking projects to please others rather than himself.” Bringing the

egomaniacal Eric Packer to life required Pattinson to forget being a sympathetic character.

Cronenberg observes, “Some actors worry about not being appealing or sensitive, but that

was never an issue for Rob; it was always about finding the often unlikeable truth of who Eric

is and what it means to be a 25-year-old billionaire.... Rob is incredibly likeable, but he

doesn’t need to be liked.” So Eric Packer, a financial god, perhaps soulless but with feet of

clay, is realized by the charismatic, modest Robert Pattinson.

Robert was surprised and excited by the COSMOPOLIS offer. He recounts receiving the

screenplay about a year earlier and thinking it was “one of the most original scripts” he’d

read. However, he doubted he’d get the part: “Then the offer came out of the blue and I was

amazed!” Praising David’s consistently “thought-provoking” and innovative work, Robert

says he was certain about taking the part; however, he admits, “I had no idea how I was

going to play it.... I was scared at first, mainly because I could interpret the script and play it

so many different ways....” He didn’t have much time with David before shooting, but he

knew he was in good hands. His trust in the director, as well as David’s in Robert, was well-

founded. “I could feel David moulding it as we shot, and that made me really comfortable

because it meant there was no specific right or wrong way. Eventually, I was very relaxed,

especially for it being such an intense piece.”

Pattinson wanted a project that would take him to the edges of himself, and COSMOPOLIS

provides the character to do it. Eric Parker is inscrutable and contradictory, both calculating

and reckless. Robert had to find the emotional core of a man who is desensitized, a man

who interprets the world in terms of numbers and acquisitions. Robert notes, “I think Eric

Page 9: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

9

has an all-consuming ego.” He lives an artificial existence, and Eric’s success seems a

product of detachment and cold rationality. Yet his odd quest for a haircut is risky, irrational.

He normally makes people come to him, including a physician for a daily exam, but he

insists on seeing an old-fashioned barber on the opposite side of town, despite the risk to his

personal safety.

Rob notes his character’s grasp of contemporary events, business and politics. Eric

Packer’s knowledge of the world, however, comes primarily through technology, and he sees

most things as mere information, “some kind of list or matrix,” Rob suggests, about which he

is dispassionate. Rob describes Eric “Watching screens informing him of current data all the

time. I think he ends up taking drastic measures just to feel something because he’s become

so desensitized.” He knows, and somewhat owns, many people but seems to have no

friends. Even his new wife feels distant, an acquisition, someone to use or ignore. He is the

master of his cosmos, but is he lonely at the top? Does he care? The enigma of Eric’s

character is central to the film, and his interaction with secondary characters both shapes

that puzzle and perhaps gives clues to solving it.

Supporting Cast

Cronenberg assured Pattinson of his directorial support in creating an authentic Eric Packer.

He also promised Rob “fantastic actors” to work with on COSMOPOLIS -- and delivered. In

addition to the masterful Paul Giamatti, Robert performs with cast ranging from the fresh

talents of Sarah Gadon and Jay Baruchel to French luminaries Juliette Binoche and Mathieu

Amalric. Pattinson sums up the ensemble cast: “All the actors come from different

backgrounds, have different personalities and have all done completely different kinds of

movies. They didn’t know a lot about the film, but everybody wants to work with David and

that’s why they’re here.”

Security:

Eric Packer is protected by seen and unseen forces. Kevin Durand plays Torval, Eric’s head

of security. At 6’6” he is an intimidating presence, and his character is armed and

dangerous. Torval is constantly warning Eric away from his journey, especially as he

receives information about “credible threats.” But Eric ignores the warnings and subverts his

own security.

Durand sees his character “as a frustrated, ex-Military, father-figure to Eric.” He likens Eric to

“his teenage son; I can try to guide him in the right direction, but he will ultimately do what he

Page 10: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

10

wants.” Torval’s assistants are Kendra (Patricia McKenzie) and Danko (Zeljko Kecojevic),

whose intense encounters with Eric function to further reveal his emotional emptiness.

The Chiefs of Staff

Enroute to his haircut, Eric meets with his business advisors. First to visit the limo is Shiner

(Jay Baruchel), Packer’s trading partner and Chief of Technology. Packer depends on his

electronic interface with the world and his expectations are high. Shiner is charged with

delivering on those expectations, but the character is more casual and less business-like

than we might expect. Or would we? Baruchel describes his character as “One of the dot

com kids… a slacker who became a millionaire.” He is entrusted with Packer’s technical

security, and it has made him rich, but he doubts the meaning of it all.

Vija Kinski (Samantha Morton) is Packer’s Chief of Theory. Specifically, Vija theorizes about

the philosophy of finance, one devoid of humanity. Morton embodies a woman so much in

her head that she barely notices the riot going on outside the limo as angry protesters spray

graffiti and bounce around the limo. Reality and theory are at odds all around her, but she is

unwavering.

We meet Packer’s Chief of Finance, Jane Melman (Emily Hampshire), as the single mother

diverts her jog—on her one day off—to meet with Eric in the limo about a crisis with the

yuan. His disregard for her personal life and preoccupation with his own concerns

exasperates Jane, yet there is an odd excitement between them. She talks to him in the

limo—and confirms his dangerous financial position—while he has his daily medical tests,

even during his prostate exam.

The Art Dealer

Knowing Eric is a fan of artist Mark Rothko, Didi Fancher (Juliette Binoche) visits Eric in his

limousine to tell him that she’s found a painting she thinks he should buy. After they make

love, Eric tells her he’s not interested in a single painting; he wants to buy the entire gallery.

Binoche notes that “Didi is conflicted because she is obviously attracted to Eric and wants

his business, but offended by his vulgar greed.” When asked what Binoche brings to the

role, Cronenberg smiles: “She brings her French-ness, talent, humour, sensuality, all the

while illuminating a side to our lead character that we may not otherwise see; that he is

someone who’d be involved with a mature, strong, opinionated woman.”

Page 11: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

11

The Wife of 22 Days

Sarah Gadon, the Toronto actress who played Carl Jung’s wife in Cronenberg’s A

Dangerous Method, appears in COSMOPOLIS as Eric’s new wife Elise. She is a

contemporary New Yorker with rich parents and a boarding school drawl, but she isn’t all

about money. “Elise has a veneer of an Upper East Side woman and talks a lot about sex,

but underneath she’s very much an intellectual and artist,” Sarah observes. “I think Eric and

Elise are just young kids trying to be so much more evolved than they actually are; Elise

loves Eric, but he’s very much a symbol of wealth while she is more a symbol of art and

intellect—or she thinks she is—and the two together create friction which is exciting... but

can’t last.” As for resemblance between the character and the actress, Pattinson

affectionately notes: “Elise is kind of an ice queen, but Sarah’s really funny and sweet.”

The Pie Assassin

Mathieu Amalric’s anti-capitalist activist Petrescu delivers a pie in the face to notoriously

ultra-capitalist Eric, in a rare unprotected moment on the street. This scene was shot just

days before an activist and comedian gave Rupert Murdoch a similar treatment in a British

parliamentary hearing, an intriguing example of art anticipating life. Amalric acknowledges

the humour of his role but also the disturbing element: “It’s a funny but scary moment that

only David Cronenberg can master.” Paulo Branco describes this same moment as “terrible

but real.”

The Dead Celebrity

K’Naan appears on screen in an open-air hearse. He plays the murdered rap star Brutha

Fez, a spiritual musician who is treated as a god by the masses. Off-screen the Somali-

Canadian collaborated with Howard Shore on the single for which his character Brutha Fez

is remembered, entitle Mecca, based on DeLillo’s own lyrics from the novel.

The Disenfranchised

Benno (Paul Giamatti) is a mysterious character ultimately revealed to be a bitter former

employee of Packer. He has been quietly stalking Eric with complicated motives and

intentions. When they finally meet, Benno provokes a vulnerable side to the billionaire that

was barely glimpsed before. Cronenberg describes Benno as “the conscience of Eric

Packer. Benno confronts him over his ultimate lack of humanity and remorse and his sole

concentration on pursuit of wealth.”

Page 12: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

12

Giamatti has long wanted to work with Cronenberg, and he agrees with the director about his

character: “Benno’s a kind of moral compass—even an alter ego—to Eric, who shows more

emotion in this scene than any other in the film.”

Page 13: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

13

SHOOTING THE FILM

COSMOPOLIS embodies the classical unities of action, time, and place. Although episodic

in many respects—it is, arguably, a halting road trip—the narrative is unified in so far as it

develops around Eric’s quest for a haircut. That is his stated single purpose, and all else is a

temporary diversion—at least to a point. The psychological journey is, of course, more

complicated, but the central action is unified.

Unity of place occurs in more than one way. The place is the journey that is solely through

Manhattan. In fact the story is named for a place—a cosmopolis. The term evokes

universality, and the story addresses globalization. New York is both specifically referenced

and acts as a “mythical, iconic city,” says Cronenberg, yet it is the world inside the limo—

Eric’s isolated, manufactured, luxurious space—which is the primary location of the film and

where much of the action takes place (though ironically he uses it to travel toward danger).

The veteran director felt it wasn’t necessary–or even desirable–to shoot in New York.

Instead, he had the controlled limo set created inside a Toronto studio.

Unity of time is inherent in the plot. COSMOPOLIS unfolds in fewer than twenty-four hours.

Eric decides one morning that what he really wants—and he is a man accustomed to getting

what he wants—is a haircut. It has to be a particular barber, and obstacles delay him, but he

journeys on through the course of a day and into night. This “day-in-the-life” time frame

presents the cast in an episodic manner.

These unities are seen even in the way Cronenberg made the film, finding it helpful to shoot

mostly chronologically so he could watch it evolve and gently guide it. This method also

helped to show every step of Eric’s subtle evolution through the day.

DIRECTING STYLE

There are many ways to direct a film. Cronenberg’s way does not involve rehearsing,

improvising dialogue or using story boards: “I want the actors to have input into how they

move around on set; their body language is as important as dialogue.” Only after that time

on set alone with the actors do they bring the crew on set and perform the scene like a piece

of theatre.

With the episodic nature of COSMOPOLIS, and no rehearsal, actors would come in for a

couple of days not knowing the stylistic tone. Pattinson appreciated Cronenberg’s method:

“There was a natural process of getting to know each other which worked brilliantly,

especially on this film where there are so many long scenes with so much dialogue, obscure

Page 14: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

14

tone and rhythm. Generally, he picked up on it when it felt right for me and he always liked

those takes.”

Cronenberg clarifies: “Especially with an experienced actor like Paul Giamatti there are so

many layers, so much depth, levels of emotion that he can convey in a line of dialogue –

that’s fascinating – and gives me a sense of how to shoot it. Whether it should be a close up

or a wider shot, to see a detailed view of body language.”

Giamatti found the experience on Cronenberg’s set “liberating.” He explains: “I’ve never

worked with such a confident director who has the courage to take full responsibility for the

film, which takes the pressure off as an actor, so you’re free to do whatever you want.”

Pattinson comments on David as an auteur: “It never feels like David’s taking notes from

producers to make the movie appeal to a certain quadrant. It’s understandable when it does

happen, but it’s really only because of David that a film like this can be made. I really felt like

an actor on this film and felt like I was a part of a creation, rather than just a bunch of stuff

strung together with music stuck on.”

ABOUT THE DESIGN

Cronenberg has refined his shooting style and trusts his collaborators, encouraging them to

give their best, bringing with it a shorthand and confidence. After a private blocking with the

actors on set, a crew rehearsal is led by long-time cinematographer, Peter Suschitzky. This

is their tenth film together.

COSMOPOLIS marks Director of Photography Peter Suschitzky’s first time using digital

photography (Ari Alexa) instead of 35 mm film. The new format was particularly helpful on

this film because the camera itself is much smaller than a regular film camera, making it able

to fit more easily and shoot more effectively inside the confines of the limo. In addition, the

Alexa is very sensitive to light, making lighting set ups in dark conditions, both in studio and

location at night – faster and easier.

A LIMO IN ELEVEN PIECES

Under the direction of Production Designer Arv Greywal, two pristine white limousines were

purchased to create the main setting of the film. The first is seen in exterior shots of Eric

getting in and out of the limo, driving through city streets, into a riot in Times Square. This

car is eventually vandalized, beaten and burned, generally mirroring Packer’s own

breakdown and descent into destruction.

Page 15: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

15

The second car was promptly carved into eleven pieces. Each piece was customized and

modular so it would come apart to facilitate shooting from various angles within in the limo

against a green screen. In post-production, Mr. X. Visual effects team would transform the

green screen into Manhattan streets all the way across town.

Space limitations meant that Cronenberg couldn’t be in there with the actors. So, he listened

with headphones and communicated through an intercom system while watching the action

on a monitor. Of course, he was only a few feet away from them and spoke to them

personally a lot of the time.

Robert Pattinson found the system worked beautifully: “I was in a car for the majority of the

time, and David was out by the monitors on an intercom, and yet he was incredibly sensitive

to every little thing we did, even when we weren’t conscious of it. He always seemed to pick

up on things when they were getting interesting, and that was very reassuring.”

In addition, Pattinson found shooting in the car helped his characterization of Eric:

“I became familiar with the car and comfortable in my seat, while each of the other actors

had to come in and figure it all out for themselves. Everyone else felt alien in ‘my’ domain.”

Given the nature of the story, this seems a fitting dynamic in which to work.

There was however, a claustrophobic element that made shooting in the limo no easy task

says Samantha Morton: “Truly the most challenging role I’ve ever had! So much dialogue in

my head and the limo moving and people running around! Thank heavens for David’s

comforting voice on the intercom!” Furthermore, most of the actors are only in the limo.

Cronenberg joked that this was his version of Das Boot and encouraged people to see

Lebanon, which takes place in a tank.

After shooting mostly in the limo for over a month, Pattinson found it “refreshing” to get out

and work with other actors experiencing a new set with him in Benno’s space and the barber

shop, also meticulously created on set by Arv Greywal and his team.

WARDROBE:

With a lead character in the same wardrobe for the duration of the film, costume designer

Denise Cronenberg recognized the need for perfect choices – and several of them - from

day one. Gucci delivered on both fronts: seven black slim cut suits, white shirts, and black

ties, belts and shoes. Denise comments: “I needed multiple costumes for Rob's character so

whatever creative choices and possible breakdown of clothing were made during shooting,

we would be equipped.”

Page 16: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

16

MUSIC

Three-time Academy Award® winning composer Howard Shore has worked with Cronenberg

for over thirty years. Their working relationship has become intuitive. Through discussion of

the script and characters with Cronenberg, as well as reading DeLillo’s book, they brought in

the young energy Metric to contribute music to the film, and K’naan to perform the single,

Mecca.

Page 17: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

17

COSMOPOLIS

BIOS

ABOUT THE CAST

ROBERT PATTINSON (Eric Packer)

Robert Pattinson is best known for portraying the vampire Edward Cullen in The Twilight

Saga. He recently appeared in Bel Ami, a film based on the novel by Guy de Maupassant in

which he plays a young journalist in Paris, opposite Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas and

Christina Ricci. Pattinson will soon be seen in the final instalment of The Twilight Saga:

Breaking Dawn Part 2.

Pattinson gained industry notice at age 19 when he joined the Harry Potter franchise in Mike

Newell‘s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, playing Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts’ official

representative in the Triwizard Tournament. Last year, Pattinson starred in Water for

Elephants, joining director Francis Lawrence and co-stars Reese Witherspoon and Christoph

Waltz in bringing the New York Times bestselling novel to the screen. Prior to that, he

headlined the drama Remember Me, directed by Allen Coulter, appearing opposite Pierce

Brosnan, Chris Cooper and Emilie De Ravin.

Pattinson began his professional career with a role in Uli Edel’s Sword of Xanten, opposite

Sam West and Benno Furmann. He also appeared in director Oliver Irving’s How to Be,

winner of the Slamdance Film Festival’s Special Honorable Mention for Narrative Feature.

Pattinson played the lead role of Salvador Dali in Little Ashes, directed by Paul Morrison. His

television credits include The Haunted Airman for the BBC.

As a member of the Barnes Theatre Group, Pattinson played the lead role in Thornton

Wilder’s Our Town. Other stage credits include Cole Porter’s Anything Goes, Tess of the

D’Urbevilles and Macbeth at the OSO Arts Centre.

PAUL GIAMATTI (Benno)

With a diverse roster of finely etched, award-winning and critically acclaimed performances,

Paul Giamatti has established himself as one of the most versatile actors of his generation.

He will next be seen in New Line’s adaptation of the Broadway stage musical Rock of Ages,

co-starring Tom Cruise recently appeared in the critically acclaimed The Ides of March,

directed by George Clooney, and Win-Win, a film written and directed by Oscar nominee

Tom McCarthy. In the HBO movie Too Big To Fail Curtis Hanson directed Curtis Hanson

Page 18: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

18

directed Giamatti in his portrayal Ben Bernanke, and he appears in The Hangover: Part II,

directed by Todd Phillips. His role in Barney’s Version, based on Mordechai Richler’s best-

selling novel, earned him his second Golden Globe.

Giamatti won an Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries for his portrayal of the title

character in the Emmy award-winning John Adams, a seven-part HBO mini-series, directed

by Emmy Award Winning director Tom Hooper, while his performance in Ron Howard's

Cinderella Man earned him a SAG Award and the Broadcast Film Critics' Award for Best

Supporting Actor, as well as Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.

Giamatti earned accolades for his performance in Alexander Payne's critically-lauded

Sideways and garnered outstanding reviews and commendations for his portrayal of Harvey

Pekar in Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini's American Splendor.

Giamatti first captured the eyes of America in Betty Thomas' hit comedy Private Parts. His

extensive list of film credits also includes The Last Station, Duplicity, Cold Souls, which

Giamatti also Executive Produced, Fred Claus, Shoot Em’, The Nanny Diaries, Lady in the

Water, The Illusionist, Man on the Moon, The Hawk is Dying, The Cradle Will Rock, The

Negotiator, Saving Private Ryan, The Truman Show, Donnie Brasco, Storytelling, Planet of

the Apes, Duets, the animated film Robots.

As an accomplished stage actor, Giamatti received a Drama Desk nomination for Best

Supporting Actor in Kevin Spacey's Broadway revival of The Iceman Cometh. His other

Broadway credits include The Three Sisters, Racing Demon, and Arcadia. He was also seen

Off-Broadway in the ensemble cast of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui with Al Pacino.

For television, Giamatti appeared in The Pentagon Papers, HBO's Winchell and If These

Walls Could Talk 2.

SAMANTHA MORTHON (Vija – The Chief of Theory)

Oscar-nominated actress Samantha Morton recently appeared in John Carter and

The Messenger. She will next be seen in Decoding Annie Parker alongside Helen Hunt.

Morton’s credits include Morvern Callar, Minority Report, The Daisy Chain, Synecdoche,

New York, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Mister Lonely, Control and Expired.

In 1991 Morton landed her first role in the T.V. series Soldier, Soldier. Since then she has

played many TV roles in such dramas as Cracker, and Peak Practice, before reaching the

big time with major roles in such TV movies and mini-series as Emma, Jane Eyre and Tom

Jones.

Page 19: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

19

She received accolades for performances Under the Skin, The Last Yellow, and earned rave

reviews for her performance in Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown, as well as her first

Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. she earned her second Oscar nomination for her role

as a young Irish mother in In America.

JULIETTE BINOCHE (Didi – The Art Dealer)

As a child, Juliette Binoche began acting lessons from her mother. After performing in

several stage productions, she was propelled into the world of Godard (Hail Mary), Doillon

(Family Life) and Téchiné (Rendez-vous). Binoche remains one of the world’s favourite

actresses because of her unabashed ability to portray any character, willingness to try new

genres, and ability to use many degrees of her own personality in performances.

Her strong and sensual performances in the English-language films The Unbearable

Lightness of Being, directed by Philip Kaufman and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, and Damage,

directed by Louis Malle and starring Jeremy Irons, inspired Hollywood to take an interest in

her. Affectionately called La Binoche by the French press, she joined Krzysztof Kieslowski

on the set of Blue, a performance for which she won the César for Best Actress.

She shines as a romantic heroine in Jean-Paul Rappeneau's The Horseman on the Roof

and Anthony Minghella's The English Patient, which earned her an Academy Award for Best

Supporting Actress, thirty-seven years after Simone Signoret, the first French actress to win

an Academy Award. Binoche was nominated for another Oscar three years later for her

performance in Lasse Hallström's romantic comedy Chocolat, starring Johnny Depp.

Binoche is currently in production on Dito Montiel's Son of No One, starring opposite Al

Pacino, Channing Tatum and Katie Holmes.

In 2000, Juliette debuted on Broadway in Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, which earned her a Tony

Award nomination.

More recently, she starred in Paris, Je T’aime (section directed by Nobuhiro Suwa), Peter

Hedges’ Dan In Real Life, Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Flight of The Red Balloon and Abbas

Kiarostami’s Certified Copy.

SARAH GADON (Elise - The Wife of 22 Days)

COSMOPOLIS marks Sarah Gadon’s second collaboration with David Cronenberg, following

A Dangerous Method in which she played Carl Jung’s wife Emma. Gadon also recently

appeared in Jim Sheridan’s Dream House and Mary Harron’s The Moth Diaries.

Page 20: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

20

In the past few years, Gadon has had two films debut at The Toronto International Film

Festival: Leslie, My name is Evil and Siblings. In 2009 she was a series regular on the

ABC’s Happy Town and lent her voice to the lead roles in Nelvana’s Gemini-nominated Ruby

Gloom and Teletoons’ Total Drama Island, as well as narration of the CBC film Society’s

Child.

Gadon was nominated for both an ACTRA and a Gemini Award for Outstanding Female

Performance for a guest-starring role on the CBS series Flashpoint. She has been a

recurring character in three award-winning Canadian television series: Murdoch Mysteries,

The Border and Being Erica.

Sarah Gadon spent much of her adolescence training as a performer with National Ballet

School of Canada and as a student at Claude Watson School for the Performing Arts. Now

Ms. Gadon divides her time between film sets and academics as a Cinema Studies student

at the University of Toronto.

MATHIEU AMALRIC (Petrescu - The Pie Assassin) is a French actor and film director

perhaps best known internationally for his performance as the lead villain in the Bond film

Quantum of Solace and in Julian Schnabel’s critically acclaimed The Diving Bell and the

Butterfly. Amalric first gained fame in the film Ma Vie Sexuelle (My Sex Life...or How I Got

Into an Argument), for which he won his first Best Actor Cesar Award. His second César was

for Kings and Queen (Rois et reine) and his third was for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. In

2010 Amalric won the Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival for his film On Tour.

JAY BARUCHEL (Shiner - The Chief of Technology)

Jay Baruchel continues to cement his leading man status with many exciting projects on the

horizon. He recently produced, co-wrote (with Evan Goldberg) and appeared in the hockey

comedy Goon. The film also starred Sean William Scott, Liev Schrieber and Alison Pill. He is

currently reprising his lead role of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third in the animated

sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2, which is scheduled to release in 2014.

Baruchel also starred in Good Neighbours, which premiered at the 2010 Toronto Film

Festival, and the Bruckheimer Films/Disney feature The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, directed by

Jon Turtletaub, in which he starred as the Apprentice opposite Nicolas Cage. He also seen

in the Paramount romantic comedy She’s Out of My League, as well as the Dreamworks

global hit, How to Train Your Dragon, an Oscar-nominated animated feature, in which he has

the lead voice of ‘Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third.’ Baruchel won a 2011 Annie Award

for his voice work on this film.

Page 21: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

21

Baruchel garnered much praise for his versatile roles in the Academy Award winning movie

Million Dollar Baby opposite Clint Eastwood, Hillary Swank, and Morgan Freeman and the

2008 blockbuster hit Tropic Thunder, opposite Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. He has

also been lauded for his starring role in Jacob Tierney’s comedy The Trotsky, for which he

received a Genie Award Lead Actor nomination.

Baruchel has a long list of additional feature credits including Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist

Knocked Up, Just Buried, Real Time and his memorable role as an obsessed Led Zeppelin

fan in Almost Famous.

Baruchel began acting at age 12 when he landed a job on the Nickelodeon hit television

series Are You Afraid of the Dark?, The role was a career springboard, leading to his first

Canadian series, My Hometown. He then debuted to American audiences as the star of the

critically acclaimed Judd Apatow television series Undeclared on Fox.

KEVIN DURAND (Torval - The Chief of Security)

Canadian-born Kevin Durand has developed a versatile background, transitioning from

comedy and Broadway into television and film, illustrating his ability to captivate a wide

range of audiences. In 2009, Durand was nominated for a Saturn Award for his recurring

character, ‘Martin Keamy’, on the popular series Lost. Durand was also a series regular on

Touching Evil and James Cameron’s hit series Dark Angel.

Durand can be seen in Shawn Levy’s Real Steel for Dreamworks/Disney opposite Hugh

Jackman and in IFC Films’ Edwin Boyd alongside Scott Speedman, for which Kevin received

a 2012 Genie nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Most recently, Durand completed production on Screen Gems’ Resident Evil: Retribution

and the independent feature The Truth opposite Andy Garcia and Forest Whitaker.

Durand is best known for his roles in Robin Hood and 3:10 to Yuma, both opposite Russell

Crowe. He is Fred Dukes, aka The Blob, in X-Men Origins: Wolverine alongside Hugh

Jackman and Liev Schreiber, and appears in Joe Carnahan’s Smokin’ Aces opposite Ben

Affleck and Jeremy Piven, as well as Wild Hogs with John Travolta, Tim Allen and Martin

Lawrence.

Durand’s other credits include D.J. Caruso’s I Am Number Four, Legion, The Butterfly Effect,

Jay Roach’s Mystery Alaska, Winged Creatures and The Echo.

Page 22: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

22

K’NAAN (Brutha Fez – The Dead Celebrity)

Love is harder than war, says recording artist K’NAAN, explaining the direction he takes on

his new album, Country, God or The Girl. The album is K’NAAN’s first full-length work since

his multi-platinum global smash single, “Wavin’ Flag.” After a remixed version of the song

was selected as Coca-Cola's theme song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign, the song

reached #1 on iTunes in 18 countries around the world. The enormous success of the single

opened up countless doors for K’NAAN, as reflected by the calibre and range of guests who

appear on Country, God or The Girl, from Nas on “Nothing to Lose” to Bono on “Bulletproof

Pride,” plus appearances by Will.I.Am, Keith Richards, and B.O.B. But it was the FIFA World

Cup Trophy Tour, which travelled to 86 countries, that the singer claims made the greatest

impact on his music.

The product of a creative family, K’NAAN fled Mogadishu, Somalia, with his family at age 13.

After learning English, partly by immersing himself in the classic hip-hop albums of the ‘90s,

he came to prominence in 1999 with a spoken word performance at the United Nations that

caught the attention of Senegalese superstar Youssou N’Dour. K’NAAN’s debut album,

2005’s The Dusty Foot Philosopher, won the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year, and

was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize. He signed with A&M/Octone and released the

follow-up, Troubadour, in 2009, which won two more Junos, for Artist of the Year and

Songwriter of the Year. Along the way he has collaborated with the likes of Mary J. Blige, the

Roots, Adam Levine, Mos Def, Keane, and Damian Marley.

EMILY HAMPSHIRE (Jane – The Chief of Finance)

Born and raised in Montreal, Emily Hampshire has made an indelible mark on the Canadian

film and television industry in a relatively short period of time. Her work has been recognized

by the Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television with 3 Genie Award Nominations, she

earned a Gemini Award for her work on the small screen, and she was chosen by her

Canadian Actors Guild peers as a nominee for ‘Outstanding Female Performance’ at the

ACTRA Awards.

She is most widely known to international audiences for her role as Vivienne Freeman

opposite Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver in the Berlin Film Festival opener Snow Cake

and starred opposite Jay Baruchel in director Jacob Tierney’s festival favorite The Trotsky.

Hampshire promptly re-teamed with Baruchel and Tierney for the director’s next feature,

Good Neighbours which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Page 23: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

23

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

DAVID CRONENBERG (Director, Screenwriter)

David Cronenberg’s reputation as an auteur has been firmly established by his uniquely

personal body of work as screenwriter and director: Shivers, Rabid, Fast Company, The

Brood, Scanners, Videodrome, The Fly, Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch, Crash, eXistenZ, and

now COSMOPOLIS. In addition to his own screenplays, he helmed The Dead Zone, M.

Butterfly, Spider, A History of Violence, which he also produced, and Eastern Promises.

Most recently, David continued his collaboration with Viggo Mortensen for the filming of A

Dangerous Method. Written by Academy Award-winner Christopher Hampton (Dangerous

Liaisons, Atonement), the film explored the complex relationship between Sigmund Freud

(Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender). Keira Knightley and Vincent Cassel

also starred.

Cronenberg’s films have won him international awards and recognition, including an

Honorary Doctor of Law Degree from the University of Toronto, received in 2001, and an

appointment as an Officer to the Order of Canada in 2003. His Chevalier of the Order of Arts

and Letters, bestowed by France in 1990, was upgraded in 1997 to Officer of the Order of

Arts and Letters, and vaulted to the Legion d’Honneur in 2009. In 1999, he presided over the

Jury at the Cannes Film Festival. In July 2006, David worked with the Art Gallery of Ontario

as a guest curator for the exhibition Andy Warhol/Supernova: Stars, Deaths and Disasters,

1962-1964. David created an innovative soundtrack audio guide with additional commentary

by several of Warhol’s contemporaries, including actor Dennis Hopper, film critic Amy

Taubin, and artist James Rosenquist. In 2008, David brought his film The Fly to the stage for

the Théâtre du Châtelet and LA Opera.

Retrospectives of Cronenberg's work have been held in Japan, the U.S., the U.K., France,

Brazil, Italy, Portugal, and Canada. Books on Cronenberg and his films include The Shape

of Rage – the Films of David Cronenberg, The Artist as Monster: The Cinema of David

Cronenberg, Cronenberg on Cronenberg and a collection of interviews published by Cahiers

du Cinema.

Cronenberg studied at the University of Toronto, where he became interested in film and

made two 16mm shorts: Transfer and From the Drain. His first films in 35mm were Stereo

and Crimes of the Future, both shot in the late 1960s. In those works, he established and

explored some of the themes and concerns that would characterize and define much of his

later work – including violence and sexuality, reality and altered reality, and social satire and

biological horror.

Page 24: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

24

Cronenberg's first commercial feature was 1975's Shivers (a.k.a. They Came From Within or

The Parasite Murders), which became one of the fastest-recouping movies in the history of

Canadian film. Within a decade, he was making more ambitious films, such as Videodrome

and The Dead Zone, for major studios. The latter won three out of the five prizes at the

Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival, as well as seven Edgar Allan Poe Award nominations.

His next films were The Fly, a remake of the 1958 horror classic, which won the Academy

Award for Best Makeup; and Dead Ringers, starring Jeremy Irons, which earned Cronenberg

the Best Director award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Cronenberg's Naked

Lunch, adapted and reconceived from William S. Burroughs's novel and works, brought him

the National Society of Film Critics award for Best Director, as well as its and the New York

Film Critics Circle's citations for Best Screenplay. The film also won eight Genie Awards

(Canada's equivalent of the Academy Award), including Best Picture and Best Director.

Crash brought him a Special Jury Prize at the 1996 Cannes International Film Festival, in

addition to multiple Genie Awards; eXistenZ won the Silver Bear Award at the 1999 Berlin

International Film Festival; and A History of Violence, starring his Eastern Promises leading

man Viggo Mortensen, received a host of accolades, including Best Director and Best Film

on the Village Voice Film Critics Poll, as well as two Academy Award nominations.

Amongst his recent short films are Camera and At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in

the Last Cinema in the World. The latter was made for the Chacun son cinema collection of

films commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Cannes International Film Festival.

Cronenberg starred in the latter short, but has also acted in a number of films for other

directors as a way to reconnect with being part of a film shoot after the isolation of writing

screenplays. His films as actor include Gus Van Sant's To Die For, Clive Barker's

Nightbreed and Don McKellar's Last Night.

In 2008, Cronenberg directed a new opera based on his film The Fly at Paris's Théâtre du

Châtelet and the Los Angeles Opera. Howard Shore composed the music, and David Henry

Hwang wrote the libretto.

PAULO BRANCO (Producer) Paulo Branco is the producer of 250 films from directors such as Manoel de Oliveira, João

César Monteiro, Alain Tanner, Pedro Costa, Jerzy Skolimowski, Olivier Assayas, Philippe

Page 25: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

25

Garrel, Wim Wenders, and André Téchiné, just to name a few. In 2010 he produced the

multi-awarded Mysteries of Lisbon directed by Raúl Ruiz.

Over the past 30 years, Branco has shown 52 of his films in Cannes and 36 in Venice

(Competition, Out of Competition and other parallel sections), been jury at Berlin (1999),

Venice (2005), Rotterdam (2006), and President of the Jury in Locarno (2011). He has

received numerous awards and tributes: Viennale - Tribute (First tribute ever made to a

producer); Strasbourg – European Parliament Award for Best European Producer - Les

grandes carrières européennes; Orden de Mérito Docente y Cultural Gabriela Mistral from

Republic of Chile; Locarno Film Festival - Raimondo Rezzonico Award - Best Independent

Producer; Officier de L’Ordre des Arts et Des Lettres from the French Republic; and he has

been honored and awarded in Hamburg, Taipei, Taormina, Seville, Tokyo, Lecce or Spanish

and French Film Museums…

MARTIN KATZ (Producer)

Prospero Pictures Founder and President Martin Katz has produced or executive produced

many award-winning feature film and television productions, including David Cronenberg’s

recent A Dangerous Method, starring Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen and Michael

Fassbender, and Spider, which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Katz

produced the Academy Award and Golden Globe multi-nominee Hotel Rwanda, written and

directed by Terry George, and Bronwen Hughes’ Stander, which the London Observer called

the greatest heist film since Reservoir Dogs.

Katz’s productions also include It’s a Boy Girl Thing, a co-production with Elton John and

David Furnish’s Rocket Pictures, and Lord Richard Attenborough’s Closing the Ring, starring

Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer and Mischa Barton. Katz is also Executive Producer

of the feature film Shake Hands With the Devil, which is based on the biography of General

Roméo Dallaire and filmed entirely on location in Kigali.

Katz’s television project Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… is a Gemini Award-winning series

co-produced with Rocket Pictures. It continues to feature some of the most renowned

musicians in the world in conversation (and performance) with Costello, including Bruce

Springsteen, Bono, Elton John, Norah Jones, James Taylor, Herbie Hancock, Lou Reed and

Sting, among others.

Katz holds degrees in law from the University of Toronto and the Université de Paris

(Panthéon-Sorbonne), and has served as Professor of Law at the French-language

Université de Moncton and as Special Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law at the University

Page 26: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

26

of Toronto. Katz is a Director of the Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television, a

member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and a Director of the Institute for Canadian

Citizenship.

PETERS SUSCHITZKY (Director of Photography)

COSMOPOLIS marks Peter Suschitzky's tenth film with director David Cronenberg, four of

which have won Mr. Suschitzky Genie Awards for Best Cinematography: Dead Ringers,

Naked Lunch, Crash and Eastern Promises. Their other collaborations to date are A

Dangerous Method, A History of Violence, Spider, eXistenZ and M. Butterfly.

The son of cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky, Peter Suschitzky was born and raised in

London. Although music was his passion, he decided that cinematography would become

his profession. After studying his trade in Paris at IDHEC, he became a clapper boy at age

19 and a cameraman at 21, spending a year in South America shooting documentaries

before shooting his first feature film at age 22 – making him the youngest cinematographer

ever to lens a feature picture (Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo's It Happened Here) in

Britain.

Since then, Suschitzky has worked with filmmakers all over the world as director of

photography on such memorable movies as Irvin Kershner's The Empire Strikes Back; Jim

Sharman's The Rocky Horror Picture Show; and Peter Watkins' Privilege and The Peace

Game. In addition to David Cronenberg, Peter Suschitzky has enjoyed multiple

collaborations with John Boorman (on Leo the Last and Where the Heart Is, which earned

him the National Society of Film Critics award for Best Cinematography) and Ken Russell

(on Lisztomania and Valentino, which earned him BAFTA and British Society of

Cinematography Award nominations), among other directors.

Among the other notable films that he has shot are Albert Finney's Charlie Bubbles; Ulu

Grosbard's Falling in Love; Howard Franklin's The Public Eye; George Sluizer's The

Vanishing (1993); Bernard Rose's Immortal Beloved; Tim Burton's Mars Attacks!; Randall

Wallace's The Man in the Iron Mask; and Anand Tucker's Shopgirl.

Suschitzky is a keen stills photographer and had shows as part of the Lisbon Estoril Film

Festival in 2011 and Paris in 2010. He is currently planning a book.

HOWARD SHORE (Composer)

Page 27: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

27

Howard Shore has collaborated with David Cronenberg on a number of groundbreaking

films. Their work together includes The Brood, Scanners, Videodrome, The Fly, Dead

Ringers (for which Shore won a Genie Award), Naked Lunch, M. Butterfly, Crash, eXistenZ,

the short Camera, Spider, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises (for which Shore won his

second Genie Award), and A Dangerous Method.

Shore is among the most respected and active film composers and music conductors

working today. He won three Academy Awards for his work on Peter Jackson's The Lord of

the Rings film trilogy; these were for The Fellowship of the Ring, The Return of the King, and

the song “Into the West.” The trilogy also earned him four Grammy Awards and two Golden

Globe Awards. Shore received his third Golden Globe Award for his score for Martin

Scorsese's The Aviator. He has earned the ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards’

Henry Mancini Award; the National Board of Review's Career Achievement Award; the

Hollywood Film Festival's Outstanding Achievement in Music in Film Award; the Academy of

Science Fiction Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Award; the city of Vienna has honored him

with the Max Steiner Award; he holds honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music

and York University, and he is an Officier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres among other

honors.

Shore began his career as a founding member of the group Lighthouse, with whom he

recorded and toured from 1969 to 1972. He was one of the original creators of Saturday

Night Live and served as the music director, conducting the show's live broadcasts from

1975 to 1980 and writing the show's theme. At the same time, he began his collaboration

with David Cronenberg.

His many film scores include John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt, Martin Campbell’s Edge of

Darkness, David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Martin Scorsese's The Departed, The

Aviator, Gangs of New York and After Hours; Tim Burton's Ed Wood; Jonathan Demme's

The Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia; David Fincher's Panic Room, The Game, and

Se7en; Penny Marshall's Big; and Chris Columbus's Mrs. Doubtfire. In 2008, Howard

Shore’s opera The Fly premiered at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and at Los Angeles

Opera, with a libretto by David Henry Hwang directed by David Cronenberg. His piano

concerto Ruin and Memory written for Lang Lang premiered in Beijing, China on October 11,

2010.

ARV GREYWAL (Production designer)

Arv Greywal recently worked as production designer on Resident Evil: Afterlife and Imagine

Television’s Battle of Maggie Hill, a pilot for Fox Television, created by Ian Biderman. He has

Page 28: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

28

spent most of his professional career in the feature film world, working on Jennifer’s Body,

starring Megan Fox and directed by Karyn Kusama, Lars and The Real Girl, Richard

Donner’s 16 Blocks and George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead.

Greywal served as art director on The Pacifier, Dawn of the Dead, Godsend, Bulletproof

Monk, David Cronenberg’s Spider (nominated for best Art Direction), K-19: The

Widowmaker, Exit Wounds, Finding Forrester and Showtime’s A Slight Case of Murder.

Born in Bombay, India, Greywal emigrated to Canada with his family when he was 13 years

old. After graduating from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Environmental

Studies and a Bachelor of Architecture, he spent a period running his own architecture firm

before entering the film industry on Lulu as an art apprentice. He moved rapidly through

the ranks, working as the art director on Bruce McCulloch’s Dog Park and Frank Pierson’s

Dirty Pictures (Golden Globe - Best Motion Picture made for TV, 2000) after honing his

craft as first assistant art director on such features as American Psycho, eXistenZ, Dirty

Work and Mimic. He spent 2007 working on a permanent New York City street set for the

NuImage studios in Sofia, Bulgaria.

DENISE CRONENBERG (Costume Designer)

Denise Cronenberg began her career on stage in the ballet. She moved from performing to

fashion design, and then to film as a costume designer. The first feature film she designed

was The Fly, with her brother David Cronenberg. Since that time she has been the costume

designer for all his films, including Naked Lunch, Dead Ringers, M Butterfly, Crash,

eXistenZ, Spider, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises and A Dangerous Method.

Denise has designed the costumes for many other films, including Moonlight and Valentino,

Murder at 1600, Dawn of the Dead, Shoot ‘em up, A Cavemen's Valentine, Dead Silence,

The Incredible Hulk and Resident Evil: Afterlife.

She has been nominated five times for Best Achievement in Costume Design for the

Canadian film awards, The Genie Awards.

STEPHAN DUPIS (Make-up and hair designer)

Stephan Dupuis began working with David Cronenberg on Scanners. Their subsequent

projects together include A Dangerous Method, Eastern Promises, A History of Violence,

Page 29: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

29

Spider, eXistenZ, Crash, Naked Lunch and The Fly, for which Dupuis was nominated for a

BAFTA Award and won an Academy Award (shared with Chris Walas).

He has earned three Emmy Award nominations, for his make-up on Ivan Passer's Stalin,

starring Robert Duval; Robert Dornhelm's Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story, starring James

Woods; and Robert Allan Ackerman's The Reagans, starring James Brolin.

Among Dupuis's film credits are Wolfgang Petersen's Enemy Mine; Paul Verhoeven's

RoboCop and Total Recall; Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; Martin

Scorsese's Cape Fear; Mel Gibson's The Man Without a Face; Chris Columbus's Mrs.

Doubtfire; George Clooney's Confessions of a Dangerous Mind; Niels Mueller's The

Assassination of Richard Nixon; Francis Lawrence's I Am Legend; Steven Soderbergh’s

Che: Part One; Gus Van Sant’s Milk for which Sean Penn won the Academy Award for Best

Actor.

Self-taught, he began experimenting with foam latex make-up in his parents’ basement in his

native Montreal. While attending university, he was hired to assist the head make-up artist

on Alvin Rakoff's City on Fire, and ultimately captained the FX make-up department on the

project.

After graduating from Sir George Williams Campus with a Masters Degree in Cinema Fine

Arts, his work was spotted by make-up artistry icon Dick Smith, who invited him to

collaborate in New York. Dupuis next worked on the Academy Award-winning make-up for

Jean-Jacques Annaud's Quest for Fire, and teamed with Walas for Cronenberg's Scanners.

RONALD SANDERS (Editor) COSMOPOLIS is Ronald Sanders' sixteenth film for David Cronenberg. He previously edited

A Dangerous Method, Eastern Promises, A History of Violence, Spider, eXistenZ, Crash, M.

Butterfly, Naked Lunch, Dead Ringers, The Fly, The Dead Zone, Videodrome, Scanners,

Fast Company, and the short Camera for the director.

Born in Winnipeg, Sanders was exposed to film at an early age since his father worked as a

projectionist. After graduating with a B.A. from St. John's College, University of Manitoba, he

moved to Toronto where he edited documentaries and began working on features as a

sound editor.

Page 30: Press Kit - Cosmopolis April 13 Approved

30

Among his feature credits as editor are Henry Selick’s Coraline, Mark L. Lester's Firestarter;

Yves Simoneau's Perfectly Normal; Robert Longo's Johnny Mnemonic; and Anais

Granofsky's The Limb Salesman. Forthcoming features include Robert Adetuyi’s Beat the

World and Steven Silver’s The Bang Bang Club.

Sanders has also edited such notable telefilms as Norman Jewison's Dinner with Friends;

Steven Hilliard Stern's The Park is Mine; Daniel Petrie Jr.'s Dead Silence; and Lamont

Johnson's All the Winters That Have Been.