Alias Grace star feels like a ‘silly pretender’
Toronto actor Sarah Gadon promoting new miniseries in front of hometown crowd
By 3:45 on Wednesday, Sarah Gadon and Edward Holcroft had been shuffled around Toronto’s new Bisha Hotel by publicists for hours.
It was the last day before the TIFF premiere of Alias Grace — the new miniseries from CBC and Netflix, based on Margaret Atwood’s Giller Prize-winning novel of the same name. And despite the co-stars’ glittering resumés, for Toronto-born Gadon, doing the whole press-and-publicity dance in her hometown is weird.
“I woke up today in my own bed, then I go put on some fancy clothes and go around a hotel,” said Gadon, 30, who was named one of TIFF’s “Rising Stars” in 2012. “It makes me feel like a silly pretender.”
Her family would be in the audience for Thursday’s premiere at the Winter Garden Theatre. More likely than not, she added, she’d know the festival volunteers working the event.
“It’s kind of like being the home team playing the home game,” she said.
And though their newest project is a brooding, gothic take on the reallife 19th-century story of accused murderer Grace Marks, Gadon and Holcroft’s interactions were light and teasing on Wednesday afternoon.
“Not only is Edward handsome, he’s also extremely talented,” Gadon fawned, while Holcroft grinned at his co-star and teased her onwards.
“He was perfect for the role,” she said. “Keep going,” he prodded. “He looks really good in period outfits,” she added. “There’s more there,” he said. Jokes felt necessary for the pair, Gadon explained, when they were confronted with such heavy subject matter on-set.
Holcroft’s character is a fictional doctor sent to understand Gadon’s Grace, who attempts to tell him her side of the story from the beginning.
“Don’t show your cards,” said Holcroft, also 30, citing the guidance of director Mary Harron. “Let the writing do it, because there’s so much bubbling beneath the surface.”
But relieving the emotional burden of their day jobs was surprisingly simple.
“Go out on the weekend and party,” Gadon said. Holcroft clarified his costar’s statement, raising two fingers to hold an invisible joint at his lips. Gadon burst out laughing.
Though Gadon had a bit of nervous energy for Thursday’s premiere, Holcroft said there wasn’t much to be nervous about if you were doing something you loved. Alias Grace debuts Sept. 25 on CBC (and internationally on Netflix), following its TIFF premiere.