"I'm Armie"
Saturday, September 9, 2017 at 1:00PM our ongoing adventures at TIFF 2017
Timothee Chalamet, Armie Hammer, and Luca Guadagnino at the after party for CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
Armie Hammer is very tall (6'5" according to IMDb) but less intimidating than that heighth and his big screen beauty would suggest in real life. Let's set the scene.
It's the after party for the TIFF premiere of Call Me By Your Name at a swank Toronto steakhouse called STK. I arrive slightly underdressed -- you can always spot the writers by their more casual attire than the stars/industry/scenesters -- and quickly down my "director's cut."...
That's a pomegranate blueberry citron vodka thing which is too sweet for even me (!) so I chase it with a "film noir" which is a fancy name for a chocolate liquor espresso. Neither feels thematically sound for a Call Me By Your Name party but any alcohol will do.
Before too long an opening appears next to the wondrous Italian director Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love, A Bigger Splash). I pounce to fill the space, babbling something like this "alxoibohmygodojxd IAMALOVEalsziuyvBESTMOVIE 0znj agknakajsgzhiuw". After which I become slightly more bearably human and we segueway into Call Me By Your Name. I tell him I prefer the movie's ending to the book's ending which I had just read. If that's a spoiler please know that it's a benevolent one. The book ends with a brief coda that takes place MANY years after the main events of the novel and trust that you don't want a 'Armie Hammer in old man latex'. Remember J Edgar? *shudder*. But back to the story.
Armie, standing nearby and listening to Luca and I, leans in, or rather down and offers a handshake
I'm Armie."
I'm aware.
Unbeknownst to me, Matt from HuffPost attempts to take a candid of this conversation which goes hilariously awry but it was so sweet of him that I must share.
look how short 5'10" looks next to Armie !!!
Armie reveals that Andre Aciman, the novelist, also prefers the film's ending. This seems too confidential somehow and I'm all 'don't worry, I won't print that.'
"Print away!" Armie says so swiftly and amiably that I half expect a "later" in homage to his American in Italy catchphrase in Call Me By Your Name. Nothing so hokey occurs and we just say your basic party goodbyes as the director and star keep circulating, highly in demand. The party was great fun. And the movie lingers. More soon.
Reader Comments (12)
Awesome! So jealous of you..
hehe u sound infatuated
I know it by a mile that you will love this movie deary and will predict it will win oscars in all categories. Can't wait to read your review and find out who do you love more between Timothee and Armie but I can only guess here...Lol. So jealous.
Hahaha!
So lucky!
It's not terribly difficult to predict how much power the novel has as film by elminiating the coda, and it actually HELPS those who haven't read it before watching to seek it out and experience the Ghost Spots themselves.
As for it winning in all categories...
Maybe if #OscarsSoStraight starts trending, and even then a year later will make it more likely.
Just sayin'...
Swoon. Love this story Nathaniel.
I love the movie ending better as well. The screenplay did a fantastic job of adapting many parts of the book. And yes - the film lingers.
I got my pic with Timothee and told him he should be so proud of such a beautiful film and performance. Sadly I don't see him getting nominated but one can hope.
Ps I thought of you last night actually. I was leaving Lady Bird going up the stairs to get out of Ryerson and at the last second I noticed Oscar Winner Julianne Moore walk right by me going down the stairs to leave by the door all the talent exit. She must have watched the film in the audience too. <3
Gosh these Hollywood promotional parties sound like my version of hell but I love hearing you talk about your experiences with them! It's like getting all the good bits without having to put up with the B.S.
How did they come up with casting Timothee and Armie? SO PERFECT. Look at their faces. And both are good actors to top it off.
What the did for the ending works for the movie in spades. I wasn't super keen on the prologue in the book, but the tone of the novel is altogether a bit sadder so it fits. It'd be awkward on film for starters seeing Chalamet with a silly prosthetic beard.
HOWEVER, the media cycle for this movie is getting odious rather fast. First Luca, Armie and Timothee all deep dive on the film being "universal", which I have written about and is a hidious turn of phrase. But just yesterday I read about Armie all but being pulled kicking and screaming into taking the role. It was one breath away from somebody calling him "brave" and marvelling at just how in the world he was able to be sexualised on camera for a gay romance. And there's still months left of this.
get it together, matt from huffpost!
Maybe I'm the only one who LOVE the ending of the book. It wrecks me completely. But I think it's probably better for the movie version to end before the "many years later" section because it would be harder to make that section works so well like in the book.
I did not like the book. Badly written with serious inconsistencies throughout. Hope the movie is better.
"But just yesterday I read about Armie all but being pulled kicking and screaming into taking the role. It was one breath away from somebody calling him "brave" and marvelling at just how in the world he was able to be sexualised on camera for a gay romance."
I read an interview with James Ivory somewhere and he seemed rather annoyed about the film being toned down for the actors.