TIFF 2012: Sarah Gadon brings a ‘human quality’ to ‘Antiviral’

Toronto-based actress Sarah Gadon has always done her hometown proud, especially around festival time. The 25-year-old was named "one to watch" by the Toronto International Film Festival's Rising Stars programme last year, and justified that honour by having a very successful year, marked by two collaborations with renowned Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg in both "A Dangerous Method" and "Cosmopolis."

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Gadon's art-house hot streak appears to be continuing with her latest film "Antiviral," a body horror satire that is turning heads for its damning critique of our celebrity-obsessed culture. Directed by Cronenberg's son, Brandon, "Antiviral" had its North American premiere at TIFF on Monday night.

The science fiction tale follows Syd March (Caleb Landry Jones), a specialist for a company that sells celebrity ailments to rabid fans. By consuming the diseases that have afflicted their favourite actors, singers, or athletes, these disturbed devotees hope to connect with their idols. When Syd becomes infected by an "exclusive" disease that has apparently taken the life of young starlet Hannah Geist (Gadon), he suddenly finds himself in high demand by her fans.

Though Gadon loved Cronenberg's script for "Antiviral," she was initially hesitant to take on the role of the gorgeous and unobtainable star Hannah Geist. "I really didn't connect with Hannah Geist because she's an image for the first half of the film," said Gadon."Why don't you just hire a model or somebody else to do this who feels comfortable being so objectified?"

The actress was nonetheless intrigued by the story, but preferred the idea of playing the film's villain -- the black market disease peddlar Levine -- instead. She pitched Cronenberg hard on the Levine idea, but the director eventually convinced her that without a "human quality" to Hannah the movie wouldn't work and she signed on.

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Gadon has the unique distinction of being one of the few actors who have worked with both David and Brandon Cronenberg (with her "Antiviral" co-star Nicholas Campbell being the other). She said that while the father and son filmmakers share a certain sensibility, they're also very different.

"Because Brandon is a first-time filmmaker, his process and his style isn't completely cemented," said Gadon. "David is a master filmmaker who sits in a place of total and complete knowing."

The actress, who many have called the elder Cronenberg's muse, says she also sees a lot of similarities between the two. "I see a lot of David in Brandon, in the sense that he's very, very, very smart and he knows exactly what he wants." Gadon went on to call working with the younger Cronenberg exciting because of his bright future as a filmmaker. "I think Brandon is going to have a really great and extensive body of work."

Does the actress find it strange to be premiering a movie that is an indictment against the current Hollywood culture at such a celebrity-focused event like the Toronto International Film Festival? "I think it's ironic and I think that art should do that," said Gadon. "It's really positive that a film like 'Antiviral' still has a place at TIFF, and that it isn't just slotted into Midnight Madness or a genre-specific screening — it's being considered a real art film and being given a shot here."

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While Gadon's star is definitely on the rise, that doesn't mean she'll be abandoning her native country any time soon. "I think I'll always base myself out of Toronto," said Gadon. "I don't have any plans to move to LA."

And although she says that her job requires her to go to Los Angeles quite frequently, she admits that she's been working more overseas on Canadian-European co-productions than anything else -- so often, in fact, that she just got her Italian passport to make working in Europe easier. Gadon says that she is more interested in having an international film career than pigeonholing herself by just working on Canadian or American productions. "I think that's the way the industry is going now anyways — you kind of work all over."

When asked whether "Antiviral's" disturbingly prescient subject matter has given her any thoughts about her chosen occupation, Gadon laughed. "My chosen occupation isn't necessarily movie star; I see my chose occupation as actor." At the same time, though, the young actress realizes that celebrity is part of the reality of the business she's in. "You have to function in that system, but you don't necessarily have to buy into it."

"Antiviral" premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival on Monday night and will be released in Canada on Oct. 12.