TIFF celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, with this year’s festival coming to a close on Sunday, September 14. We had fun watching our very own talent light up the red carpet, with many of our media personalities celebrating and working alongside the stars.
We caught up with Tyrone Edwards, who, as an anchor for Etalk, was covering this year’s event. He interviewed some of the biggest stars in Etalk’s lounge, on the red carpet, and in media junkets, while attending many of the TIFF 50 afterparties and galas. Tyrone gave us the inside scope about this year’s event, including his favourite stars to interview, favourite moments to cover, and why he felt 2025 was the festival’s comeback year.
So come with us as we go behind the scenes of TIFF 50 and and discover how Tyrone’s natural charisma and ability to connect — the same qualities that make him such a compelling host and speaker — helped him navigate everything from intimate celebrity conversations to commanding the room at exclusive industry events.
Tyrone Edwards Talks TIFF 50
Speakers Spotlight: It’s TIFF’s 50th anniversary this year, how did the vibe compare to previous years?
Tyrone Edwards: Toronto has really fallen in love with the film festival again. I had a moment where I just looked at King Street and John Street and everything was full. And it was a Monday or Tuesday, so after the opening weekend hype, and they were all still there. Even yesterday, which was day eight, the streets were still packed with lineups down the street to get into screenings. The Princess of Wales, which I believe seats 1,300 people was one sold out screening after another.
I’m a Toronto boy, and it felt like the TIFF that I used to look at with googly eyes, wishing I could be a part of, and I just had a moment of gratitude, feeling like I’m living in my dream. It was just so satisfying to see Toronto as vibrant as it should be. It really filled my cup.
SpSp: You interviewed some of the biggest names in film, whether in the lounge, on the red carpet, or in junkets. Who surprised you the most so far, and why?
TE: My favourite this year was my interview with Dustin Hoffman for Tuner. While Dustin and Leo Woodall, who also stars in the film, were in Toronto filming, they worked with a piano technician named Wayne Ferguson. I know Wayne because he used to tune one of my best friend’s piano, Noah “40” Shebib, one of Drake’s main producers and engineers.
The movie premiered at TIFF, so I said to Dustin on the carpet, “I know you put a lot of work into this character, did some study work with Wayne Ferguson, but a lot of those scenes just seem so natural. How much was prepped and how much was improvised?” He responded to the improvised portion, saying how much he loved it and how good Leo Woodall is, giving him all his flowers, but then he looked at me and asked, why do you know Wayne Ferguson? Then he shared something that Wayne told him, and he prefaced it by saying, “I’ve loved piano my whole life. I wanted to be a jazz pianist.” He got so passionate, then he said that Wayne told him that every piano has a soul. That brought tears to Dustin’s eyes, and I couldn’t believe he teared up right there in front of me. It was just such a special, unique moment because I don’t think that there’s any other journalist that’s friends with Wayne Ferguson. It was a genuine, organic connection, and it really meant a lot to Dustin, Leo, and the director, Daniel Roher, who’s also from Toronto.
SpSp: Any memorable or unexpected red-carpet moments you can share?
TE: This year with Etalk, we had a lounge at our studio on King Street West. That was incredible and we had a long list of big-name stars coming in to do interviews about their films. I spoke with Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrerra, who were promoting The Lost Bus, which is based on the California wildfires of 2018.
I also got a chance to talk to Joakim Noah and Amadou Gallo Fall who are involved with the NBA Africa four-part docuseries. Actually, the day I interviewed them, it was announced that Bell Media is their Canadian partner, and ESPN is their American partner. Those are the beautiful things that happen during a film festival. You could watch a movie today at 12 and by 5pm, it’s sold to someone.
Outside of the lounge, I had countless red carpets, starting off with the opening night gala, where I got a chance to interview Ryan Reynolds about the John Candy documentary. I also got a chance to speak with Eugene Levy, Paul Schaefer, and a host of other amazing Canadians and people excited for TIFF’s 50th anniversary. We kicked it off in a very Canadiana style.
My red carpets included Jacob Elordi and Guillermo del Toro for Frankenstein. I also got Tessa Thompson for Hedda, Chris Evans, Anya Taylor-Joy. I really loved a movie called Roofman and I got a chance to interview Channing Tatum, Lakeith Stanfield, and Juno Temple. My goodness, there were so many.
SpSp: Can you share a behind-the-scenes story from a TIFF event or party that captures the magic of the festival?
TE: The after parties were really good this year. The Road to the Golden Globes party was one of the best I went to. Every star in town was there. It definitely felt like Hollywood, but Toronto style.
I went to my final after-party last night. The Glenrothan afterparty, which stars Alexandra Shipp and Brian Cox from Succession. It’s his directorial debut and the film is absolutely gorgeous. That after party was hosted by Shinan Govani, and it was definitely one of the best after parties of the festival as well.
My favourite story is similar to my red carpet one. In Tuner, Dustin Hoffman and Leo Woodall have a van — spoiler alert — they need money to keep the van, that’s part of the whole story. With that being said, at the after party, Dustin Hoffman gifted the van to Wayne Ferguson, and I have a picture of me and Wayne standing in front of the van that he was just gifted.
SpSp: We have to ask — you’re working TIFF, going to these parties, covering the red carpets, etc. How do you stay fueled?
TE: I’m not a person who hits the snooze button, but there were a couple days where I hit it. I was feeling it. And my girlfriend reminded me, she said, “babe, this is everything that you wanted. This is what you wanted TIFF to feel like. You’re doing what you love.” And that shift in perspective allowed me to recentre. I got the energy to keep going, and not just showing up but giving it my all.
I’m a Toronto kid and grew up around this festival. So, seeing it be affected by that unavoidable break called a pandemic and the noticeable damage of the strikes, it was just so satisfying to see it come back in its full glory, better than it’s ever looked. I’m really proud of Cameron Bailey and the entire TIFF team. I know it’s a lot of work to pull off a festival like this, but to do it the way they did it, it looks like we know what we’re doing. It’s a good representation of our city. For all these stars and publicists and every person that has been to Cannes and Venice, for them to come here and be blown away, that means a lot.
SpSp: You watched many of the films at this year’s festivals. Which ones are you the most excited about?
TE: Yes, I have a few. Not in any particular order, Little Lorraine, directed by Andy Hines and starring Stephen Amell and Matt Walsh. It’s a story about 110 tons of cocaine being brought into Canada via Cape Breton between 1996 and 1991. It is the wildest Canadian story ever and one of the most unexpected.
I also really liked Roofman, which stars Channing Tatum, Juno Temple, and Lakeith Stanfield. I liked The Smashing Machine starring The Rock. And there’s this movie called Space Cadet. It’s an animated film by Kid Koala. There aren’t any words, or very few words, but it’s just so precious and so cute, and there’s a really good backstory behind it as well. So that’s great and Glenrothan.
Speakers Spotlight at TIFF
Of course, Tyrone wasn’t the only Speakers Spotlight talent making waves at TIFF 50. This year’s festival was a true showcase of our roster, with many media personalities represented by us and our sister company, The Spotlight Agency, playing key roles throughout the whole event.
Sangita Patel
Television Personality Sangita Patel was also walking the red carpet, interviewing and catching up with celebs, including long-time pal Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Angelina Jolie.
Arisa Cox
Arisa Cox hosted TIFF50 LIVE,a one-hour, live special featuring interviews that look back at the festival’s history with TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey, plus directors, producers and stars.
David Rocco
Celebrity Chef David Rocco and his Bar Aperitivo team once again partnered with The House of Peroni Nastro Azzurro to curate a special Italian aperitivo experience for TIFF attendees.
Pooja Handa
Television and Radio Personality Pooja Handa — co-host of CHFI’s hit radio show, The Pooja and Gurdeep Show — was also interviewing all of our favourite celebs, including Kirsten Dunst, for her new movie Roofman.
We also spotted Tyrone’s Etalk colleague Lainey Lui and Rick Campanelli interviewing stars on the red carpet, plus several of Canada’s other high profile media personalities joining in on TIFF’s 50th anniversary celebrations, including Cheryl Hickey, Meredith Shaw, Dina Pugliese, Andrew Phung, and Tracy Moore.
If you’re looking to add some star power to your event, contact us to learn more about Tyrone and other prominent Canadian media personalities. Let us help you find the perfect host, emcee, or keynote speaker to make your event shine.
