Robert Redford returns to TIFF after 18 years for The Conspirator

Robert Redford spent a good portion of Saturday’s press conference for his film The Conspirator (he is both director and producer) brushing off old quotes an Italian journalist lobbed at him, including “As an actor, I wouldn’t like me as a director; as a director, I wouldn’t like me as an actor.” It’s been 18 years since Redford’s last visit to TIFF (for A River Runs Through It), and it’s the only festival he’s attended other than Sundance, which he founded. The new film is about the trial of Mary Surratt (played by Robin Wright Penn), who was convicted without evidence and eventually hanged as a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Actors James McAvoy, Kevin Kline, Alexis Bledel and Justin Long all attended the presser. See photos of the stars below.