See celeb photographer George Pimentel’s favourite film fest shots
See celeb photographer George Pimentel’s favourite film fest shots
By Courtney Shea |
By Courtney Shea |
Toronto’s resident paparazzo George Pimentel knows all about the pleasures and perils of shooting Hollywood’s A-list. This evening, the celebrity shutterbug will debut a collection of his festival snaps at the Four Seasons’s Avenue Bar and Lounge. We sat down with Pimentel to get a sneak peak of the exhibit and the scoop behind his favourite shots. See the slide show now >>
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- This is one of my classic photos of Penelope Cruz at Cannes. I’m always striving for that Dolce Vita look: her white outfit contrasting against the tuxedos, the security, the paparazzi, it’s perfect. The access at Cannes is really limited and the French really tend to take care of their own. I kind of dread it.
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- This is Sophia Loren at TIFF 2002. She came here to promote her son’s movie and made an appearance at the Holt Renfrew party. For me, she is probably the most beautiful woman ever. It is impossible to take a bad picture. This one is special though because she rarely takes off her huge glasses, so getting her without them was cool. I waited for her back at the Windsor Arms to get this shot. I said “Sophia, you make me crazy,” and she laughed.
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- This was taken at Sundance. Brad was there for Jennifer Aniston’s movie <em>The Good Girl</em>. The funny thing about this photo is that Jennifer is right beside him. Sundance is really laid back compared to other festivals. They allow photographers into the theatres. Brad really is one of the nicest guys, and easy to shoot. The shot I took before this one was of him and Jen, but I don’t like to look at it. Too sad.
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- Natalie Portman is bar none the most beautiful young actress in the business. And she’s an incredible actress. Again, this shot gets the chaos of the media in the background. I love getting flashbulbs in my frame. You can just see she’s a star in this shot. She’s coming back this year, so I’m excited to shoot her.
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- This is Jennifer Garner at <em>The Invention of Lying</em> premier in 2009. I got her right on the carpet, which was nice. I’m lucky to be at the point in my career where I don’t have to stand behind the rope with all the rest of the media. I roam the carpet, which is kind of a carte blanche.
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- If I had to pick, this photo of Scarlett Johansson at Cannes is one of my all time favourites. There’s a famous Richard Avedon photo where he staged a celebrity falling down the stairs and this kind of reminds me of it. What’s actually happening in this photo is that Scarlett’s mom (whose hand she is holding) slipped getting into the car. The moment is dramatic and glamorous, but totally real.
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- This picture is hilarious because I had no idea who this person was when I was shooting her. (It was 2003.) Katie was there for her movie <em>The Singing Detective</em> with her boyfriend Chris Klein from <em>American Pie. </em> She’s bigger than ever now, and the photo becomes better because of the power of her fame. I still don’t get the Tom and Katie thing, though.
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- This is the hottest couple in Hollywood. Their fame keeps getting bigger and bigger. I look back at that Sundance photo where I was two feet away from Brad. That kind of access is very hard to come by now. Still, Brad and Angelina get it. They get the business, they get how big they are and they give back to the media. They ham it up on the red carpet. If they were having trouble in their relationship, you’d never know.
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- This is backstage at this year’s Golden Globes at the Beverly Hilton. It’s old school and new school—Scorsese with his two protégés. I love the body language. There is so much respect for Marty Scorsese here. It doesn’t hurt that I’m the biggest De Niro fan. I hate that word, but I can’t help it. It’s more exciting for me to shoot actors who I admire and respect and that comes through in the photos.
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(All photos by George Pimentel.)
I like it when George says he’s at the point in his career where he doesn’t have to be behind the ropes with the rest of the media. It has nothing to do with him or his “stature”. The agency he shoots for, Wireimage, is the official agency of TIFF and some other events. I’ve seen everybody from George to some recent grad who doesn’t even know who he’s shooting, roam the carpet for the company.