Tilda Swinton

After hearing Jonathan Caouette speak to us at a hotel up by the Cannes Train Station we speed-walked down to the beach to get in our seats at the UK Pavilion to hear Tilda Swinton generously speak one-on-one with our group.

Here, the students are awaiting the arrival of Tilda. I know the background behind them is fairly white washed, but if I had adjusted the lighting on my camera correctly you would see the bright blue water of the Mediterranean underneath the bright white glow of huge yachts. Not a bad view.

Tilda was wonderful. Having just spoken to a crowd at Ebertfest in April with Roger and Nate (our professor/program director) we were able to somehow occupy a bit of her heavily sought-after time during the chaos of Cannes. She was open, lovely, honest, and insightful. Such an honor and a joy to have her speak to our group of budding film and journalism students.

She cited her two children serving as constant inspirations throughout her talk with us - especially when it comes to film. Not just acting in film, but appreciating film. Tilda described her home absent of television and video games, so when her children are exposed to movies, be it in a local Scottish theatre or simply watching Hitchcock classics in their home, she absolutely admires and is inspired by the way the children let the films wash over them and are absorbed into their young, honest psyches.

Tilda sipped on tea at first because her voice was wearing out from all of the interviews and panels she had participated in prior to speaking to us. Despite tirelessly fulfilling her duties as a lead actress in one of the most talked about films in competition, Tilda's mood and intention with us was nothing but uplifting and informative. She is a true professional. And her humility was surprising. When describing how she became involved in "We Need To Talk About Kevin" she recalled how she was dumbfounded that Lynne Ramsay and John C. Reilly even knew who she was. She seems to forget she's an Oscar-winning actress who is arguably one of the best of our time. I guess leading a secluded, normal life on the coast of Scotland could do that to a person. In her town she says she's "just her kids' mom" and at the vet she's "just her dogs' mom."

Shockingly, too, was her humor. At one point a nearby helicopter loudly started up and she childishly/mockingly stuck her pointer fingers in her ears and made a face. Smiling, she angrily demanded (in a pretending manner, of course), "Who is that [in the helicopter]?!" It made me daydream and imagine her marching over to the helicopter, knocking on its door, and telling its mystery passengers to quiet down so she could continue speaking to our group of university students in peace. She has the perfect combination of celebrity prowess and innate down-to-earth nature to be able to pull something like that off effectively.

I love this last shot shown below. This is Tilda's immediate reaction to our student, Donté Slocum's, question: "How have you grown as a person since you first started acting?" She pensively processed how to respond as the question really took her aback.

All in all, the concise, yet full thirty minutes we spent with Tilda on the patio of the UK Pavilion were so appreciated and sincere. She really took her time with our group. My perceptions of her before this talk and after could not be more different. She is such a normal, amazingly talented woman.

The day after she spoke to us Nate received an email from her apologizing for "rushing out of there." This completely unnecessary apology couldn't describe her character more. Genuine, kind, and classy. What an experience!