Toronto’s Westside Studio has added director Ryan Szulc (pronounced Schultz) to its roster. Based in Toronto, Szulc specializes in food and food culture, with a reel that includes work for brands including Boston Pizza, Casa Mendosa, President’s Choice and Maple Leaf Foods. The industry vet is known for his attention to detail and the ability to find the personality in food. Szulc has created a body of work that vividly reflects his philosophy of letting food do what it wants to do–whether it’s letting a cold drink sweat, cheese ooze from a burger, or ice cream melt down the side of a cone. Prior to joining Westside Studio, the director was repped by production house Sparks in Canada. He is not repped in the U.S. Introduced to photography by his late father, Szulc is also a highly regarded food photographer who has shot more than 50 cookbooks, many of which have gone on to win awards….
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More