  Gwyneth Paltrow meets her demise in the film "Contagion". (Supplied photo) |
It's not spoiling anything -- since it's revealed in the trailer and happens early on in the movie -- to discuss Gwyneth Paltrow's death in Contagion.
Indeed, it leads to one of the film's most effective moments as Matt Damon, who stars as her husband in Steven Soderbergh's virus-themed thriller, learns she's abruptly died.
"I went to Steven and said, 'Look, I don't know what to do. How do you do this scene?' It's five minutes in the movie -- we're not emotionally invested in me or her."
So Damon and Soderbergh sought advice from a doctor who deals with grieving families. "(This doctor) said, 'Yeah, people fall apart, but there is this other reaction that we get just as much.'
"And I said, 'What is it?' And he said, 'Well, it depends on what kind of death it is. Is it the kind of death where you're not expecting someone to be dead?'
"And we said, 'That exactly!' And he goes, 'Well, what you get a lot is " it's just too much.' That's a reaction people have -- they literally can't (process it)."
So in the movie, Damon's character, after being told of Paltrow's death, immediately asks to speak to her.
"I've never seen it done that way," he says.
RETIREMENT PARTY: We still aren't sure if Soderbergh is retiring, but we do know this: Don't tell Damon anything when he's been drinking that you don't want him to remember.
Turns out, Damon was the one who first announced the Ocean's Eleven and Traffic director was going to retire.
"He's got total recall when he's drunk, which is really alarming," Soderbergh says.
Meaning that -- even though Soderbergh has said he wants to leave films for painting -- it probably won't be a permanent break from moviemaking.
Besides, he still has three more films to shoot before he supposedly quits: Magic Mike, a male stripper movie with Channing Tatum; The Man from UNCLE, based on the 1960s spy series; and Liberace, starring Michael Douglas and Damon.
HELLO AGAIN, HOGTOWN: Already one of the busiest actresses around (The Tree of Life, The Help), Jessica Chastain was at the Toronto International Film Festival promoting Take Shelter with Michael Shannon.
Next stop?
Uh, would you believe Toronto again?
Chastain is signed to star in Mama, a horror thriller produced by Benicio Del Toro, in which director Andres Muschietti will expand his acclaimed short about a mother with evil intent into feature length.
The movie is skedded to begin filming in Toronto Oct. 5.
In this version, Chastain is reportedly an adoptive mom who plans to use her adoptees in a bid to restore life to her dead biological children.
STILL RESIDENT: We should have known the Resident Evil franchise wouldn't leave us hanging.
Post-tsunami, star Milla Jovovich tweeted that she was looking forward to filming the fifth instalment of the unkillable video-game-based movie series in Japan.
Laudable enough, bringing them business in the wake of the tragedy.
But, however much location filming they plan to do in Japan, Resident Evil: Retribution is booked to film in Hogtown again, from Oct. 10-Dec. 23.
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