It is exactly one month since Glee star Cory Monteith was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room from a toxic mix of heroin and alcohol.
After his castmates and girlfriend, Lea Michele, paid tribute to him over the weekend at the FOX Teen Choice Awards, a photo has been released from one of the last two movies he filmed. McCanick will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on September 9, the festival announced today.
In it, Cory plays a “drug addicted street hustler,” Director Josh C. Waller told Entertainment Weekly, “…he was wanting to tap into things from his youth — which he’s been very open about publicly. I think he saw the role as an opportunity for catharsis.”
In addition to McCanick, Cory’s other final movie, All The Wrong Reasons, will also premiere at TIFF.
At the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday, Cory’s co-stars spoke about filming the 5th season of Glee without their beloved friend.
Alex Newell (Unique) and Blake Jenner (Ryder) told US:
“It’s been very positive. I think it’s better that we are together than separate,” Blake told Us of the atmosphere on set. “We are all family.”
“It’s a family mood. We are all very happy to be back doing something we absolutely love, and it’s one of those experiences where we love to go to work every day now,” said Alex.
Naya Rivera (Santana) told E News on the Teen Choice Red Carpet:
“[We’re] definitely taking it day by day. I would say that something is definitely missing, and you can feel the shift, but I think that everybody’s really just leaning on each other and trying to do good work. I think that’s the most important.”
The entire cast has handled the press with grace and tact in the weeks following Cory’s death. Impressive, considering the cast and crew are also dealing with their own grief at the same time.
Ending this post on a sad note–yesterday, E News reported that movers were clearing Cory’s possessions out of his apartment at the Sunset Tower Residences in Hollywood, where he had a unit on the 12th floor. If you are feeling especially goulish, watch an “exclusive” video shot as the movers worked that E posted along with the article. Ugh.
McCanick Official Trailer