New Rush Doc Says Proper Farewell to a King — And a Friend

'Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple' is both a portrait and a tribute to the man behind the words and pulse of the greatest power trio ever

A scene from the doc ‘Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple.’

“Two fat fingers” — that’s how Geddy Lee describes it. The singer and bassist for Rush is sitting in a private room of a restaurant that doubles as a wine cellar, and he’s just pulled a few choice selections from the shelf. He uncorks one and serves Alex Lifeson, fellow founding member and guitarist, who deadpans, “Oh, I’ve stopped drinking… but I’ll just start again now.” Lee fills his glass from a second bottle, bantering away with his lifelong pal before picking up a third. It’s not vino but a rich, brown spirit. Macallan 25, to be exact. This was the poison of choice of Neil Peart, Rush’s drummer for over 40 years. Whenever they’d finish for the day in the studio, or when Lee or Lifeson would drop by Peart’s place for a visit, he’d usually break out the Scotch.

And then Lee puts his digits next to the bottom of a tumbler and pours out “two fat fingers'” worth of Macallan into it. The glass sits there, untouched and gleaming in the light. They toast their absent friend. “The missing wingman,” Lifeson says. “The chair that isn’t here,” adds Lee.

It’s less than five minutes into Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple, a new documentary on — let’s not mince words — the greatest rock drummer of all time, and you can already feel yourself tearing up. The laughter and spontaneous applause within the Princess of Wales Theatre (located, appropriately enough, on King St.), where the movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last night, will be punctuated by audible sniffles for the rest of the screening. An extension of Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen’s definitive 2010 portrait Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, this moving look back at Peart’s life and work is a proper farewell to a king behind the kit. But it’s also a belated wake, celebrating the life of a philosopher who provided the words and pulse for a power trio that continually pushed the boundaries of where a rock song could go and what it could say. Instead of mourning an absence, it provides you with a presence. For the next few hours, the missing wingman doesn’t feel like he’s missing at all. The chair is right there in front of you.

Lee admits early on in the doc that he’d long wanted to pay tribute to Peart, who died on Jan. 7, 2020, but the pandemic threw a wrench into any immediate plans for a large-scale goodbye. A concert, which would have been the logical way to honor the man and his music, was eventually ruled out in favor of a documentary by filmmakers that he and Lifeson knew would handle the subject with sensitivity. Performance had to be a part of the mix, however, and the surviving members of Rush came up with a conceptual way of making it happen. Peart had a fraternity of “drum brothers” he’d befriended over the years, musicians who would hang out with him on the regular. Lee and Lifeson invited a quartet of them to jam on classic Rush songs. All of these drummers knew the parts. More importantly, they all knew Peart personally, which meant they had a genuine sense of the guy who created them.

So, yeah: If you’ve ever wanted to see Stewart Copeland take on “New World Man,” or Tool’s Danny Carey rock those insane fills in “Tom Sawyer,” or the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith bash out “Working Man,” or King Crimson‘s Gavin Harrison dig into the Roll the Bones deep cut “Dreamline,” now’s your chance. It sounds gimmicky, until you see a) how ecstatic everyone, especially Geddy and Alex, is while playing, and b) how the music allows them to collectively memorialize their late comrade. You witness how humbling it is for these hall-of-famers to try mastering the odd time signatures, weird switch-ups, and endurance-testing tours around the rack toms; it takes Carey, someone who can fluently switch between a 5/8 and 7/8 beat in the same song, more than several tries to nail the opening to 2112‘s “Overture.” And you also hear everyone use these tracks as a way to reminisce about Peart’s generosity, his kindness, his wicked sense of humor, and his way of filtering his perspective on the world through polyrhythms.

That’s just one aspect of No One’s Disciple, mind you — Dunn and McFadyen may be lucky enough to capture some truly once-in-a-lifetime sessions, but the focus remains on chronicling Peart’s arc from gangly Hamilton kid to worldly rock god. Using a number of interviews they conducted with the drummer for Beyond the Lighted Stage and testimonials from Neil’s old friends and other drummers, the film goes deep on his work ethic, his literary preoccupations, how a decision to relocate to London in his early twenties broadened his horizons. Upon initially meeting their future bandmate, Lee and Lifeson immediately judged the skinny dude bounding out of a Pinto as “goofy” and not nearly hip enough to join their group. Then he started playing triplets, and guess who was suddenly really cool? Neither the guitarist or the singer was keen on being the resident wordsmith, so Lifeson recalled saying to Peart, “We’ve noticed you read six to seven books a day — how’d you feel about writing lyrics?” The result was “Anthem.” The rest is history, etc.

Numerous milestones, from Peart studying with jazz player Freddie Gruber and reinventing his playing style to writing Ghost Rider, a memoir about riding motorcycles and grieving the loss of his wife and daughter, are dotted along the way. Both Lee and Lifeson reminisce about the gent nicknamed “the Professor,” occasionally becoming choked up. Yet the mood is never maudlin or sentimental. Lifeson isn’t above doing a devastating impersonation of Peart reciting the lyrics to “Working Man” in a stilted, staccato lilt, and everyone talks about how notoriously prickly he could be regarding his relationship to fans and fame. (The dude wrote a banger of a song about it!) Peart was well-known for being intensely private and virtually unknowable to most of the general public, but everyone in the film shares the Peart they were lucky enough to bond with — someone who valued loyalty, friendship, and sharing a Scotch with those who loved and admired as much as his happy solitude.

That the Toronto crowd who showed up for the premiere was in the pocket for all of it was not surprising — when “The Spirit of Radio” played over the end credits, everyone immediately broke into the audience-clapping part that’s long been a staple of the concert version. But Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple isn’t out to court fan service. The doc simply wants to be the tribute that Lee and Lifeson wanted to throw for their friend, and the joyous look back on a life that Peart deserves. It might be sadder hearing them play Rush songs with an all-star rotation of famous guests were it not for the epilogue, which introduces Anika Nilles and reminds folks, as if anyone needed reminders, that their current Fifty Something Tour finds them in extraordinary form once again. (During a post-screening Q&A, the documentarians noted that they found out the band was going back on the road in the middle of filming, but had become suspicious when the songs sounded like the two had definitely logged in rehearsal time before the cameras started rolling.)

Everyone knows Peart is irreplaceable. No one’s trying to replace him. Hearing his friends play those songs in the film, and hearing Nilles recreate his parts onstage, you realize that they’re not just honoring the legacy but preserving it. Peart is no longer here, but he remains in those songs. And while those present at the premiere were reverent, it fell upon Lee and Lifeson to add levity to the proceedings and keep things from feeling funereal. After walking onstage to applause during the introduction, Lee introduced his childhood friend as recent Toronto visitor “Alex Lifesberg.” “I would just echo what Ged said, if I understood a word of it,” Lifeson wisecracked. Both thanked the filmmakers, and let Chad Smith, also present, say a few words of praise. Then they let the movie, and the music, do the talking. It felt like Peart was there in theater, nodding at the lack of pomp and circumstance. Hopefully he was sipping two fat fingers of Macallan as well.

‘Widow’s Bay’ Wins Outstanding Comedy Series at 2026 Emmys.

A lot of questions lingered in the air before the 2026 Emmys: Would Vince Gilligan go-to Rhea Seehorn finally take home an Emmy? Would producers find a way to shoehorn variety-special nominee Taylor Swift into the broadcast? Was Widow’s Bay going to clean up after entering the awards with 19 nominations? Should the writers have questioned their judgment if they decided to open up the show with an extended “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” parody featuring dancers with TV sets on their heads? The answers to those questions are yes, yes, yes, and yes.The Widow’s Bay team did indeed take home a boatload (no pun intended) of Emmys: six on the night, which, added to the eight they’d already won at the earlier Creative Arts Emmys ceremony, brought their total to 14 — one more than the record for a comedy series set by The Studio last year. There were deserved honors for Jean Smart, Noah Wyle, and Stephen Colbert, and a moving speech by Michael J. Fox, who took home the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his advocacy for those living with Parkinson’s disease. But as with most awards shows, there were plenty of downs to go with those ups. Here, our list of the night’s highs, lows, and huh?s.

The only thing Kate O’Flynn is missing now is an antler crown. The Widow’s Bay actress and English-born “Lancashire lass” (as she called herself from the microphone) took home the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Patricia Moyer, the neurotic and socially awkward assistant to Matthew Rhys’ mayor Tom Loftis in the Apple TV comedy-horror hybrid. Flynn’s performance was praised by critics and audiences alike for its unhinged take on the outcast queen, which made her win a perfect start to the Emmys night. “I want to thank our mayor and all the residents of Widow’s Bay,” O’Flynn said onstage. “This is for all the Patricias out there.” —CT Jones

The Emmys took a rather unorthodox approach this year by having Law & Order star and non-comedian Mariska Hargitay host. She’s a tremendous talent, but the writers did her an enormous disservice by having her kick things off with a parody of the Arrows’ “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” entitled “I Love TV Screens.” It was painfully short on laughs despite cameos from Jalen Brunson and Jennifer Coolidge (sample lyric: “I got six hours so I should probably snooze/Memorize this script or read the news”), and featured dancers with TV screens on their heads. It felt like some weird fever dream of an award-show opener, but it was all too real. To be clear: We love Mariska Hargitay, the Arrows, Joan Jett, and many of the shows and stars nominated this year. They all deserved better. —Andy Greene

In a just world, the inaugural season of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer sequel series would have begun this year, and maybe even been nominated for an Emmy down the line. In this horrid, fallen world, Hulu pulled the plug on the new Buffy series after the pilot filmed. And we didn’t even get to see that. Instead, starved fans had to settle for the sight of former co-stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz presenting the award for Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. “I always thought Buffy and Angel would end up together,” said Boreanaz, setting Gellar up with a killer retort: “I guess we’ll never find out.” If any Hulu executives were in the audience, we hope they felt shame. Deep, deep shame. —A.G.

The Emmys screwed up over and over by not giving Rhea Seehorn a single award for her work over six seasons of Better Call Saul. (She was nominated for supporting actress twice.) Thankfully, Saul creator Vince Gilligan gave her another opportunity by casting her as the lead in his brilliant Apple TV show Pluribus. As Carol, one of the only people on the planet not infected with a mysterious alien mind virus, Seehorn was rageful, sarcastic, tender, bitter, funny, desperate, and everything in between. She had stiff competition for Lead Actress in a Drama Series from Zendaya, Kerri Russell, Chase Infiniti, and Carrie Coon, but it was finally Seehorn’s moment. “This is me on a beta blocker,” she said at the podium, appearing genuinely shocked. “Thank you, Vince Gilligan, for giving me not only the role of a lifetime, but creating space where we all get to collaborate and where we get to take risks as artists.” Let’s hope this inspires Gilligan to get Season Two of Pluribus onto the air. We’re tired of waiting. And Seehorn needs a second Emmy. —A.G.

Yes, it’s practically a legal requirement for awards shows to feature a bunch of cheesy jokes, so we can forgive all who are forced to deliver them during these televised ceremonies. But watching John Mulaney turn two minutes of presenter prattle for Lead Actor in a Drama Series into a laugh-a-second rant about how the night was finally recognizing men really drove home just how much skill it takes to make awards-show work look easy. Only a world-class comedian could manage to fit an excoriation of billion-dollar streamers, an excerpt from the Frank Vincent self-help book A Guy’s Guide to Being a Man’s Man, and an immediately censored joke about DJ Khaled’s strong belief on the power of going down on your wife into one completely smooth speech. Television Academy: That feels like a successful job audition to us. John Mulaney for Emmys 2027 host? —CTJ

Tom Pelphrey’s career has had a bit of a journeyman quality. He’s been kicking around Hollywood for 20 years now, turning in solid work in series like Iron Fist and Ozark. Still, there was little indication he had a performance in him like the one he delivered in Season One of Task. As the doomed Delco trash man Robbie, who wanted to do right by his family but chose the wrong path to get there, he was vulnerable and haunted, reckless and scared, desperate and hopeful all at the same time. Yes, he may have been in a category where three Pitt actors drove a vote-split, but Pelphrey didn’t steal that Supporting Actor in a Drama statue — he more than earned it. —Maria Fontoura

The Emmys had a tricky Taylor Swift problem this year: Her concert special, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour: The Final Show, was nominated for five awards, but none of those categories were part of the primetime broadcast. The Emmys also happened to coincide with a Kansas City Chiefs game, and the newlywed was obviously going to support her NFL-star husband. So it wasn’t really plausible for Swift to attend the ceremony — even though she’s such a huge Mariska Hargitay fan that she named her cat Olivia Benson. The solution: Have Swift cameo in a pre-taped bit where the Law & Order: SVU detectives try to figure out whether Taylor Swift would actually appear at the Emmys. Swift emerged midway through the segment as one of the officers, at one point cuddling Olivia Benson the cat in her arms. She even rattled off a code (“saccharide, Aries, from the vineyard, north or south”) that Swifties are surely working hard to decipher right now. —A.G.

Matthew Rhys isn’t just celebrating two Emmys win tonight — he’s also celebrating making history. The Widow’s Bay and The Beast in Me star took home the trophies for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, making him the first actor to win two lead-acting spots in the same ceremony, and the first male actor to nab all three lead acting spots overall. (Rhys won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2018 for his work on The Americans.) Not only that, when Widow’s Bay took home the night’s final award, Outstanding Comedy Series, Rhys racked up another statue as executive producer. If it had to be any male actor to bring home all that hardware, thank god it’s the delightful Welshman behind such memorable characters as Widow’s Bay mayor Tom Loftis, murderous real-estate magnate Nile Jarvis, and Soviet KGB sleeper agent Philip Jennings. Makes sense that his first words onstage were as strong as his filmography. “If you try to play me off, I’ll stab you in the eyes with this,” Rhys joked to the orchestra, holding his spiky-winged statue high. —CTJ

We got pretty misty watching Macaulay Culkin, Dan Levy, and Annie Murphy pay tribute to the great Catherine O’Hara. Then Noah Kahan stepped up to the mic to sing Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” for the In Memoriam segment, backed by a string section, and all bets were off. It’s a difficult song to deliver, with some fairly high notes, but Kahan nailed every one as images of Hayden Panettiere, Robert Carradine, Robert Duvall, Robert Carradine, Vincent Pastore, Gene Shalit, Sam Neill, Tim Curry, James Burrows, and even Bob Mackie — who died just hours before the broadcast — flashed onscreen. By the time Jamie Lee Curtis stepped onstage to honor Rob Reiner, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. —A.G.

Matthew Rhys wins Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Award for ‘Widow's Bay’ and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Award for ‘The Beast in Me’ at 2026 Emmy Awards.

The 2026 Emmy Awards are here — and the stars have come out in full force to celebrate the best in television and accept their trophies.

This year, medical drama The Pitt led all nominees with 25, including Outstanding Drama Series, a distinction the show won last year alongside acting wins for stars Noah Wylie and Katherine LaNasa. This year, Wylie, LaNasa, Patrick Ball, Shawn Hatosy, Gerran Howell, Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif, and Sepideh Moafi are all nominated for their performances.

Hacks trailed just behind with 24 nominations, and set a record for most Emmy nominations for a single season of TV comedy. Alongside vying for Outstanding Comedy Series, star Jean Smart is looking to win her fifth straight Outstanding lead Actress in a Comedy series prize for her portrayal of Deborah Vance, while Hannah Einbinder is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, which she won in 2025.

Two breakout shows earned impressive nominations this year: Pluribus and Widow’s Bay. Widow’s Bay, the macabre comedy about a cursed New England island, earned 19 nominations, including acting looks for stars Matthew Rhys, Stephen Root, Dale Dickey, and Kate O’Flynn.

Meanwhile, Pluribus, the post-apocalyptic sci-fi series from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, garnered 18 nominations. Star Rhea Seehorn is up for an acting Emmy after twice losing for her celebrated turn on Gilligan’s Breaking Bad prequel series, Better Call Saul. Her co-stars Carlos-Manuel Vesga and Karolina Wydra are also nominated for their performances.

Other notable nominees this year include Beef and DTF St. Louis, which led the Limited Series categories. And perennial Emmy favorites, including Only Murders in the Building, Abbott Elementary, Slow Horses, The Bear, and The Diplomat all picked up nominations.

Check below for the full list of winners (bolded) as they are announced.

2026 Emmy Nominations

Outstanding Drama SeriesThe DiplomatThe Gilded AgeA Knight of the Seven KingdomsParadiseThe PittPluribusSlow HorsesYour Friends and Neighbors

Outstanding Comedy SeriesAbbott ElementaryThe BearHacksMargo’s Got Money TroublesNobody Wants ThisOnly Murders in the BuildingShrinkingWidow’s Bay

Outstanding Limited Or Anthology SeriesAll Her FaultThe Beast in MeBeefDTF St. LouisLove Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama SeriesCarrie Coon, The Gilded AgeChase Infiniti, The TestamentsKeri Russell, The DiplomatRhea Seehorn, PluribusZendaya, Euphoria

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama SeriesSterling K. Brown, ParadiseGary Oldman, Slow HorsesMark Ruffalo, TaskRufus Sewell, The DiplomatNoah Wyle, The Pitt

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy SeriesYahya Abdul-Mateen II, Wonder ManSteve Carell, RoosterMatthew Rhys, Widow’s BayJason Segel, ShrinkingMartin Short, Only Murders in the Building

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy SeriesQuinta Brunson, Abbott ElementaryAyo Edebiri, The BearElle Fanning, Margo’s Got Money TroublesLisa Kudrow, The ComebackJean Smart, Hacks

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or MovieClaire Danes, The Beast in MeSally Field, Remarkably Bright CreaturesCarey Mulligan, BeefSarah Pidgeon, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn BessetteSarah Snook, All Her Fault

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or MovieRiz Ahmed, BaitJason Bateman, Black RabbitCharlie Hunnam, Monster: The Ed Gein StoryOscar Isaac, BeefMatthew Rhys, The Beast in Me

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama SeriesPatrick Ball, The PittBilly Crudup, The Morning ShowShawn Hatosy, The PittGerran Howell, The PittTom Pelphrey, TaskCarlos-Manuel Vesga, Pluribus

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama SeriesTaylor Dearden, The PittFiona Dourif, The PittAllison Janney, The DiplomatKatherine LaNasa, The PittJulianne Nicholson, ParadiseKarolina Wydra, Pluribus

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy SeriesPaul W. Downs, HacksColman Domingo, Four SeasonsHarrison Ford, ShrinkingNick Offerman, Margo’s Got Money TroublesStephen Root, Widow’s BayMichael Urie, ShrinkingTyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy SeriesHannah Einbinder, HacksDale Dickey, Widow’s BayKate O’Flynn, Widow’s BayJanelle James, Abbott ElementaryMegan Stalter, HacksJessica Williams, Shrinking

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or MovieLinda Cardellini, DTF St. LouisDakota Fanning, All Her FaultJoy Sunday, DTF St. LouisLaurie Metcalf, Monster: The Ed Gein StoryConstance Zimmer, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or MovieJason Bateman, DTF St. LouisRichard Gadd, Half ManDavid Harbour, DTF St. LouisNick Offerman, Death by LightningRichard Jenkings, DTF St. Louis

Outstanding Reality Competition ProgramDancing With the StarsRuPaul’s Drag RaceSurvivorTop ChefThe Traitors

Outstanding Variety SeriesThe Daily ShowJimmy Kimmel Live!Last Week Tonight With John OliverThe Late Show With Stephen ColbertSaturday Night Live

Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen

Seth Rogen was officially welcomed into TIFF’s Canadian hall of fame Sunday night, receiving the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award at the festival’s annual Tribute Awards.

The Vancouver-born actor, writer, producer and director was honoured for a career that has stretched from Freaks and Geeks and Superbad to Pineapple Express, The Fabelmans and the Emmy-winning Apple TV+ series The Studio. The award recognizes Canadian talent whose work has made a global impact.

Rogen accepted the honour at the Fairmont Royal York, where the evening brought together a star-heavy mix of Hollywood figures and Canadian power players, with Prime Minister Mark Carney in attendance, walking the TIFF Tribute Awards red carpet alongside stars including Helen Mirren and Penélope Cruz.

Seth Rogen surprised by Mark Carney at TIFF event

Rogen's longtime collaborator Anna Kendrick introduced him, describing him as having the "best heart and worst laugh in Hollywood." Rogen stars opposite Kendrick in Babies, directed by his wife Lauren Miller Rogen, which premiered at the festival this week. The comedy follows a couple confronting the question of whether they actually want children after a friend and her baby enter their lives.

Rogen is also part of Tangles, an animated film he co-produced and voices, based on Sarah Leavitt's graphic memoir about Alzheimer's disease. Rogen and his wife have long been advocating around Alzheimer's, having previously produced the documentary Taking Care.

Dave Chappelle in Las Vegas in 2025.

Dave Chappelle is heading out on tour this fall. The comedian will perform his new comedy set Karmageddon across seven dates this October and November, including a special performance the 22nd New York Comedy Festival at Madison Square Garden.

Kicking things off in Nashville on Oct. 20, Chappelle will tour across the United States and Canada, making his way through Charlotte, Toronto, and Austin, among other cities. The tour will end in New York as he opens New York’s Comedy Festival on Nov. 6 at Madison Square Garden.

“Dave is one of the defining comedians of his generation and, without question, one of the greatest stand-up comedians of all time,” founder and owner of the New York Comedy Festival Caroline Hirsch said in a statement. “To have Dave close out his tour by opening our festival is spectacular.”

Karmageddon will be a tech-free experience, according to a press release. Attendees will have their devices (phones, smart watches, etc.) secured in Yondr pouches and they will be unlocked after the show’s conclusion. Anyone using their phones during the set will be escorted out of the venue, and if needed, devices can be unlocked and used in special areas of each venue.

General ticket sales go live at Thursday, Sept. 17 at 12:00 p.m. local time via Live Nation. Citi cardholders will have access to a special presale beginning tomorrow, Sept. 15 at 10:00 a.m. local time.

Chappelle has had a busy 2026. He spent most of the summer performing, including in his hometown Yellow Springs, OH for the sixth annual installment of his Summer Camp outdoor comedy performances. In August, he hosted Diaspora Calling! Festival in London, which featured performances from Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean (though their set was abruptly cut short due to a noise ordinance, which Chappelle criticized).

Last week, Chappelle appeared at NYC Still Rising After 25 Years: A 9/11 Charities Comedy Benefit alongside Jon Stewart, Nikki Glaser, Aziz Ansari, Bill Burr, and more. His most recent comedy special The Unstoppable was released last December.

Dave Chappelle Karmageddon Tour Dates

Oct. 20 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone ArenaOct. 21 — Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum CenterOct. 23 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank ArenaOct. 24 — Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! CenterOct. 26 — Austin, TX @ Moody CenterOct. 28 — Houston, TX @ Toyota CenterNov. 6 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden (New York Comedy Festival)

Helen Mirren attends Netflix's “The Thursday Murder Club” New York Screening at The Plaza Hotel on August 14, 2025 in New York City

The ongoing trade war between the United States and Canada has seeped into culture. With the Toronto International Film Festival well under way, more and more stars are using their time onstage and on the red carpet to decry Donald Trump's tariffs, comments, and his recent renaming of Lake Ontario to 'Lake America'.

British legend Dame Helen Mirren was among them. The iconic actress is in Toronto, where she received a TIFF Tribute award last night. Speaking to Radio-Canada, she expressed support to Canadians, adding that she feels like she's one of us. ''I want to defend all of Canada, French and English,'' she said. ''I wanted to print t-shirts before I came here that said 'We Are All Canadians', because I believe it's important that everyone supports Canada in this particular moment.''

She also took time in her speech to honour two pioneering women who inspired her, Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinem. “I was remembering what was allowed of women as I came into the professional world, when I was 13 or 14. You couldn't buy a house on your own if you're a woman. You couldn't have a credit card on your own if you were a woman.[...] And then came along two incredible farm girls. Do you know who they were? Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinem. It is so hard to change culture, but these two women did it in their very different ways. They did it with humor, with tenacity and with huge intelligence. So I thank them both, and I dedicate this fabulous groundbreaking award to them.”

Helen Mirren will be back on our screens as Maeve Harrigan in the second season of crime drama series MobLand, which premieres September 18.