The Patron brunch at Telluride is an annual tradition held on a picturesque overlook where the festival’s talent gather and meet festival attendees before the screenings kick off.
This year, early arrivals included Hamnet stars Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, who posed for photographers before minging in the crowd. Rose Byrne and Mary Bronstein, the director of her film If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, told me they beelined for Jodie Foster when they got to the brunch, as self-proclaimed fans of her. They’ll be on a panel with her during the festival. Other talent spotted among the crowd were Colin Farrell (in town for Ballad of the Small Player), Zoey Deutch (Nouvelle Vague), Jeremy Strong (Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere), Stellan Skarsgard (Sentimental Value) and son Alexander Skarsgard (Pillion), and Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon).
Scott Cooper, the director of Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, told me he’s feeling confident about the movie’s first screening later that evening. The film, which follows Bruce Springsteen as he works on his Nebraska album, stars Jeremy Allen White and featured White really singing throughout. Cooper told me he’s feeling good because Springsteen has seen the movie four or five times at this point, and loved it. “I’m feeling confident and hoping people can see themselves in this story,” he says.
White was also at the brunch, experiencing Telluride for the first time. He saw the completed film for the first time just a few days ago. Though he says he has a hard time watching his own work, he felt good about this one. Fest goers were constantly going up to him to tell him both about their love of Springsteen, which White says has been happening frequently.
On my way out, I spotted Elle Fanning and Renate Reinsve, the stars of Cannes darling Sentimental Value, making their way out as well. We made it to our cars just as the rain started to pour down.
