Caitlin Cronenberg on shooting Keira Knightley, Sarah Gadon and more for 'The Endings'

September 12, 2018

Leave it to <strong><a href="/tags/0/caitlin-cronenberg/">Caitlin Cronenberg</a></strong> to make heartbreak look so beautiful. Teaming up with New York City-based art director Jessica Ennis, the award-winning photographer tells stunning stories of love, loss, heartbreak and starting over in her latest book <em>The Endings</em> – a project that has been seven years in the making.
<p>“You work on something for so long and you think, ‘I hope people are going to like it at the end of all this.’ Just seeing the response we’re getting ... it’s humbling, and makes me feel very proud,” says Caitlin, daughter of acclaimed Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg.
Featuring some of today’s most beloved actresses – including <strong>Julianne Moore</strong>, <strong>Patricia Clarkson</strong> and <strong>Amanda Brugel</strong> – the photographic stories explore a range of life experiences. <strong>Here, the mother of one shares the stories behind some of the book's most striking images...</strong>
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“I think that what I liked most about it is that it’s not like ‘this is a picture of Julianne Moore’s face, so buy the book,’” Caitlin explained of the cover image, which was a very hard choice for the duo and their publishers. “It’s a picture of the drama, almost without realizing who it is. It’s very eye-catching. It’s just dramatic and cinematic as you walk past.”

Leave it to Caitlin Cronenberg to make heartbreak look so beautiful. Teaming up with New York City-based art director Jessica Ennis, the award-winning photographer tells stunning stories of love, loss, heartbreak and starting over in her latest book The Endings – a project that has been seven years in the making.

“You work on something for so long and you think, ‘I hope people are going to like it at the end of all this.’ Just seeing the response we’re getting ... it’s humbling, and makes me feel very proud,” says Caitlin, daughter of acclaimed Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg.
Featuring some of today’s most beloved actresses – including Julianne Moore, Patricia Clarkson and Amanda Brugel – the photographic stories explore a range of life experiences. Here, the mother of one shares the stories behind some of the book's most striking images...

“I think that what I liked most about it is that it’s not like ‘this is a picture of Julianne Moore’s face, so buy the book,’” Caitlin explained of the cover image, which was a very hard choice for the duo and their publishers. “It’s a picture of the drama, almost without realizing who it is. It’s very eye-catching. It’s just dramatic and cinematic as you walk past.”

<h2>ELEANOR TOMLINSON</h2>
"We wanted the stories to feel like fiction. It's a more fun visual when you can create something a bit more extreme," Caitlin explained of the 28 backstories underpinning the spreads. "All of them come from somewhere, whether it's just emotion that's real or a real story."
<p>When asked about the photo she loves most, Caitlin knew right away. "My favourite is this one of Eleanor Tomlinson, where she's walking and the car light is lighting up her dress," she said of the striking shot featuring the <em>Poldark</em> star. "That was the other one that we were considering for the cover, but it didn't end up being as dramatic as the [Julianne Moore photo]."

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY

"Keira's fantastic! She is like the most fun person to spend the day with." Caitlin gushed of the Colette star, who had recently welcomed her daughter Edie while the photographer was quite pregnant. "We spent a lot of the day talking about funny pregnancy things, funny birth stories, baby things and horrifying truths about childbirth.

The 33-year-old also revealed that she flew to New York for this shoot, cutting the timing really close to when she was too pregnant to fly. Though no one would insure her, the photographer forged ahead, something women do because of "our dedication to things that we think are important enough to take risks for."

Despite having a somber storyline, Keira impressed Caitlin with her ability to go in and out of character. "Her story is a little bit dark, so it was actually amazing to watch her just joke around with us and have a great time, then so quickly flip a switch." She added: "Not everybody does that. Some like to be in character throughout the entire shoot. Some people have an easier time slipping in and out of it."

SARAH GADON

Shooting Canadian actress Sarah Gadon, who next stars in Xavier Dolan's The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, was a highlight for Caitlin. "I love shooting with her anytime I get to shoot with her, even though she's like a friend. It's not work at all. It's the best. We've been [close] for almost 10 years now. It's a different experience every time. She's my favourite."

This familiarity was likely an asset since Sarah's story was their second, when they were still trying to figure out what they were doing. "We shot it up near Jess Grant's house. She was actually burning Jess's boyfriend box, from all of her high school relationships. That was a fun one because she was very trusting of us. She set the fire in the woods in [Toronto suburb] Thornhill. We had fires going on one summer night. It was a really fun hang out experience. Felt like teenagers doing bad things, but we weren't."

<h2>AMANDA BRUGEL</h2>
She's captivated audiences on <em>The Handmaid's Tale</em>, but Caitlin has been a fan of her good friend for years. "She just gets cooler and greater with every passing day. She's an incredible mom, an incredible friend, an incredible actor, obviously. I'm just thrilled that the world gets it now, because I've known this for years."
<p>This particular shoot was a highlight because Amanda's sons - Jude, 7, and three-year-old Phoenix - took part. "Her boys are like gorgeous and adorable and polite and sweet. They were so fun to work with," said the mom of two-year-old Charles Wolfgang. "Her mom was on set, too, hanging out with them while she was in makeup. It was a beautiful thing to have everybody there."