Two of the stars of 'Moving On' shared some personal stories at TIFF.

With their new film Moving On making its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, stars Malcolm McDowell and Richard Roundtree sat down for an interview with Collider to discuss the inception of the film and how their careers have progressed to this point. The film stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as friends Claire and Evvie who reunite at their mutual friend's funeral and decide to seek vengeance against her husband for what he did to them in the past. McDowell finds himself the target, while Roundtree sees her more tender side as her ex-husband who has re-entered her life.

During a discussion with Collider Editor-in-Chief Steve Weintraub, McDowell and Roundtree looked back at the moment when they realized they could make a career of acting. Roundtree recalled two key moments when he felt comfortable about his future in the industry. The obvious answer that kicked off his prominence in Hollywood was Shaft, the 1971 action classic that ushered in an era of Blaxploitation films and starred Roundtree as its title character, thus paving a path to stardom for him. He remembered an early occasion on stage that solidified his confidence as an actor, saying:

After the premiere of Shaft, that’s when, I’m really going back now, I remember my grandmother, who lived to be 103 years old, I took her to see a play I was doing way off Broadway, Canal Street. And it was 25 people in there, it was standing room only, and Ms. Lucy is standing in front of the stage and watching this play go on, and I was in the wings watching her. After the play was over, I went over, and I said ‘Ms. Lucy, what did you think of the play?’ And she looked at me, ‘Boy, is that the way you gonna make a living?’ But that was the start for me when I felt it, comfortable on stage. Then we had the Shaft premiere and I said “Hmm, this might go somewhere.’

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McDowell also cited theater as a point where he knew he made it, but he mentioned if.... as his big breakout role that solidified his career. Following a long development process, the film won the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1969 and, as McDowell so eloquently put it, "That was it, kiss my ass, I'm gone." Despite it being the role that landed him A Clockwork Orange after Stanley Kubrick saw the film, the star emphasized the dedication required to be an actor and how much joy he got out of simply being able to act:

Well, I started out, you know, as a 20-year-old actor in weekly rep. That’s one play a week during the Summer season. And I was paid, I think, eight pounds a week which would probably be today maybe 50 dollars a week. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. It’s all a matter of where you are in life. I was just as happy on that as I was getting great big sums because it’s a matter of where you’re at artistically, being free and having fun, I think. So, in terms of money, don’t ever be an actor if you want to be rich or famous. Forget it. If you want to be a good professional that’s something else you can work on really hard and that’s it.

Moving On was written and directed by Paul Weitz, who also participated in the discussion. Currently, there's no release date or trailer for the film. Keep an eye out for our exclusive interview with Weitz, McDowell, and Roundtree.

Ryan O'Rourke is a senior news writer for Collider and lifelong gamer. A diehard Cubs fan, he contributes to a FanSided blog on the side and can be found glued to a baseball game or his Switch during his spare time.

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