Chris Rock and Jennifer Garner: a TIFF 2014 red carpet roundup

From the whip-smart comedian Chris Rock, to the beautiful and articulate Rosario Dawson, the brilliantly bright smile of Jennifer Garner, and the strangely bristled Kevin Costner, it's hard to swing a press pass lanyard in Canada's biggest city without hitting a movie star as the Toronto International Film Festival hits its stride.

• PHOTOS GALLERY | TIFF 2014: Highlights from Day 3
• 5 things you need to know about TIFF on Sunday

In this TIFF weekend update, we take you behind the velvet rope to see some of our favourite faces, so far.

Big two promote Top Five

Chris Rock and Rosario Dawson walked the red carpet Saturday night for their new movie, Top Five. Rock wrote, directed and stars in the comedy about a famous, yet frustrated comedian whose career is at a crossroads.

Dawson plays a pluck journalist who helps shape Rock's transition by holding his feet to the fire. On the red carpet, Rock described what it was like to work with the stunning actress.

"Most times, you film a movie with a beautiful woman and you get used to her. You never get used to Rosario. Never."

• RAW VIDEO: Chris Rock unveils Top Five at TIFF 2014
• RAW VIDEO: Rosario Dawson on her relationship with Chris Rock​

Lending their star power and laughs to the movie are Rock's famously funny friends Kevin Hart, Tracy Morgan and Cedric the Entertainer.

Jennifer Garner unplugged

Montreal-born director Jason Reitman's new film Men, Women & Children explores the impact of constant online connectivity on people's lives.

But despite the subject matter Reitman took the unusual step of imposing a social media blackout on the set.

He says he wanted the cast to absorb the experience of making the movie.

• RAW VIDEO | Jennifer Garner on the red carpet

No such restriction was needed for Jennifer Garner, who plays an overprotective mother in the movie.

She says she's not on social media because she doesn't know what part of her personal life she'd want to share online.

In the video above, Garner describes how she protects her family from the lure of the digital world 

Simon Pegg on Robin Williams's last role

Simon Pegg (who is promoting movies Hector And The Search For Happiness and Kill Me Three Times at the fest) says his upcoming onscreen collaboration with Robin Williams will have a sadder tone as a result of the beloved comedian's recent suicide.

In Absolutely Anything, Pegg plays an embittered teacher who's suddenly granted the ability to do whatever he wants.

In a strictly vocal performance, Williams plays Pegg's dog in what is being considered his final performance.

Pegg laments the fact that he never actually got to work with Williams in the flesh, but confirms that Williams did finish his work on the film before his death. 

Black and White

Kevin Costner says he's thankful for the Toronto International Film Festival and the level of influence it has the film world.

Costner plays a lawyer who`s trying to raise his biracial granddaughter after the deaths of this wife and daughter.

• VIDEO | Black and White red carpet

He says TIFF can definitely help promote a film—but at the end of the day the picture has to be good to succeed. 

In the video above, Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer and Anthony Mackie talk about the state of race relation in America.

While We're Young

Naomi Watts and Amanda Seyfried were radiant on the red carpet for Noah Baumbach’s new film While We're Young.

The drama explores aging, ambition and success through the story of a middle-aged couple (played by Watts and Ben Stiller) whose lives collide with a 20-something pair (played by Seyfried and Adam Driver).

• RAW VIDEO | Ben Stiller at TIFF 2014

In the video above, While We're Young star, Ben Stiller, reflects on the festival and how social media has changed the way movies are made.

Have your say on which celebs demonstrate the best sartorial savvy in our TIFF 2014 fashion poll.

Follow all of CBC Arts TIFF coverage at cbc.ca/tiff.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs until Sept. 14.