Miles Teller and director Ben Younger were thrilled to chat with us about Rhode Island boxing legend Vinny Pazienza at the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday. Teller, who plays Paz in the new film “Bleed for This,’’ said the boxer was always welcome on set during the local shoot — but that doesn’t mean he was there.

Younger, who filmed the biopic around Providence in 2014, explained that even though there was some concern that Paz would never leave the set (that can happen when subjects watch their lives re-created on film), the retired boxer was quick to bail. Younger said that when Paz realized it took hours to shoot only minutes of the movie, the retired boxer said, “This is so [expletive] boring.’’ Paz was happy to be around for pivotal moments to help Teller understand how to function with a metal rod brace attached to his head. (Paz wore the halo for months while recovering from a car accident in the early 1990s.) “Bleed for This’’ had its Toronto premiere Monday night at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Younger, Teller, and Aaron Eckhart, who plays trainer Kevin Rooney, mingled at a pre-screening party at the trendy Storys Building downtown before walking the red carpet.

Meredith Goldstein can be reached at meredith.goldstein@globe.com.