MAKING ‘WONDER’
Stephen Chbosky was about 80 pages into “Wonder” when he turned the page and realized that the first-person perspective was going to change from one character to another.
“I realized what I thought was a great book was about to become a classic,” said the director and co-screenwriter of the film adaptation of “Wonder.” “I loved the multiple points of view so much, I knew I had to do it.”
Mr. Chbosky, 47, of Upper St. Clair, is best known as the novelist and screenwriter-director of “Perks of Being a Wallflower,” which he filmed in Pittsburgh. He also was co-writer of last year’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast,” but this was his first time directing and adapting someone else’s book — and not just any book, but a best-seller with avid young fans.
The project was presented to him at “a really profound time,” he said. “My son Theodore had just been born. There was something about having a son and reading this book and thinking about the world Theo is going to go into that compelled me to do it.”
The novel by R.J. Palacio, on Time Magazine’s 100 Best YA Books of All Time, jumpstarted the hashtag #ChooseKind that has been further ignited by the movie that opens Friday. Central to “Wonder” is Auggie Pullman, who is going to school for the first time as a fifth-grader. Born with “a mushed-up face” that required more than two dozen surgeries, Auggie has been schooled in the comfort and safety of the home he shares with his loving parents and sister, Via.
Julia Roberts as Auggie’s mom speaks for the audience as she watches her son walk into the schoolyard and whispers to herself, “Please, let them be kind.”
Kindness does not come
easily — particularly for a popular rich kid named Julian who is the Draco Malfoy of the Beecher Prep School set — but it is the key to the anti-bullying message that is central to the story. If you’ve seen the hashtag #ChooseKind, you have an idea of what “Wonder” is all about.
Daveed Diggs, a Tony Award winner for “Hamilton” in his first movie role, plays a homeroom teacher who imparts “precepts” to his students, starting with, “When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind.” That sentiment factored into Mr. Chbosky’s approach to directing Hollywood stars such as Ms.Roberts, Owen Wilson as Auggie’s dad and Mandy Patinkin as the principal, Mr. Tushman, plus a group of child actors.
“I told the crew and the cast that I felt strongly you could not make a movie about kindness without doing it with kindness,” Mr. Chbosky said. “So it was my rule that there be no yelling on set. If you had a disagreement, that was fine, but we would do it with respect and kindness. ... I’m proud that it was a loving, warm and supportive set.”
To play Auggie, Jacob Tremblay, the star of “Room” who turned 11 last month, endured up to 2 ½ hours in the makeup trailer and a half-hour removing it.
“He’s a very serious actor and a wonderful kid,” the director said. “When Jacob came out of the makeup trailer as Auggie, he was Auggie. Jacob wasn’t there anymore. And at the end of the day, Auggie would go in and Jacob would come out. … Every generation has one, maybe two standout child actors, and he is top of the list.”
Ms. Roberts joined the project because of her love for the book, which she read aloud to her children. The director thought of Mr. Wilson as Auggie’s father “because he is so funny and so warm, and everyone loves him; he’s just one of those guys. And my instinct told me that he and Julia would have good chemistry. They’re both Southerners — he’s from Texas; she’s from Georgia … They exceeded even my expectations, and my expectations were high.”
He “loved” that Mr. Patinkin moved his schedule around to play the relatively small role of Mr. Tushman.
“To have an actor of Mandy’s status play the principal, that’s how much good will this book has,” Mr. Chbosky said.
Via, short for Olivia, is played by Izabela Vidovic, 16, who has been acting on stage and screen since age 7. Via adores Auggie, but the amount of attention he demands from his parents leaves her with a mix of emotions, including guilt. The teenage point of view is explored through other characters as well, along with the perspectives of fifth-graders in Auggie’s orbit.
For readers who adore the book, they will see much of what attracted them to it on the screen, and differences as well.
Moviegoers want some things that are “new and fresh,” Mr. Chbosky said of adapting “Wonder” and his own book.
“But if you change too much, the audience and the readers will feel betrayed. The key is striking the balance where there is enough surprise for readers, but they always feel like the book was loved.”
The novel “Wonder” is recommended for thirdgraders (ages 8-9) and up, and the movie is rated PG for thematic elements including bullying and some mild language.
The adults who come should bring tissues, although Mr. Chbosky vows that he did not set out to make anyone cry. That would be unkind.
“Sometimes, we take projects where we don’t exactly know why we take them, until we’re done with it,” he said. “When I was done with this, I realized I needed it far more than it needed me. I was a much better person by the end of making ‘Wonder’ — a better father, a better husband, a better person and a better artist. There’s something about this story that just inspires goodness.”