Hey All!
I recently had the amazing opportunity to attend the press junket for the amazing new Disney film A Wrinkle In Time! It was so amazing to be in the same room with so many incredible women and legends. I was in the same room as Oprah ya’ll! She was 2 feet away from me and it was incredible! In attendance at this press event was Oprah Winfrey (“Mrs. Which”), Reese Witherspoon (“Mrs. Whatsit”), Mindy Kaling (“Mrs. Who”), Storm Reid (“Meg Murry”), Chris Pine (“Dr. Alex Murry”), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (“Dr. Kate Murry”), Zach Galifianakis (“The Happy Medium”), Rowan Blanchard (“Veronica”), Levi Miller (“Calvin”), Deric McCabe (“Charles Wallace Murry”), Director Ava DuVernay and Jennifer Lee (Screenplay by).
The event was run like a Q&A with a moderator and here are some of the awesome fun facts we learned during the Q&A about the film and cast. And also how cute is Reese smiling at me below! She smiled and I took her pic and said thanks! She’s so sweet!
First Chris Pine was asked what was it like playing a scientist in this very complex story about wanting to move the narrative forward as a culture but the culture’s not ready for it?
CHRIS PINE:
Well, I had so much fun with this guy, Dr. Alexander. He is the coolest! This may answer your question or not. He is so cool. And this book, Jazz of Physics, I love jazz and I love John Coltrane. He opens the book talking about the music of the universe and how music and John Coltrane and physics and stars are one of the same thing and I was just, I fell in love with this guy. I could talk to him for hours. The poor guy was having emails all the time asking him the dumbest things of all time. You know what I really loved about the whole thing? Something he said that I thought was really interesting and this may be part of the movie or not, but he was talking about how in what he’s doing now. It’s like we are all part of the same thing and in his academic studies. He not only studies physics but he studies music and then he studies painting, and then he studies… it’s like this incredible hive of a bursting mind. So I think that’s what I really enjoyed about this character is that his brain is just hungry and searching and explorative. And obviously that ambition to do great things is propels him forward to do some wonderful things scientifically, but unfortunately that kind of shadow side of him, ambition, it disconnects from what is most important in his life and what requires his daughter to reintroduce him to, which is the spirit and the beauty and regenerative quality of being next to human beings, touching and feeling and holding and kissing. All those things that make us human.
They asked Storm Reid what she was feeling right now that the movie is being released soon and people are starting to see it now.
STORM REID:
Yes. I’m really excited. I haven’t been nervous this entire time, which is surprising for me because I’m usually always nervous. So I haven’t been nervous. I think I’ll be a little bit nervous tomorrow because I feel like this is our baby and this is our thing that we created and we love it so much and it’s so great, but we’re giving it to people for them to criticize it, for them to either like it or love it or not like it at all. So that’s a little bit nerve-wracking, but I feel like we did a good job and I’m really proud of us so I’m really happy and it’s a blessing.
Ava DuVernay was asked how her art of filmmaking is saving her these days, since Guillermo Del Toro just said that about Shape of Water. He needed that to keep him out of the dark hole because we are all experiencing this crazy reality right now, and that for kids it’s even more important for them to see the light.
AVA DUVERNAY:
Yeah, they’re living in a chaotic time. We’re living in a chaotic time as adults. But imagine if you’ve only been on the earth for 10 years, and 11 years, and 12 years, the tension that you feel and so to be able to just give a little breather and to say who you are is enough, and this is how you’re gonna make it through by finding something in yourself that guides you. We all have that little voice inside of us and a lot of times we don’t listen to it. A friend of mine had a tremendous, tremendous episode of peer pressure of gigantic proportions that I’d never experienced or seen just a couple of weeks ago when the whole country, well a lot of the country, was saying you should run for president. She said…
They asked her jokingly what friend was that. We all knew she was talking about Oprah!
AVA DUVERNAY:
She said, y’all, the voice inside of me says I am not your president. I can do good in the world in a different way. I probably would’ve even said, if everybody thinks I should, I’m gonna give it a try. That’s what we need more to tap into, your own voice. She’s the strongest I’ve ever met.
They asked Oprah is she felt like life was imitating art as she played this role, since the role was so perfect for her.
OPRAH WINFREY:
Yes, I did. As a matter of fact, I actually did. No, you all have heard me say this before and it’s so true. Ava and I are talking on the phone and when she went to New Zealand and posted pictures of scouting for New Zealand, I have been in New Zealand the year before, in Auckland and did not get to the South Island. And I had wanted to do that. Everybody says, you didn’t get to the South Island, you haven’t really seen New Zealand. So when I heard that she was going to be filming in New Zealand, I said to you, I’m going. I’m just gonna go. And she goes, what do you mean, go? I go, I’m just gonna go hang out with you for however long it takes, I’m gonna block it on my schedule, I’m gonna be there, I’m gonna watch you shoot and say action. She said, well if you’re serious about that, you’d actually come to New Zealand? I go, for sure I’m gonna be there. And she said well, why not take a look at the script? I’ve been wanting to ask you to do this, but I didn’t want to pressure you because of our friendship. I go, okay, I’ll do it. I didn’t even know what it was. I’ll do it. And then I thought, okay, let me read the book, see what this is.
They asked Reese about how she felt playing her sassy character.
REESE WITHERSPOON:
She does know. Well, just being in the movie, I had a version of Oprah’s story, too, where my agent called me and said, Ava Duvernay wants you to be in a movie and I said Yes! Great, when do I show up? They were like, oh no, she has to take a meeting. I was like, oh, okay, has to take a meeting. Oh yeah, I’m sorry. And so I sat across from her, I was like, really you want me? And she was like really! It’s very flattering to be chosen to be part of Ava’s movies because she doesn’t just make a movie, she makes an experience for everyone. She cares about what happens in front of the camera and she cares about what happens behind the camera. And everybody feels like they are important, special, honored, and valued for their contributions. I feel like this was a masterclass in how to be a very thoughtful filmmaker. And a real visionary. In so many ways. So it was a privilege and an honor and I got to be this amazing celestial person, who hangs out with Oprah and Mindy all day.
Mindy just had a baby, so they asked her how she was feeling right now and what was it like being one of the Mrs.’s?
MINDY KALING:
It’s absolutely incredible. I can’t believe that I was selected to do this. It’s such an honor to act with all these incredible actors. I mean, I’m a sitcom actress and Ava saw something in me and we actually met at a party. It was for Malala. And Ava, Malala and I were the only three women of color at this big party. And after I finished talking to Malala, Malala was seated to my left and Ava was seated over there and once I finished talking to Malala, I was like, I really want to talk to Ava. And after I finished talking to her, we had a great conversation and I thought, you know what, our genres are so different, we’ll never cross paths, and then this happened. So I feel so blessed to be part of it. And to wake up every morning and spend four hours in the makeup trailer with these two was great.
They asked Zach Galifianakis how her got on board with A Wrinkle in Time.
ZACH GALIFIANAKIS:
Ava wanted to have lunch, or dinner, and I said, who’s paying?
AVA DUVERNAY:
I did.
We all laughed of course!
ZACH GALIFIANAKIS:
I had seen the documentary that Ava had done and that alone was enough. You can kind of see people and their work and you see it in their work and I think you played the game “Which One Doesn’t Belong Here?” I feel like that sometimes when I get hired but Ava and all the people here were very gracious and I think when you’re a stand-up comic you kind of have sometimes, not a chip on your shoulder, but you don’t feel like, that’s where I come from and to be involved in such a big, big, big movie like this is really, it makes me feel real proud. But…I think Josh Gad would’ve been better!
And that’s all folks! They all were so awesome to meet and chat with! I got to meet them after the event and it was awesome. Some I had met before, but it’s always amazing to be in the amazing company of such incredible women! I saw the movie and I can’t wait to share our thoughts on the film this Friday! Stay tuned!
A WRINKLE IN TIME opens in theatres everywhere on March 9th! Get your tickets now!
You can find more about the film on their website here: http://movies.disney.com/a-wrinkle-in-time
Welcome!
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