By Aphrodite M.
"Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer" is a cheerful, family film directed by John Schultz and based on the children’s books by Megan McDonald. Judy (Jordan Beatty) is a 3rd grader who hopes to have the most fantastic summer ever and is always looking for a new thrill. Her Aunt Opal (Heather Graham) comes to watch her and her brother Stink (Parris Mosteller) for the summer and that’s when the real adventure begins.
The stunningly beautiful and girlish Heather Graham has had a long and successful career in Hollywood
It seems odd Graham would wait so long to finally do a family comedy since she appears so light-hearted and fun in person. “I just try to do what’s fun and what looks like could be good,” Graham said about her criteria for choosing movie roles.
She also added she’d like to see more female-centric films being made and hopes to star and produce in a film about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911. The fire was a tragic incident leading to major reforms in child labor laws and worker’s rights.
About her experience filming, Graham said, “It’s so fun to do a movie where there’s nothing dark happening in it. It’s all happy. It’s about how to have the best summer ever.”
Graham also identified with her character’s capacity to have fun and enjoy where she is in every moment. “I like that [Aunt Opal] has the ability to see the beauty in everything,” she said.
Aunt Opal is not actually a character from the books but one created by the author Megan McDonald for the film. The character was inspired by McDonald’s own sister who arrived for a short visit at her house with a suitcase full of art supplies hoping they would make art all week.
Australian newcomer Jordana Beatty plays Judy Moody and had many references for the people who remind her of Aunt Opal in her life. “Each of my aunties and uncles have different qualities which make it like Aunt Opal but all split up.”
Beatty described her favorite parts of being on set saying, “It was just being around everyone because everyone was so nice—and the crew and the cast. Working with everyone was really great and just seeing all the detail on all the sets was really cool.”
Jaleel White plays the lovable, 3rd grade teacher Mr. Todd in “Judy Moody.” White’s decision to do the film wasn’t anything he had to think about too hard. “It was a no-brainer decision. Smokewood asked me to be in the film, which is kind of cool because you really fight for roles out here,” White said.
Smokewood is the production company run by Sarah Siegal-Magness and her husband Gary Magness. Smokewood also produced the Oscar-award-winning “Precious.” “We don’t discriminate based on budget or genre. We just really want to make films that make an impact on the planet,” Siegal-Magness said. She also made sure to make an impact on the planet by keeping the “Judy Moody” set eco-friendly.
Sarah Siegal-Magness was a fan of White’s and asked him to play Mr. Todd. He is one of those mythical amazing teachers who treats his classroom as a stage. He is fun, plays music for his students and enjoys his job.
White’s hilarious response when asked if he based Mr. Todd on any teachers in his life was, “Hell, no. I had teachers that sent me to detention. I didn’t have some fun dude coming in the room playing banjo and giving me clues on how to find him in the summer.”
White started off in the business as a child star playing the iconic role of Steve Urkell on the popular sitcom “Family Matters.” He went on to graduate from UCLA’s School of Film Canada
The music for the film is by 11-year-old pop singer Camryn, whose main influences include female empowerment powerhouses like Lady Gaga, Pink and Avril Lavigne.
“Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer” is out in theaters June 10, 2011 .
Cast interview, including Heather Graham and Jaleel White, featured on Picktainment.
No comments:
Post a Comment