The movie that completely changed Julia Robert’s outlook on life
Oscar award-winning actress Julia Roberts has starred in many iconic titles in the span of her long career and now she’s revealed which role had the biggest impact on her life.
In a recent interview, Roberts explained that her role in Wonder, which tells the story of a 10-year-old boy with severe facial differences, had been a thought-provoking journey.
Roberts first discovered the story of Wonder by reading a list of best books for children.
"It was getting tricky in my house to have a night-time chapter book everyone would like," she said. "So I bought Wonder, and I could not put it down. I read it to the three kids and they were all as knocked out as I had been. I remember calling my agent after I read the book and saying, 'I'll play the mum!'"
R.J Palacio, author of Wonder, first came up with the concept of the book when her three-year-old son saw a child with severe craniofacial differences at an ice-cream store and cried out of fear.
Trying to not hurt the little girl’s feelings, R.J hurried to leave the store but spilt over milkshakes in the process, drawing even more attention to the interaction.
"As I pushed the stroller away, I heard the mom say in as sweet and calm a voice as you can imagine, 'Okay, guys, I think it's time to go,'" R.J. said.
"And that just got to me … what could I be teaching my children so they could understand how to respond better next time? I was disappointed in myself. I started writing Wonder that very night."
When discussing the message of Wonder, co-writer of the screenplay Stephen Chbosky asked Roberts how we can all work to be kinder to each other.
"I think we need to stop criticising," she said. "Honestly, it's become a sport — at lunch, online, wherever. 'I can't believe the way she's wearing her hair,' or 'He looks so…' It's all so petty, and we're grown-up people. There have to be more interesting things to note about one another … and I'm talking to myself here too, because I find the sarcasm and the criticism and stuff like that very humorous, but there's a time when you go, 'Well, why don't I say all the true and kind things?'"
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly Roberts said, “I think the biggest message of the movie is that every minute of every day, we have this option to be the best version of ourselves, to make a choice that’s just a little sweeter, just a little kinder, just a little bit more positive. I think you have to be prepared to feel that.
Have you read the book or seen the movie of Wonder? Let us know in the comments below.