Wonder tells the story of a 10- year-old boy with facial differences. Jacob Tremblay stars as Auggie Pullman, whose birth defects and multiple surgeries have kept him out of school until now, as he embarks on an extraordinary journey.
Published in 2013, the book Wonder by R. J. Palacio took considerable risks. Palacio’s young hero is born with Treacher-Collins Syndrome, which results in radically altered formation of the bones of the face. Some people can have a mild form of the condition. Others have bones that grow into a skull shape that can interfere with breathing, hearing and seeing, often requiring multiple reconstructive surgeries at a very young age.
Palacio stresses that the kids who live with the condition are like all other kids – yet were readers really prepared to follow a boy who lived with this genetic condition and pronounced “craniofacial difference” that often caused people to stop and stare?
It turns out that readers were more than intrigued by Auggie Pullman. Palacio’s humorous, yet pull-no-punches take on Auggie’s life – and her inclusion of the many viewpoints of those in his orbit – honed in on something on the minds of many people.
This was the idea that, in today’s world, we can get so caught up in surfaces, we no longer see what people are going through beneath.
The book sold more than five million copies, but its impact went deeper as it also sparked a grassroots ‘Choose Kind’ movement and inspired readers to share their own stories. Needless to say, the book soon caught Hollywood’s eye, and producers Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman of Mandeville Films both read the manuscript on the same night and fell in love with this beautiful tale of compassion and friendship.
Once Lieberman and Hoberman had Palacio’s blessing to produce the film version of her book, their first choice to direct the film was Stephen Chbosky, with whom they had just worked on the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.
The most important quality was the ability to evoke emotion without being manipulative or heavy-handed
“The most important quality we needed for Wonder was the ability to evoke emotion without being manipulative or heavy-handed. Stephen is astute emotionally, but at the same time he’s light-hearted and can blend humour into profound themes,” Lieberman says.
Chbosky was equally taken by the book and, having just become a father, he says: “Having my son, Theodore, made the story personal to me. Auggie’s bravery has a ripple effect on all these characters. And the different points of view help you realise there are things everyone is going through, not just Auggie. That’s where empathy begins.”
The next, and most crucial stage in the film’s development was finding the perfect actor to play Auggie. “The role is so complicated, we needed an incredibly skilled actor capable of giving a nuanced performance that is as much about the things left unsaid as about the dialogue,” Lieberman adds.
The search ended the day the team saw Jacob Tremblay in Room, in which he plays a kidnapping victim who has never encountered the world outside a tiny shed. His performance was like nothing they’d seen in a child so young. “Wonder had to never feel dour and Jacob is full of humour, curiosity and energy in all the best ways,” says Chbosky.
Tremblay was undeterred by the extensive facial prosthetics he had to endure for the role. “The most exciting part for me was getting to be a kid who helps the world be a better place,” he says.
Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson take on the roles of Auggie’s parents, exploring what it’s like to be a parent of a child with differences, navigating anxieties and isolation as they try to reconcile their protective instincts with the desire to let their son find his wings. Moreover, it was the core theme of kindness that drew Roberts to the project.
“I think that if we could really hold on to the concepts of this book of simply being fair and understanding, we would be in better times,” the actress says.
“For me, it has been a really wonderful reminder to find more ways in a day, or even in a conversation, to choose the nicer way rather than the faster, sarcastic or negative way.”