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Disney's A Wrinkle in Time not only presents a fresh perspective on Madeleine L'Engle's beloved children's novel, but with director Ava DuVernay at the helm, the movie also reflects a wonderfully diverse world, with some strong women at the center of it. (Advance tickets for A Wrinkle in Time go on sale tomorrow, February 22, here at Fandango.)
The story about young teen Meg Murry traveling the universe, “wrinkling” through time and space in search of her father, has many themes running through it. But one of the most important is the idea of embracing the which, what and who from within and finding the confidence to be exactly who you are.
With the talented cast members, including Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling as the the ethereal beings who help Meg, as well as newcomer Storm Reid as the film's adventurous young heroine, the film celebrates empowering women who are working as “warriors of the light” to bring hope and peace to the universe.
While visiting the set of A Wrinkle in Time, Fandango was able to join in on some amazing conversations with Witherspoon, Reid, DuVernay and the one and only Oprah Winfrey about bringing this timeless classic to the big screen, what the film's messages mean to them and just being pretty badass overall.
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THE FABULOUS MRS. WHICH
It's been said before, but when Oprah Winfrey walks into a room, she does indeed effortlessly take command. But in this instance, she was also wearing an extraordinarily gorgeous and elaborate metallic costume, with a huge wig and crazy-cool makeup, which defies accurate description. It was as if she came down from Olympus itself to share her wisdom.
After shaking all of our hands and asking for each of our names, Winfrey then needed assistance in sitting down in this costume. She began, “I was wearing a metal corset the other day, which was actually sort of comfortable because I could lean in it, be in it – and I was hanging from the wires so it was easy to use it as a prop.”
As for DuVernay, Winfrey was very impressed with her vision. “I don't know how she did it. The first time I came to Disney and was looking at the designs, we were walking through and looking at the different planets and what was expected. There were three rooms, covered with designs and ideas. I know the word is overused, but it was incredible. That she gets to call in the coolest, hippest designers and creators and sit in a room and literally sit in a vortex of imagination, right there in the center of it, throwing out ideas... it's just the coolest thing.”
Then, when asked about what we should know about Mrs. Which, the wise Winfrey came out. We were immediately quiet, even as the construction and film set buzzed around us outside our tent, and she began to speak.
“It's not just about Mrs. Which. This is what I want everyone to know about this film,” she said. “It's like doing The Wizard of Oz for a new generation. It is a spaced-out Oz, with Meg as the new Dorothy. And I am Glinda! Mrs. Which is a combination, for me, of Glinda the Good Witch and Maya Angelou. I have both of them in my head as I'm speaking. I don't think of it as a kids' film but more of a film for generations to come – and it will live on for people the same way Oz has.
“First of all, Mrs. Which is a supernova. I mean, I'm playing a supernova, born of the stars. She's a supernova angel woman, wisdom teacher who has come to help Meg and her brother find their father. But in finding their father, it's about developing your own sense of belief, confidence and empowerment for yourself.”
This is when we started to be completely drawn in. “For instance, the lines I'm doing today, she says to Meg, 'You just have to have the right frequency,' meaning to get on the right vibration, be aligned – and have faith in who you are,” gleaned Winfrey. “That's really what the film is about. About lining up what is your true frequency, which I believe everybody has. It's your flow in life. There's your lane, there's your current that you are supposed to follow that is like no one else's. So Mrs. Which is here to teach Meg how to do that, to line up with the frequency or vibration that is most her and how to have faith in that and follow it.”
She continued, “And this a story for all times! It's bigger than a 'Disney film' about a kid who lost her father and is trying to find him in outer space. Mrs. Which says when they are just about to go in the cave of the Happy Medium, she says to Meg, 'The reason why you can't accomplish what you want is because you are resisting too much,' which is a theme for everybody in life. You don't get what you want when you're in resistance against it. You have to line up with the same frequency, be calm, be at ease, you have to believe that you can and then you move forward.”
We all nod in agreement, but then we really get Oprah-fied. “When [Mrs. Which] is in the cave, she talks about how the darkness is spreading so fast, across the land. And how we must fight the darkness with the light, and that we are in search of warriors. Warriors who can bring back hope, which is what this movie is about. [She sings] Hooooope! I just think the message is so timely. It's great that there is a heroine and that we are all knock-out dressers, as angelic beings and we are all female, but I do think it's a story for everybody.”
Mic drop.
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THE PLAYFUL MRS. WHATSIT
Reese Witherspoon breezed into the room as we finished up with Ms. Winfrey, wearing an equally beautiful and feathery costume that took our breaths away. Once the media mogul left, and we came out of our trance a little, Witherspoon shared her own Oprah-fied tidbit.
“In just three hours of her being on the set, [Oprah] was just as lovely and magnanimous and generous and bubbly and kind, but equal parts thoughtful and helping us all become better people. For the first week, every time she'd open her mouth, everyone would just get really quiet.” We knew the feeling.
Witherspoon's bubbly personality was certainly shining through as she described her portrayal as Mrs. Whatsit. “She's the youngest of the three Mrs's and she's new to this mission of finding warriors for this world and delivering them to different universes. She's sort of part Cheshire Cat, and part the mermaid in Splash. She's very curious, playful and young. She fights with Meg a lot, she thinks Meg is a bit of a downer. But then we have this nice journey where Meg and I end up making amends and finding peace with each other. It's fun to be kind of one of the kids.”
The Big Little Lies actress also praised her director and appreciated the diversity of the film. “I was really very excited when Ava told us the vision of the film and that she wasn't going to do the classic story, which I read as a kid. She wanted to put the house in downtown L.A.. She wanted the kids to be of all different ethnicity. She wanted kids to watch this movie and know that anything is possible. I get emotional thinking about little kids going to see this and seeing characters that actually look like them. Makes them think it's possible.”
Witherspoon continued, “Also to have women who are heroes – all different sizes and races. Because women are heroes in a lot of kids' lives. To see that properly represented is way overdue. It's exciting to have a director with that kind of vision, and Disney's belief in her to give her an incredible amount of creative control and free reign to create this magic.”
The actress/producer even shared her thoughts on what advice she'd give young women trying to break into the entertainment business. “Everybody has a story. Know your story and tell your story. Write what you know. Women are the largest captured consumer body in the world! We are sitting there on Amazon.com, Walmart.com -- all these companies skew higher to women. They need great women writers, great makers. They need women at directing. Talking to Ava, it's so much about confidence. She just comes in and is like, give me the ball. I got this. It's incredible. The leadership just emanates off of her.”
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THE QUOTABLE MRS. WHO
Mindy Kaling rounds out the Mrs. W's as the eccentric Mrs. Who, who only communicates through other people's words – but what she says means a lot. In the novel, she speaks several languages and mostly quotes from William Shakespeare, Dante, Seneca, Horace, Cervantes and the Bible.
For the film, however, they've given Mrs. Who an upgrade on the quotes, taking from today's world and pop culture. While we didn't have the opportunity to speak with Kaling, we did hear a bit about what Mrs. Who will be saying. Winfrey told us, “Throughout the book, Mrs. Who is quoting Shakespeare and all that, but we've added a lot more [to Mrs. Who's vernacular], like Outkast. To modern it up a bit, so people will recognize some of the songs.”
Reid actually let us know her favorite Who quote: “I'm not going to get the quote exactly right, so forgive me, but Mrs. Who says, 'Yes, I have a swagger coach to teach me swagger. Justin Bieber. Canadian.' I love that one a lot.”
Wrinkle's costume designer Paco Delgado also gave a great idea on what Mrs. Who will look like. “Because she's always talking about sentences from books, and has knowledge of our culture on Earth. So I thought she could be the more motherly figure. I put a lot of ethnic elements into her costumes, like from Asia, Africa, America, Europe – all of that together. Also, that's almost like a librarian, with her knowledge of books, so I thought of her clothes like books, with layers and layers, like paper. And we also included calligraphy and graffiti in her clothes.”
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THE YOUNG HEROINE
Unlike her character, 13-year-old Storm Reid seemed to have all the confidence in the world when she strode in to speak with us. The young woman had a certain poise and maturity that went beyond her young age, and one could immediately see why she was cast as Meg.
The scene we were able to watch while on set was a sweet one between Meg and her love interest, Calvin (played by Levi Miller), and it was when the characters share a small kiss. When it was pointed out how cute that was, the actress wrinkled her nose a little. She didn't necessarily say it was gross or anything, but clearly not her favorite moment. So, maybe not too mature, after all.
As soon as we started asking our questions, however, Reid was just as polished as a pro but also quite genuine. She admitted she felt pressure in taking on this role because the book has been so revered and beloved by so many.
“I don't really think of myself as the lead in this movie because we are all a team,” she said. “But people call me the lead and Meg is the center of the story, so it's a little shocking because it is my biggest opportunity. It's like, oh my god, this movie is on my shoulders. I have a lot of pressure because a lot of people have read the book and loved the book. Just trying to get everything perfect and embrace Meg and try to bring [parts] of the character from the book into [this performance], but also make it my own, my own quirks.”
Replying to what lessons she has learned in playing Meg, the actress stated, “The biggest lesson really is to always just love yourself. To always seize the faults you have because sometimes those faults can help you in life. You're not going to be perfect. I knew these things before but Meg has showed me you can really do anything, and you're not going to be perfect. If somebody likes you, they like you. And if they don't, they don't.”
This lead into a moment in which Reid recounted one time Winfrey gave her some advice. “I have a fear of being really tall,” said the teen. “So we had a conversation just about life in general but also you can't put energy in resisting something in life. You just have to put that energy somewhere else because God has a plan for you and you can't change that. You're just wasting energy trying to resist something.”
She added, “Oprah is just so sweet and down to earth. She's really powerful and she knows she is, but she doesn't act like that. Just like regular person. She'll sit up in her harness and not want to come down. She's just a regular, powerful, beautiful black woman.”
On what she hopes her character Meg will inspire in other little girls, Reid answered, “I just hope it inspires everyone. Girls my age, women of color, different races and any gender. I just want them to all believe in themselves and know you can do anything. And that nobody can tell you you can't do something. Nothing's impossible, because in the word itself it says, 'I'm possible.' Just always remember that. Whatever gender, race, whoever you love, no matter what, you can just do it, and don't let anyone else tell you different.”
Maybe an Oprah Winfrey in the making?
©Walt Disney Studios.
THE INTREPID LEADER
Finally, the woman herself, Ava DuVernay, walked quickly into the tent to speak us. With zero time in her busy shooting schedule (“I'm basically AWOL right now”), the director was able to share a few things with us about making her film.
On bringing this diverse cast together, she didn't feel like it was that big of deal. “It reflects the real world, and we're not doing anything new. The question is why hasn't it been done before. There is nothing outlandish about this cast. It's outlandish and outstanding that there have been casts without reflecting the true inclusiveness of our daily life. I get that question a lot and I always countered with the question, we should have been asking that question for the last 75 years or so.”
As for what she hoped audiences would take away, DuVernay also went deep, and we leaned in. “I do hope this is the new normal. That they don't see anything unique or odd about a cast like this. And I think we're in a generation where we are getting closer and closer to that.”
She went on. “For me, this book was science, spirituality, social commentary – there is so much going on in this book! There are so many layers, so many different parts of the story. And people will take from what is important to them. Some people might watch this and think sci-fi; some might watch and see romance; some might watch it and see a story about math nerds or girl power. Some might watch and see a family story."
"I watch it and see this kind of cool, quirky, dark, odd but grand adventure... It's not traditional Disney. It isn't necessarily a bright, shiny Disney movie, which are all great, but this one is darker, has a quirkier edge, just like the book. They've been really great in allowing me aesthetic latitude, to really bring my style into it, which has been awesome. Disney never said no to anything, in terms of cast, the diversity of the cast – and the diversity of the crew, which isn't necessarily that normal, to see so many women and women of color. They've just been encouraging and supportive through all of it. I don't know how I got here, but I'm glad I'm here.”
Let's just say the excitement to see A Wrinkle in Time in the theaters goes beyond time and space. Makes sure to see it when it glides into theaters March 9.
