The Perks of Being a Wallflower Comes of Age
On the tenth anniversary of ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower,’ author Stephen Chbosky talks to V.F. about its lasting legacy-and capturing “lightning in a bottle” with the film’s many young stars. https://t.co/T3tf7zJe8l
- VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) September 21, 2022
Writer-director Stephen Chbosky talked to Vanity Fair for the tenth anniversary of the Perks of Being a Wallflower film, which was based on the novel he also wrote.
Logan Lerman “had the ability to somehow be that handsome and also be that believable as someone that was very socially awkward. He took the work very seriously. He showed up a week before the rest of the cast and isolated himself in his hotel room and read the script over and over and over and over again, listening to music to know what it would feel like to have that level of isolation. That’s how dedicated he was.”
On Emma Watson, “when I met her, what I saw was a very, very lonely young person who grew up in the eye of a hurricane. She fundamentally understood Sam’s outsider status because her life is being stared at, and especially back then, it made her very lonely. She and I were kindred spirits. She remains a great, great friend of mine.”
Ezra Miller “just had this freedom and a humor and an adventurous spirit that gave Patrick so much texture.” Chbosky compares Patrick to Ferris Bueller, who he thought was the coolest movie character when he grew up in the 80s. “I wanted the free kid to be the gay kid. I wanted Ferris. I wanted the coolest kid in the movie to be Patrick. And when I saw Ezra and how free they were back at the age of 18, they just embodied all of that and they gave a remarkable performance.”
Addressing the elephant in the room, he says he hasn’t had much contact with the embattled actor but “I hope Ezra finds the light that they shined so brightly back when we shot the film, because the kid I met was a remarkably magical person. And I always like to believe that that person is always in there and I hope that they can find the help that they need.”
A lot more at the source.
