Sunday, February 17, 2008, 7:41 PM
A+E, Movies, Reviews
The Chronicles of Freddie
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Freddie Highmore in “The Spiderwick Chronicles”
“THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES”
Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker
Directed by Mark Waters
Rated PG
Wide release
By Bert Osborne
Talk about a red-letter day. Feb. 14 was not only Valentine’s Day; it also marked the opening of the new movie “The Spiderwick Chronicles” and the 16th birthday of its co-star, Freddie Highmore, the British youngster best known for his roles opposite Johnny Depp in “Finding Neverland” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Based on a popular series of children’s fantasy books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, “Spiderwick” casts Highmore as twin brothers Jared and Simon, who uncover a secret world of goblins and fairies in their own back yard.
Highmore discussed the film and his burgeoning career during a recent interview in Los Angeles.
Q Had you read any of the “Spiderwick Chronicles” books prior to getting this script?
A I hadn’t read any of them, actually. Most of them weren’t even out in England at the time, but I definitely went back and looked at them to prepare for the film. On the one hand, you can look at the books as a bit of a guideline for how to create your characters, but on the other hand, you shouldn’t be too stuck to them. You want to bring your own ideas to it, because presumably that’s why they’ve asked you to be in the movie in the first place. When you’re making a film that people already know about and want to see, that’s going to help, for sure. I think “The Spiderwick Chronicles” will appeal to a lot of people.
How fun was it getting to play twins?
That’s the thing that first attracted me to the project. It’s always nice to do different things in each and every film you make, trying different characters and new genres. This was a great opportunity, something totally different. You definitely want to create a distinction between them. They almost become opposites to one another in the story. It was really interesting to play with how they reacted differently to the changes in their life as they’ve gotten older.
Was one any more fun or challenging than the other? Which of the two did you relate to most?
I’m probably somewhere in between. I mean, I wouldn’t go around smashing holes in my kitchen wall [as Jared does in the film], but I’d still like to think I have that same drive that [Jared] does, to push on and take control when the family is in trouble. Because Jared is sort of a squeaky wheel, getting angry and smashing things up, it would’ve been easy for Simon to get lost behind that, which would’ve been wrong, because he still feels hurt by the parents’ divorce, he just doesn’t show it in the way Jared does. Simon’s more internal, perhaps.
Your mother is a casting agent in England. Was it inevitable that you’d go into show business?
That may have helped give me an opportunity to do it, but it was never something my parents forced me into. It was always my choice. I just thought it would be a fun thing to try out.
A lot of child actors have a difficult time making the transition to adulthood. Do you know yet if acting is something you want to be doing forever?
I’m not sure what I want to do when I’m older. It would be rather silly to forget about school and set everything on being an actor. Education’s important, so I want to keep my options open.
When you see some of the pitfalls that other young actors face, what can you do to avoid that?
I’ve got a family who has really supported me, so in that way I’m very grounded. I’m not out there leading a partying lifestyle. My family has always been there to keep my feet on the ground.
Do you have any problems being recognized by people when you’re out in public?
A little bit. As long as I’m not standing on the corner and waving my arms around, people don’t notice too much.