Jacob Tremblay stars in an upcoming drama alongside Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts, according to People . The 9-year-old actor, who had a breakthrough role in Room , plays a starring role in Wonder, and People had an exclusive first look at the upcoming drama.
. @JacobTremblay is bringing @WonderTheMovie to life https://t.co/eqPftkkq4O pic.twitter.com/mPml6e6fFX
— HuffPost CA Parents (@hpcaparents) August 25, 2016
His role in Room alongside Brie Larson (for which she won the Best Actress Academy Award earlier this year) was Jacob Tremblay’s breakthrough role, as now the 9-year-old actor has many acting opportunities coming his way.
Jacob Tremblay recently finished filming for three films: Burn Your Maps with Vera Farmiga, Shut In with Naomi Watts, and The Book of Henry with Naomi Watts and Sarah Silverman, and is currently filming for Wonder alongside Roberts.
I Really Can’t Wait To See This Movie #BurnYourMaps @VeraFarmiga @JacobTremblay @ImSurajSharma @CinelouFilms pic.twitter.com/5Rr9CkAs2G
— John (@JJRiot88) August 27, 2016
In Wonder , Jacob Tremblay portrays a boy named Auggie Pullman with facial differences, but all he wants is to be treated the same way as his peers. The film, which is based on the best-selling novel of the same name written by R.J. Palacio, tells the story of Auggie struggling with his peers as he begins his first year at a new school.
In his interview with People magazine, Wonder director Stephen Chbosky said the movie is about family, friendship, love, as well as “choosing kindness at every stage of life.” Chbosky also admitted that he chose Roberts and Jacob Tremblay to play in his film not only because they are excellent actors but also because they are “great people.”
“One of the special things about the movie Wonder is that we cast the actors as much for their humanity as their talent.”
Chbosky added that both Roberts and Jacob Tremblay are both normal and exceptional people at the same.
“That’s what makes them perfect to play Isabel and Auggie. You have to be grounded to fly that high.”
Jacob Tremblay was just seven years old when he was shooting scenes for Room , which was nominated for Best Motion Picture at this year’s Oscars, according to USA Today .
Just seen the amazing #Room on dvd for the 1st time. @JacobTremblay is simply incredible!???????????????????? pic.twitter.com/OceAPhIQ0V
— John Derek Hodges (@63johnJ) August 24, 2016
In Shut In , Jacob Tremblay stars alongside Naomi Watts and finds himself in an abandoned house filled with danger. In his recent interview with USA Today , the 9-year-old actor said that the psychological thriller was his first movie since Room .
“I was kind of really busy.”
Farren Blackburn, the director of Shut In , explained his casting choice of Jacob Tremblay by saying he is “a great actor” and “wise beyond his years.”
“He definitely finds himself in trouble here again, [but] he’s proven he can handle these roles.”
Interestingly, Blackburn hadn’t even watched Jacob Tremblay’s superb performance in Room at the time of making his casting choice. Instead, Tremblay revealed his acting talent during an audition to play a deaf child in Shut In .
“There’s a tendency to overact. It requires a nuanced performance we had to make sure we got right.”
WONDER: First Image Launched Featuring Julia Roberts & Jacob Tremblay: https://t.co/N6GmSXSMqG #Wondermovie pic.twitter.com/XeG0S7uHQ2
— Film and TV Now (@filmandtvnow) August 21, 2016
Jacob Tremblay portrays Tom, who becomes the foster child of Watts’ character living in a remote house in New England. The two find themselves in danger from a “bad guy trying to kill them,” as explained by Tremblay himself.
Jacob Tremblay also revealed that he has been acting scared a lot lately, both in Room and in Shut In .
“I had to act scared a lot with Jack [in Room ]. But I had to act scared [in Shut In ] most of the time. Tom’s a dark character. Not Batman dark. But he’s scared, has rings under his eyes and looks creepy.”
Jacob Tremblay also shared that he immediately found common ground with his Shut In co-star Watts. He said that she was “really nice” to him on the set.
[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images for WE Day]