Interview: Jacob Tremblay on His Transformation in Wonder

It’s not easy being the new kid in school, and it’s made unimaginably more difficult when you’re starting fifth grade and you have a disfiguring condition called Treacher Collins Syndrome. Young Auggie (Jacob Tremblay) gives us a beautiful lesson about how we need to treat each other and how we can too often judge people based on their looks. Auggie’s journey is heartwarming and one that will melt even the coldest of hearts.

Jacob Tremblay sat through over an hour of makeup to transform into the Auggie for the role. I had a quick chat about how one letter helped him and what he learned from the experience.  Our chat is below:

Jacob, you’re unrecognizable in Wonder. What was it like getting into the makeup and how long was that process?

It took about two hours to put the prosthetics on and about half an hour to take it off. It’s very interesting because it was made up of so many pieces, the neck piece, the main facepiece, contact lenses, a wig, and dentures. The prosthetics are really expensive and sometimes it got a bit itchy and a bit hot, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

What was it like seeing your first time as Auggie in the mirror?

I thought it was so realistic. Looking in the mirror it helped me to understand and use my imagination to become Auggie.

What research did you do? You’re playing someone who is bullied, but also has Treacher Collins syndrome.

My parents and I were doing research online and we found a group of children who were in Toronto. They were learning about filmmaking and I asked if they could send me any letters or share their experiences. I’d read those letters before doing my scenes.

Was there any letter that stood out for you?

There was this one letter about the experience of being stared at. This boy wrote to me and said he felt it was like he was shrinking or being torn apart. I remember reading that before I did a particular scene and it helped me a lot.

What was it like having Julia Roberts play your mom?

She was so much fun to work with and she was a natural. She’d click into character so easily and that helped me.

The film has a beautiful message about acceptance. What was that whole experience like for you to be a part of something like this?

This taught me a lot and hopefully teach other people a lot. No matter what your race, gender or sexuality is everyone needs to be kind to each other.

You’re a huge Star Wars fan and that got to be a part of the film. Have you seen The Last Jedi?

I haven’t seen it yet. I’m really excited ot see it. It was fun to play a character who has something in common with me.

How long did you spend shooting Wonder? 

It took two months and it was a lot of fun and a great experience.

Talk about the Choosing Kind campaign?

The film talks about Choosing Kind and bullying happens at school. School is a place for kids to feel safe where they can learn and express who they are and they can not do that if they’re being judged.

We’re seeing you in The Death and Life of John F. Donovan next.

I’m also in Predator and I’m so excited for both of them to come out.

I’m excited too. Xavier Dolan is a superb filmaker. He’s a huge Harry Potter fan.

He is. He showed me all his tattoos and he’s my best friend. It’s out next year.