WATCH – Glenn Close up-close –
Oct. 16, 2020 –
Ron Howard: The whole time, even in the roughest parts of the movie, you’re still just rooting for the mom. That’s all I wanted in the movie, and I think I definitely got that. It’s good to hear that you got that, David. Most people who watch it, hopefully, will get the same thing … that this is a fundamentally good person trying to find a way in a pretty complicated world. This is not a black hat/white hat kind of narrative. It’s about life, and life is pretty messy.
It’s really a rescue and survival story. It’s not exactly about self-actualization, which J.D. is very open about. Of course he had to have the strength, ultimately make decisions, and have the ability to pull himself out of some patterns within his family and culture which could’ve entrapped him. But he didn’t do it alone.
David French: The actor, Owen Asztalos who played young J.D., did just a really great job portraying him as a kid with a good heart and instincts. However, this is not an up-from-the-bootstraps story, because of that rescue element you mentioned, Ron. It’s kind of like he was yanked up by Mamaw and, and sustained by [J.D.’s sister] Lindsay and [J.D.’s wife] Usha. It was an incredibly true-to-life-portrayal about how lives are really changed. It’s not that there’s a huge number of kids who have this incredible ability to withstand all of these headwinds. Somebody’s got to reach in and yank them out.
