ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret writer and director Kelly Fremon Craig about the movie adaptation of Judy Blume’s famous book. The writer/director spoke about the impact of Blume’s work and how she knew Abby Ryder Fortson was the right pick. (Watch and read more interviews).
“Raised by a Christian mother and a Jewish father, an adolescent girl starts to ask questions about religion and faith,” reads the movie‘s synopsis.
Tyler Treese: I saw in an interview that Judy Blume said that the movie is even better than the book. To receive such high praise from the original author — what did that mean for you?
Kelly Fremon Craig: Oh my gosh, I feel like I’m still trying to process it. [Laugh]. It’s such a kind compliment. I’m just so happy Judy’s happy because that was my number one goal [in] making the movie. I really wanted her to be proud of it, you know?
She was very hesitant to okay a feature film adaptation of Margaret before this. What did that mean to you, and why do you think you were the right creative team to really do it justice?
I think when I hear Judy tell the story, she talks about these three elements coming together. One of them being, I wrote her a letter and, in that letter, I just poured my heart out, told her how much her work had meant to me, that I found her when I was 11, at a time when I really needed to know that I wasn’t the only one feeling as awkward as I was. Then it turned out that she’d actually seen my first movie, which was also just mind-blowing. She was like, “I saw your movie.” I was like, “Oh my god, Judy Blume saw my first movie!” [Laugh]. So it was that, and then that our producer, James L. Brooks, would be in the process the whole time, and she loved his work. So I think it was a combo of those things.
I thought Abby Ryder Fortson was perfectly cast in the lead role. What impressed you the most about her and made it clear that she was the right actress for this role?
She has something about her that you just root for her the minute you look into her eyes. She has this wonderful vulnerability and soulfulness, and she’s funny — she’s really quick on her feet. So she made me laugh, she made me cry, and she was the full spectrum of Margaret. It was hard to find somebody who really encapsulated her, and Abby walked through the door, and she was it. She was Margaret.
The original book came out in 1970, but these themes have really stood the test of time, and they’re just as relevant today. What do you think has made this such a timeless story?
I think that Judy Blume wrote in such an honest way. She really told the truth about what it felt like to be that age. I think when you write something truthful, it has no expiration date — it’s always true. I read it in 1990, and I thought it was contemporary. I had no idea that it was written 20 years prior. I hear that again and again. I hear that with girls who’ve read it today. She just nailed the experience.
