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Securing Rights to
Freedom?
I had to meet with Erin
Gruwell because Erin and the kids were very protective and wary of
movie people. I had to tell Erin how the book
affected me; how I felt the movie should be done; and hear her input
on it.…We met and after lunch and a bunch of crying, we decided we
were meant for each other.
(Richard LaGravenese,
December 2, 2006)
Stirring up Freedom
Writers Emotion?
I made the decision early on
that I wasn’t going to be afraid of emotion in the film. I like to
feel things in movies and wanted people to feel something in this
[film].
(Richard LaGravenese,
December 2, 2006)
Personal Connection to the
Journey of a Freedom Writer?
[Growing up], I felt like I
was an outsider. I didn’t feel hopeless, that was the biggest
difference. My mom believed in me. I felt she gave me a great gift
by saying, “You can do anything you want in life.”
I didn’t feel like I belonged.
I didn’t fit in in school. I didn’t feel understood. I didn’t feel
like my teachers cared. It just was not a good place for me. I feel
like the education system in our country is really messed up. It’s
really unfortunate.
For a lot of different
reasons, obviously, I think education is the most important thing in
the world. Education is what makes kids figure themselves out, makes
them feel confident, gives them hope and makes them realize what
their dream is. It’s everything. It’s sad that teachers aren’t paid
very much. It’s sad that they’re underappreciated. It’s sad that you
have to pay a lot of money to get an education and it makes people
like Erin Gruwell even more rare.
(Hilary Swank, December
2, 2006)
Character or Caricature
Development?
I didn’t really want to spend
a lot of time with Erin Gruwell because I didn’t want to mimic
[her]. I felt like the last thing you want to do is mimic somebody.
You want to get at the heart of who they really are and what their
story is.
Erin’s mannerisms are really
important to who she is, because she uses her body to communicate in
a really interesting way. She brings you in with her hands and she
talks with her hands a lot. She has good posture; she touches her
hair; she looks at you and shakes her head when you’re talking to
her. You really know she’s listening and that’s an important thing
as a teacher, especially at the beginning. She got in [her
student’s] faces and that was a really important thing. The kids had
a reaction to her physical being, so that was important. From the
first meeting, you get a real sense right away of how open and
optimistic she is.
The thing about Erin is she
looks right at you. Instantly you feel like, “She gets me.” It’s a
great feeling and that’s part of why she really succeeds… succeeds
with kids and succeeds with the government in trying to help kids.
Any situation she’s in, she’s going to leave getting what she wants
just because she’s Erin and she knows how to do it. Not in a
manipulative way, not an arrogant way and not an egotistical way,
but a really smart, logical “these are the facts and what does it
hurt?” kind of way.
(Hilary Swank,
December 2, 2006)
Concerned with
Boriqua Portraying Chicana?
Initially, it was a concern
for me that I wasn’t Mexican and I didn’t get to hang out with any
Mexican gangs and have that accent. But to me, the most important
thing was telling her story and pleasing [Maria Reyes] when she saw
it. If I were to focus on an accent or being Mexican, then it would
have thrown everything off. The most important thing was that I was a
Latina playing a Latina.
(April Hernandez,
December 2, 2006)
Film’s Personal Impact?
I went to work every day
scared because I didn’t want to mess the story up. I felt like it
was written so well. I got so much out of just being with those
kids. The lives of the [actors] in the movie were so similar to the
kids who the movie was about. I got so much as a human being and as
an actor that I could never even begin to explain how life
changing it was. When you see these kids, talk to them and hear
their stories, you realize how we’re all the same. It really moves
me and it’s a constant reminder to me about staying open, not
judging a book by its cover and giving people wide berth. It’s okay
to make mistakes and try to learn from them. That’s what life is
about.
(Hilary Swank,
December 2, 2006)
Working with Hilary?
I used to like her when I was
a little kid when she did The Next Karate Kid. I had a crush on her
[chuckles]. But working with her…I never thought I would make it in
acting, but if I did make it…if I could dream, I could never dream
about being in a film with Hilary…So, it was just perfect.
(Jason Finn,
December 2, 2006)
Audience Impact?
Originally, we thought The
Freedom Writers Diary would be just for our class. [When we were editing
our stories,] we realized it was bigger than Room 203. That even
though you didn’t write a specific diary, somebody else was able to
relate to it. I think it’s the same experience when we watch the
film. We know that it’s bigger than us. The story is about so many
other people. It works on so many different levels. I truly think
that it is as real and honest as a movie can get.
(Maria Reyes,
December 2, 2006)
The book makes [the Freedom
Writers] immortal and this movie makes more kids want to read the
book. May be at the end of the day, somebody is going to pick up a
pen and a piece of paper and they are going to bear witness to their
own lives…I hope after there is book amnesia and movie amnesia,
people will realize they can have a voice.
(Erin Gruwell,
December 2, 2006)
If people go to this film and
open up their minds and open up their hearts, they can go through an
experience.
(Jason Finn,
December 2, 2006)
Influential Words?
Catcher in the Rye and To Kill
a Mockingbird
(Erin Gruwell,
December 2, 2006)
The Freedom Writers Diary
(Richard LaGravenese,
December 2, 2006)
Catcher in the Rye and To Kill
a Mockingbird
(Hilary Swank,
December 2, 2006)
Bodega Dreams
(April Hernandez,
December 2, 2006)
The Holy Bible and The Once
and Future King
(Jason Finn,
December 2, 2006)
To Kill a Mockingbird and
The Freedom Writers Diary
(Hunter Parrish,
December 2, 2006)
The Invisible Man and The
Autobiography of Malcolm X
(Common, January 11,
2007)
Influential Scenes?
ET, The Wizard of Oz, The
Elephant Man and The Miracle Worker
(Hilary Swank,
December 2, 2006)
Beat Street, Wild Style and
Willy Wonka
(Will.IAm, January
11, 2007)
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