Who says coming-of-age stories were only made for teens? Adults mature in stages, too. Or at least that’s what Brie Larson’s character in the new film, Glass Castle is coming to grips with. The film is based on the titular memoir by journalist, Jeanette Walls.
Larson plays Walls, a woman with a seemingly whimsical but dysfunctional childhood thanks to her parents.
Her father, played by a steely-eyed Woody Harrelson, deals with alcoholism and moves his wife and kids from place to place as they live hand-to-mouth in poverty. “The first time that I saw Woody in makeup and in character, I started trembling and crying — and I’m not that sort of person,” she said in an interview with People. “But the degree to which he captured my father was breathtaking. He did and said things that my father did and said that I hadn’t told him.”
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Despite her checkered past, Walls beats the odds: She goes from a poverty-stricken kid from a questionable household to a successful writer in New York city (whose life story will soon hit the big screen). Walls also noted that we can expect to see a performance from Larson that’s equally strong and vulnerable.
“I wanted Brie Larson to play this role even before I knew who she was,” she said to She understands how to be strong and vulnerable at the same time, how you can fight and be scared at the same time.”
As for the experience of sharing her emotionally-charged life story with the world on the silver screen, Walls said to People:
“I think that’s the magic of storytelling — if one person is willing to be brave and tell their story, then that allows other people to be honest. I think there’s incredible value in coming to terms with your story, and I hope that the telling of my story will encourage other people to revisit their own.”
Glass Castle also stars Naomi Watts and Max Greenfield. It will be in theaters everywhere August 11.