Last September, the great folks at Disney invited Teen to the set of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and we had the distinct pleasure of chatting with Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, and the rest of the cast.
Disney
Now, just in case you didn’t know, the upcoming movie is based on the beloved children’s book of the same name, and centers on a kid name Alexander who, well, has a terrible day. While the book is all about Alexander, the big screen adaptation is a family affair as his whole family experiences some pretty terrible days themselves.
There a few things you should know about the movie before it hits theaters on October 10, so we did the legwork and are bringing you not one, not two, but SIX fun facts we learned during our set visit. Check it out below!
1. Had Steve and Jennifer read the book before they signed on?
Jennifer: Yeah, I have the book pretty much memorized. So, I would say it's more inspired by than anything, but the story, they did such a genius job turning this little story into a movie."
Photo: ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved
2. How did Jennifer prank Steve on set?
Steve: "We went to Denison University, and she must have bought a truck load of Denison University memorabilia." In fact, Jennifer gave away a lot of the gear to cast and crew -- without telling Steve. "So I'll go a whole day and then realize the entire camera crew has Denison University gear on. I'm so unobservant."
Photo: ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved
3. How do Steve and Jennifer help their own kids deal with terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days?
Steve: Usually for us, there's so much homework. And they're saying their never going to get through this, and it's terrible and I have a test. And you try to get them to step back and say 'It's ok. It's going to get done.' And sometimes it works, and other times, you find a way through it. I think this movie is cathartic that way, where you can watch another kid go through it. Then on the second day, we watch it fall apart for everybody else, which I think is really gratifying. The kid has this really bad day the first day, and then gets to step back and sort of appreciate the good days. And even appreciate the bad days because you learn from them.
Photo: ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved
4. The young actor who plays Australia-obsessed Alexander is ACTUALLY Australian!
Yes, Ed Oxenbould is an Aussie native, and talked about how learned his American accent, saying he learned mostly from watching TV. Also, he gave some guidance on Aussie related things, saying he told everyone the proper pronunciation of Emu and some slang words as well.
Photo: ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved
5. Ed is a HUGE Steve Carell fan.
Ed admitted that Anchorman is his favorite movie of all time, and Steve even invited him to the Anchorman 2 premiere!
Photo: ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved
6. Dylan Minnette hadn't read the book before starting the movie!
When we spoke to Dylan during the set visit, he mentioned that he had yet to read the book. In fact, he didn't even LOOK at the book until a few weeks into filming!
Photo: ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved
7. What was it like to have Bella Thorne play Dylan's on-screen girlfriend?
Dylan told us "She's great. Hilarious. I know there are a lot of people who are happy she's a part if [the movie]. She's nailing it. She's really funny."
Photo: ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BONUS: Behind the Scenes!
Photo: ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BONUS: Behind the Scenes!
Photo: ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BONUS: Behind the Scenes!
Photo: ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved