ACADEMY-AWARD NOMINEE LAURA DERN IN “WILD”

Press release

Laura Dern who recently portrayed an inspiring mother caring for a cancer-stricken daughter in “Fault In Our Stars” opposite Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort stars anew in her Academy-Award nominated role in “Wild” starring alongside Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox

                Dern lends her acting sensibilities once again in “Wild” as she plays mother to Reese’s Cheryl who adores her to the heavens. In “Wild,” director Jean-Marc Vallée (“Dallas Buyers Club”) and Academy Award nominated screenwriter Nick Hornby (“An Education”) bring bestselling author Cheryl Strayed’s extraordinary adventure to the screen.  After years of reckless behavior, a heroin addiction and the destruction of her marriage, Strayed makes a rash decision.  Haunted by memories of her mother Bobbi (Laura Dern) and with absolutely no experience, she sets out to hike more than a thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail all on her own.  “Wild” powerfully reveals her terrors and pleasures --as she forges ahead on a journey that maddens, strengthens, and ultimately heals her.

                While Cheryl is the core of “Wild,” the film is populated by a diverse group of characters, both from the life Cheryl has just left behind and those she meets on the path forward.  Among them, the one person who has impacted Cheryl in the most shattering and enlivening ways is her mother, Bobbi, whose brief, sudden battle with cancer sends Cheryl’s existence into a steep nosedive.  Taking the role is Oscar®-nominated and three-time Golden Globe® Award-winning actress Laura Dern, who recently won a Golden Globe for HBO’s “Enlightened.”  Known for her versatility and commitment, Dern came up on the radar for Witherspoon early on. 

                Witherspoon was stirred by what Dern brought to the role.  “Laura completely transforms herself in every role, and this is no exception,” says Witherspoon. “She spent so much time trying to learn about Cheryl's mother. And then I think she tapped into what makes her such an extraordinary life force, so that you understand why Cheryl feels like she’ll never be okay again without the love that her mother gave her. Laura was just incredible at portraying that ferocity of love.” 

                “What a presence. What a voice, what a laugh. Contagious. Even though Laura has so much experience in front of the camera, it feels like she's acting for the first time when she hears action. She looks so excited, so thrilled to do her job, to try something new, something different, something crazy, something emotional, you name it. Laura is such a trooper,’ say Vallée. “Not only did we shoot all of her scenes, but we managed to create new ones to try to give more presence to Cheryl's mother in the film. Improvised scenes that we shot on the fly, between sets, during a makeup test, or a break. And every single one of them is in the film. Thanks to the great Laura Dern.”

                The more Dern got to know Bobbi, the more she was awestruck by her.  “I think what moved me most is that through all of the challenges of self-discovery and an abusive marriage and raising children on her own in poverty, she had no sense of martyrdom,” says the actress.  “There was no victim in her at all.  She felt blessed to be alive and to have the chance to redefine life for herself and her children, and to find joy in the unknown.  And that is so powerful and inspiring to me as a woman.  Just to get close to her through Cheryl’s memories felt like a great privilege.”

                All of it was essential to understanding Cheryl, and Jean-Marc was so creative at coming up with ways to condense Cheryl’s entire childhood.  We were recreating a lifetime of experiences, and that was a wonderful, exciting kind of challenge,” shares Dern.

LAURA DERN AND SAM TRAMMELL IN “THE FAULT IN OUR STARS”

Movie online release material

Typifying this generation’s parents are Laura Dern and Sam Trammell in the book-to-film adaptation of “The Fault In Our Stars” from author John Green and director Josh Boone.

Photo courtesy of Fox 2000

                The film follows Hazel(Shailene Woodley) and Gus (Ansel Elgort) as their relationship develops and they set off on a surprising and exciting journey to Amsterdam.  Laura Dern, who plays Frannie, Hazel Grace Lancaster’s mother in the film.   “What I love about the story is that it is not about cancer; it is about falling in love and being true to who you are, not apologizing for yourself,” says Dern.“It is about believing in the moment and really honoring the joy of the moment, no matter how bad everything might look. And those are themes we all need today.”

Together with her husband Michael, played by Sam Trammell,Frannie is a devoted mother, coping with an enormous challenge. Hazel (Shailene Woodley),the couple’s only child, has cancer. They want their daughter to live life to the fullest. Frannie encourages Hazel to attend a support group, where she can get together with other teenagers in a similar situation. Hazel agrees to go along, with some reluctance. While there, the pretty and intelligent girl catches the eye of the very attractive Gus Waters. Gus is in remission, but has accompanied his best friend Isaac (Nat Wolff) to the meeting. There is an immediate connection between Hazel and Gus. Gus is funny, confident and irreverent. Both are independent spirits with strong views on the world. They start seeing each otherand before long find themselves falling in love.

Given their health concerns, inevitably life is not easy for the pair, but like any other teenagers, Hazel and Gus simply enjoy being together.The film is inspiring and deeply moving but often humorous and not at all sentimental. It’s an authentic story that celebrates the precious moments in life.

Apart from Hazel’s friendship with Gus and Isaac, her world is very small.  Due to the restrictions placed upon her by her illness, Hazel spends much of her time with her parents, Frannie, played by Laura Dern, and Michael, played by Sam Trammell.

“Frannie and Michael are good parents who love their daughter and take really good care of her,” says Green. “But they are facing the reality of her illness.  At times it makes them a little bit like ‘helicopter’ parents, who hover over their daughter.

“At the same time, Hazel’s illness allows Frannie and Michael to be freer with Hazel than most parents would be with their teenage daughters,” he continues.  “They don’t worry as much about some of the relatively minor things that other parents worry about, like the guys their daughters are dating, because there are bigger concerns in their lives. So that makes for an interesting dynamic between Hazel and her parents.”

Laura Dern felt a strong connection with her on-screen daughter. “When I met Shaileneit was like being with family, which is rare.” Dern says. “Something in John Green’s writing and in Shailene’s personality made us kindred spirits.  Like Hazel and Frannie, Shailene and I are a bit obsessive about eating the healthiest ways possible and making sure there are no environmental toxins around us.  That infuses our characters and our friendship.”

Sam Trammell also appreciated the connections between the parents and their daughter.  “Hazel is almost as much of a caretaker to her parents as they are to her,” he says. “One of the things that struck me about the story was how Hazel is primarily concerned about the people she’ll be leaving when she passes, especially her parents. The most troubling thing to her is how her illness affects others, and I think that’s a beautiful notion.”

“The Fault In Our Stars”now showing in cinemas from 20^th Century Fox and distributed by Warner Bros.