Inside The Making Of 'Wonderstruck' With Director Todd Haynes

Whimsical and visually thrilling, Todd Haynes' new film “Wonderstruck” is a children's film that — much like his Oscar-nominated "Carol" — cultivates social inclusion.

Based on the best-selling 2011 illustrated children's novel by Brian Selznick (who is also the film’s screenwriter), the movie interlaces the stories of two young runaway deaf children from two different time periods in New York City. Rose’s (newcomer deaf actress Millicent Simmonds) story happens in 1927 and is told in black-and-white, while Ben’s (“Pete’s Dragon” star Oakes Fegley) takes place 50 years later and is shown in color. By the end, their adventures unfold with lyrical symmetry driven by wonder and hope.

“‘Wonderstruck’ works like a mystery genre,” Haynes tells Patch. “There is a little puzzle piece that needs to be figured out in the process, which makes the storyline intriguing.”

Being a central theme in the movie, deafness informed Haynes's choice of making a silent film, of which Haynes explained his fascination. “I feel [silent films] defy language," the director says. "They can easily spark a conversation between the hearing and non-hearing audience."

However, the director found that making a silent film came with a unique set of challenges. Without dialogue from the two main characters, the storyline relies heavily on composer Carter Burwell's magnificent score. But the score was not ready until post-production. As a result, the director and his sound team had to “use some temporary music in place to be able to put two shots together in cutting the black-and-white.”

“It was difficult, but I found the whole experience exhilarating because we relied on the pure cinematic language — a movie in silence without dialogue,” he said.

Haynes and his casting team were determined that the character of Rose should be played by a deaf actress to underscore the authenticity of the young girl’s experience. After a long search, 14-year-old Utah native Simmonds was cast.

“It was incredibly rewarding to work with Millie. She was natural and intuitive in front of the camera,” said Haynes. “She knows how to project the perfect balance between what you hold in and what you retain as a mystery.”

“I really don’t know how she did it. It’s something I didn’t direct. It was something innate in her,” continued the director.

Julianne Moore also stars in the film, playing an impressive two roles: young Rose’s mother in the 1920s silent film and the adult Rose in the 1970s sound film.

Haynes and Moore have previously worked together on the films “Safe,” “Far from Heaven” and “I’m Not You.” “Wonderstruck” is their fourth collaboration, and Haynes mentioned that he and Moore continue to offer each other a mutual sense of security.

“She comes in incredibly prepared; she knows exactly what she’s doing. I give her the space, the trust and the faith to execute. In return, I think she trusts that I’m thinking about the frame, the point of view and structure of storytelling visually and cinematically,” according to Haynes.

So, what did the director find to be most memorable about “Wonderstruck”?

“The movie project had cool challenges,” Haynes said with much gusto. “Wonderstruck” is open now in theaters everywhere.

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Top Photo: Director Todd Haynes attends the Journey Gala & UK Premiere of 'Wonderstruck' during the 61st BFI London Film Festival on October 5 in London, England. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images for BFI)