  Dakota Fanning cradles her "sweet and adorable" porcine co-star in Charlotte's Web. |
NEW YORK -- It never fails, says director Gary Winnick (13 Going On 30).
"I say to people I'm doing Charlotte's Web and they always say, 'Oh my god, that was my favourite book when I was a kid.' And then they pause and say, 'Please don't screw it up.' "
For those (usually males) who didn't read Charlotte's Web as a child, it's the story of a little girl named Fern and her pig, and the pig's best friend, a spider named Charotte -- all of whom live with the knowledge that "spring pigs" usually don't live to see the first snow (what with the popularity of bacon and eggs).
With that in mind, Charlotte spins miraculous word-webs, extoling the virtues of this "radiant" pig, in hopes of earning him a pardon.
This new version takes a cue from Babe, with live actors (Dakota Fanning as Fern) and talking animals (voiced by the likes of Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, and Cedric The Entertainer). Without further ado, here's a look at some of the characters from Charlotte's Web:
FERN
Dakota Fanning
There are so many things Dakota Fanning can consign to memory from the months she spent filming Charlotte's Web.
There was the daily sight of kangaroos, wallabees and koalas on the road to the location outside Melbourne. There was the promotional trip to Tokyo where fans mobbed the little movie star.
But mostly, she'll remember her mom, Joy Fanning, crying when she tried on a certain dress.
It was the yellow dress that Fern put on "because she knew she would see the boys at the fair," as author E.B. White wrote.
"Mom cried when she saw me in that outfit," Dakota says. "When I think of Fern, I always think of the yellow dress and red ribbons and when you get to bring that to life, it's really something. And my mom, she got all emoootional when she saw it," she says with a giggle.
And of course, there were pigs -- about 50 piglets, stand-ins for the porcine hero Wilbur, each one losing its job after a few weeks of growth. (The producers say all the pigs were given stays of execution and ended up as pets).
"They were adorable," Fanning says, practically squealing. "We got the pigs when they were, like, four weeks old. They were good pigs, and were all really cute. And they don't smell. I think everyone thinks they do, but they really don't."
Fanning will be 13 in February and has been the world's most famous child actor for so long -- stealing everything from War Of The Worlds to The Cat In The Hat to I Am Sam -- it's surprising to find out she's not 20. When she talks about the book Charlotte's Web, it sounds like a distant memory.
"I've always been a fan of the book, it's so amazing and one I've read so many times, it means so many things to me. It says so much about life and friendship and being honest and living life to the fullest."
But though Fern discovers boys, Dakota says she's not ready to go there as she hits her teens.
"Not in real life. I really don't even think about (boys). When I start thinking about that, I guess I'll talk to my parents about it. But I'm not even interested yet."
In the movie, however, she falls in puppy love. "Definitely!" she enthuses. "His name is Julian O'Donnell and he's from Australia and he's really sweet. It was an important scene," she says of the handholding on the Ferris wheel. "It symbolizes Fern growing up."
Of course, growing up in Hollywood means taking tougher roles. Some controversy surrounds her next movie, tentatively titled Hounddog, co-starring Robin Wright Penn, Piper Laurie and David Morse, about a sexually abused girl in the South who seeks escape in the music of Elvis. A concerned North Carolina assistant district attorney ordered a rough-cut screening of the movie to determine whether child exploitation laws were broken (and concluded there weren't).
"It's a very dramatic story, but it wasn't harder to play than anything else I've done." Of the abuse scenes, she says "That's part of acting, to be able to relate to things people go through without going through them myself. That's what I love about it.
Life on the home front, she says, is not that dramatic.
"This past year and a half, I did one film. It's important to have a balance," says the actress, who has a full-time tutor. "I play with my sister (Elle Dakota who's in Babel ), or play the piano or play with the dog. We have a dog now, a schnoodle named Lewellen."
She says she has lots of friends, not all in the "biz," and "I go to movies a lot, but not a lot a lot." Her favourite: The Devil Wears Prada. I love fashion and makeup. My mom won't let me wear it out.
"Y'know all the dresses I get to wear to premieres have been important to me, but I always try to dress my age. I don't want to be 18 right now."
ELWYN
Andre Benjamin
The comic-relief crow characters of Elwyn and Brooks are not from the book, but are an homage (E.B. White's full name was Elwyn Brooks White). The Heckyl and Jeckyl-esque roles were played by Thomas Haden Church and OutKast's Andre Benjamin, the latter of whom riffed about his "inner crow."
"You don't really have anything to go off of, so all the images of what you think a crow is, you kinda put that in your head. You go off on a name, so Elwyn. You think what does an Elwyn crow sound like? Not a John Crow or a Robert type of crow or a Guido, y'know, or a Russell Crowe. That's a crow who'd throw a phone at you.
"I decided Elwyn is probably a thinker, but his brain is small so he's not that smart. Me and Thomas, we recorded together, but it really wasn't together. It was at the same time -- I could hear him and he could hear me -- across the country in different studios. But it helped us get into a rhythm so I could see how his Hardy would be to my Laurel.
"The story is kind of for little kids and, y'know, gettin'-up-there kind of kids, too. And for adults for nostalgic reasons. My mom read it to me and I remember the animated version. And my son is 9, and I bought him the animated version.
"But it's really good for small kids because it would be their first introduction to dealing with death in a way. A kid, if they lose a dog or their grandparents, a fun film like this with animals that look beautiful, it kind of softens the blow."
TEMPLETON
Steve Buscemi
He had tons of screentime with Julia Roberts' spider character Charlotte, and still has yet to meet her, talk to her or perform with her.
For that matter, when we interviewed him in New York, Steve Buscemi had only just met castmates Dakota Fanning and Andre Benjamin.
"I think Julia is a wonderful actress, and I look forward to working with her some day," he quipped.
As for the role of Templeton the Rat, Buscemi will be the first to admit he doesn't have leading man looks. But a rat?
"People keep saying, 'How did you feel when they asked you to play a rat?' " Buscemi says.
"And I tell them, it's not a rat, it's the rat. It's the coolest rat -- although I'm sure Willard would have something to say about that. It's a great character; it's a great story. My only reservation about doing it was having Paul Lynde's voice (from the 1973 animated classic) stuck in my head as Templeton.
"If you compare the Zodiac and the Chinese calendar, they say the Year of the Rat qualities do resemble Sagittarius, and I am Sagittarius. Charming and uh ... I'm only going to tell you the positive ones ... intelligent, brutally honest, cunning."
"Do I believe it? Well, definitely the 'charming and intelligent' part."
GUSSY
Cedric The Entertainer
The only duo in the movie who actually got to record their animal voices together was Oprah Winfrey as Gussy the goose and Cedric The Entertainer as her henpecked husband Golly.
"It was good because we were able to get that bickering thing going. But y'know at the same time, she was Oprah, so it was like in real life, I kind of had to bow down," says Cedric. "She wore the pants. If I were married to Oprah, I'd be the K-Fed of acting. Like 'take care of me, honey.'
"She's actually really intuitive and very nice, up close and payin' attention. I had my 5-year-old son with me in the studio, and for someone who doesn't have kids, she was real interested in him. She went up and introduced herself. And he barked.
"She looked at me and was like, 'What is he doin'?' I said, 'Oprah, he's 5, I don't know! Sometimes they bark.'"
CHARLOTTE'S WEB
Starring Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts, Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Buscemi, Andre Benjamin
Directed by Gary Winick
Opens Friday
Rating G
The classic story of loyalty, trust and sacrifice comes to life in this live-action adaptation.
charlotteswebmovie.com
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