HE MADE US FEAR THE WATER
AND WONDER WHAT WAS BEYOND THE
STARS.
NOW HIS NEWEST FILM IS HITTING
THEATERS NEXT MONTH.
HE IS LIVE FROM LOS ANGELES
WITH MORE ON THE BFG.
GOOD MORNING.
Reporter: GOOD MORNING.
I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD SAY
MISTER.
HOW RUDE.
PLEASE CALL ME STEVEN.
RUDE OF ME.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE BFG.
THIS IS BASED ON A RONALD DAHL
BOOK WRITTEN IN THE 80s.
ONE OF DOZENS HE WROTE.
HOW DID YOU COME TO PICK THIS
STORY?
YOU KNOW I DIDN'T THINK OF
IT AT FIRST.
I HAD SPENT SO MANY YEARS AS MY
KIDS WERE AT DIFFERENT AGES
READING THE BOOK TO THEM.
AT THE SAME TIME INACTING BFG.
WHEN YOU READ A BOOK YOU ARE
THE ACTOR AND YOU PLAY ALL THE
ROLES.
I WAS REALLY FAMILIAR WITH THE
BOOK SO WHEN MY -- THE
SCREENWRITER THAT WROTE ET.
SHEA PRESIDENT CAPTAIN --
ADAPTED THE BOOK.
I REDISCOVERED IT OVERNIGHT AND
SAID I HAVE TO TELL THIS STORY
NOW.
THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR THIS.
I SAW A COUPLE OF TRAILERS
AND IT LOOKS LIKE SUCH A SWEET
MOVIE.
THE ANIMATION IS AMAZING BUT
YOU CHOSE TO TELL IT THROUGH
THE LITTLE GIRL'S EYE.
I THINK THE STORY TELLER IS
THE LITTLE GIRL.
SHE NATTATES IT.
THIS IS ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE.
THROUGH HER EYES YOU GET TO SEE
THE GOODNESS, THE FRIENDLINESS
OF THE BFG AND YOU GET TO SEE
HIS PROBLEMS WITH HIS OLDER,
TWICE AS BIGGER BROTHERS.
YOU REALLY GET TO UNDERSTAND
THAT NEEDS A PLAN.
SHE NEEDS TO HELP HIM SOLVE HIS
PROBLEMS IN THIS TERRIBLE
SITUATION THEY ARE IN GIANT
COUNTRY AND SO SHE BECOMES A
VERY STRONG YOUNG LEADING LADY.
I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT DAHL
PICKED A LITTLE GIRL TO BE THE
MAIN CHARACTER.
WE LIKE THAT ONE.
THIS IS YOUR FIRST FORAY INTO
MAKING A MOVIE WITH DISNEY.
DID YOU KILL OFF A PARENT?
THEY TEND TO DO THAT.
DISNEY IS LIKE THAT.
THEY KILL OFF PARENTS AND
DAHL IS VERY CHILD FRIENDLY.
WE ARE WONDERING WHO GET ITSELF
IN YOUR -- GET ITSELF?
I WAS VERY CAREFUL KNOW
THAT MAY HAVE BEEN A KIND OF
REQUIREMENT TO A ADVERTISE ANY.
I WENT AROUND THE BACK DOOR AND
DECIDED NOT TO DO THAT.
WOW.
IS THIS THE FIRST ONE?
PARENTS CAN BE RELIEVED TO
GO TO THE MOVIE AND SOMEONE HAS
THEIR BACK.
YOU CAN ASK YOU, DO YOU
BELIEVE THIS IS TRUE.
BEING A PARENT IN A DISNEY
MOVIE IS LIKE BEING A REDSHIRT
IN A STAR TREK FILM?
DO I THINK THAT IS TRUE?
NO.
NO.
NO.
BEING A PARENT -- I DON'T.
I DON'T.
BEING A PARENT IN A DISNEY
MOVIE IS -- IT'S DEBATABLE.
I LOVE IT.
YOU BROUGHT BACK MARK WHO WON
AN OSCAR FOR BRIDGE OF SPIES.
DID YOU HEAR HIS VOICE?
I KNOW YOU WERE THINKING OF THE
BFG.
WERE YOU THINKING I LOVE HIS
VOICE.
HE HAS TO BE THE GIANT?
WASN'T EVEN THE VOICE SO
MUCH.
IT WAS SEEING HIM DISAPPEAR
INTO THE SOVIET SPY'S CHARACTER
AND HE SO COMPLETELY
DISAPPEARED AND BECAME THAT
CHARACTER AND THEN BETWEEN
SHOTS HE WOULD BE MARK AGAIN.
HE DIDN'T STAY IN, CAPACITIER.
HE JUMPED BACK TO MARK.
I THOUGHT ANYONE THAT CAN MAKE
THAT KIND OF A TRANSFORMATION I
BET IF HE READ THE BOOK HE
WOULD BE INTERESTED IN PLAYING
THE BFG AND AT THE END OF THE
FIRST DAY OF SHOOTING MARK ON
THE -- ON BRIDGE OF SPIES I
GAVE HIM THE SCRIPT TO READ.
MARK DIDN'T KNOW I WAS MAKING
HIM AN OFFER.
HE THOUGHT I JUST WANTED HIS
OPINION.
SO HE READ IT THAT NIGHT AND
CAME BACK THE NEXT DAY AND HE
SAID IT MADE HIM CRY AND HE
STARTED TELLING ME HIS IDEAS
AND I SAID I DON'T THINK YOU
UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M -- WHY --
IT'S FOR YOU TO PLAY THE BFG.
HE HAD NO IDEA.
PEOPLE WILL LOVE HIM.
BEEN AN HONOR.
THANK YOU FOR CHATTING WITH US.
THE MOVIE OPENS JULY 1st.
GREAT TO BE WITH YOU.
SO HAPPY.
YEAH.
PARENTS EVERYWHERE ARE LIKE
RELIEVED.
IT LOOKS LIKE A VERY SWEET
MOVIE.
IT'LL BE A GOOD ONE.
THERE ARE TONS OF BOOKS THAT
ARE OF THE JUDGE -- THESE GOAT
STORIES.
HE WROTE CHARLIE AND THE
CHOCOLATE FACTORY.
JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH.
IT SEEMS LIKE A GREAT GROUND
FOR MINING FOR MOVIES.
AND JUST KIND OF READING
SOME THINGS AND A LOT OF PEOPLE
SAYING HE BRINGS A LITTLE BIT
OF ET BACK IN THIS ONE.
THERE IS MOMENTS THAT LIKE
THAT'S AN ET MOMENT.
IT'LL BE FUN TO SEE.
WE JUST SPOKE TO SPEILBERG.
HE SAID OUR NAMES AND SAID
IT RIGHT.
I CALLED HIM STEVEN.
I'M HORRIFIED.
SO RUDE.
