For teen actor Finn Wolfhard (Netflix’s “Stranger Things”), one memorable film deserves another. After starring in the horror blockbuster “IT Chapter Two” as trash-talking Richie, he will soon be seen as Boris, a teen immigrant from Russia, in the inspiring drama “The Goldfinch,” opening in Philippine cinemas September 25.
In “The Goldfinch,” Wolfhard’s Boris is a Russian-born, street-smart, recalcitrant teenager who has been forced to grow up before his time. Both him and Theo (Oakes Fegley) have been reluctantly cast adrift in the outer reaches of Las Vegas, surrounded by sand and rows of vacant houses, emptied by foreclosure. Apart from being the only two kids within miles, Boris and Theo have misfortune in common: both had mothers who died tragically, and both have neglectful, even abusive, fathers.
Wolfhard says Boris has had to come up with his own rules of survival. “He’s got it all figured out for himself. He’s been through tragedy, too, but somehow has come to terms with things and is living life to the fullest. He reads Dostoyevsky, smokes cigarettes and drinks, and doesn't give a crap about what he’s saying. That was fun to do—to just flat out say stuff that you think. But Boris is also wise, way beyond his years, and when Theo comes into his life, Boris has someone to share his wisdom with.”
Wisdom aside, Boris is less than a good influence on Theo, with whom he also shares a penchant for alcohol, drugs and shoplifting.
The filmmakers considered a number of actors for Boris, “but none of them had Boris’s charisma and that mischievous quality that suggests this kid could get you into a lot of trouble and, at the same time, is wily enough to get you back out of trouble. Finn has all that,” director John Crowley states.
Chemistry was another important factor in casting the two boys, but the filmmakers knew they’d found the right mix when Fegley and Wolfhard were paired during auditions. “It was very funny because they wouldn’t shut up; I could barely get a word in edgeways,” Crowley laughs. “They just locked in on each other—playing and having fun and engaging in a way that you can’t fake. You can try; you can maybe attempt to direct it, but you can’t make that happen naturally between two kids. It was a real joy to witness, and it continued all the way through the shoot. The pair of them were like a tonic.”
After “The Goldfinch,” Wolfhard will be lending his voice to the character Pugsley Addams in the animated “The Addams Family” movie, set to hit theaters on October 30th. In 2020, he will star in the haunted house film “The Turning,” opposite Mackenzie Davis and Brooklynn Prince, as well as lend his voice to the second season of Netflix’s animated series “Carmen Sandiego.”
He is currently in production on the feature film “Ghostbusters 2020,” a new chapter in the “Ghostbusters” universe, from director Jason Reitman.
In Philippine cinemas September 25, “The Goldfinch” is distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures, a WarnerMedia Company. Use the hashtag #TheGoldfinch
Meanwhile, “IT Chapter Two” returns to Philippine cinemas September 20.
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