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Another round of interviews as I got a chance to interview yet another co-star for the movie A Wrinkle in Time, sixteen year old Rowan Blanchard. Although this movie is based off the classic 1962 novel of A Wrinkle in Time, Rowan Blancards character, Veronica Kiley was not in the novel. Veronica Riley, who is the mean girl archnemisis to Meg Murry in the Disney’s adaptation of A Wrinkle In Time, was curated by director Ava DuVernay and screenwriter Jennifer Lee. Veronica Kiley, is actually a blend of both Ava’s & Jennifer’s high school bullies, so Rowan additional was a true personal inclusion for what the director and screenwriter of A Wrinkle In Time can related to little girls and their angle of bullying. 

Rowan Blanchard is known for her role as as Riley Matthews in  Disney’s “Girl Meets World”.

Rowan Blanchard and Storm Reid at the World Premiere Carpet for A Wrinkle In Time – Photo Courtesy of Disney

Rowan Blanchard is Veronica in Disney’s A WRINKLE IN TIME.

Rowan Blanchard as Veronica Kiley

Rowan explains what it was like playing the mean girl

I mean, it was definitely different for me.  I felt like I was doing it in this way where it wouldn’t be, gosh, minimized to just a very stereotypical mean girl role.  I really trusted Ava to make a character that felt complex and more than just a mean girl. I think there’s a lot of layers to Veronica that we get to see throughout the film.  You guys saw it? So, I think, I don’t know, there’s a lot of different parts to her that you sort of see as the film unfolds where she’s more than just the bad girl or the mean girl, which was a relief.

Rowan expresses how it felt for her character to be added to A Wrinkle In Time as it wasn’t in the original novel

I hadn’t read the book quite recently before I started the movie so I read the book in third grade and there’s a photo of me doing a book report on it, which is crazy.  But now I’m like, here and, I don’t know, she was added into the script to sort of add this character, an element of friendship for Meg coming from another girl because in the book, that’s not really there.  It’s very much about Meg and her dad and Meg and this boy and Meg and her brother. So, I think Ava really, it was really important to Ava and to Jennifer to have a girl character that Meg could have in her life and that they could kind of learn from each other.

Rowan answers question if her character Veronica brought out anything within herself

I’m not sure if I realized anything specifically through Veronica.  I definitely–, it definitely made me aware of how the bully is always the person who’s hurting so deeply inside, which is such a stereotypical thing to say but very true.  And I think we see that in one scene with Veronica like the layers of her body insecurities and all of these things that are very, very real, that teenage girls sort of access every day.  One thing that I definitely learned so much through filming this was Ava let me shadow her as a director. So I learned a lot just about kind of what I want to do later in my life through Ava.

What Rowan learned the most from shadowing director Ava Duvernay

I hope I get to direct–, work with more women directors but the approach that it seems from male directors is that it’s so–, it’s so normal to scream at people or to like use your voice in ways that are very aggressive in order to get what you want.  And it’s always sort of inspiring and interesting for me to watch how women directors have to occupy the space that’s been left for them to get the attention and to get the take that they want without being as aggressive because you can’t. You’ll be called a diva or you’ll be called very hard to work with. So, I don’t know, it’s just been very–, it’s cool to watch how women–, how women occupy that space.

Rowan declares how she allows herself to be a Warrior daily

I have to give myself permission to be a warrior on the daily.  It’s not something that is a very conscious thing where I feel totally empowered and fearless every day.  There are some areas that I feel more confident and then others. Going off on that piano with Oprah, Reese and Mindy, I felt like the odd one out.  I will tell you guys the truth. But like, that’s a second where I have to be like, I deserve to be here and like, I’m here, a part of something bigger than myself.  So, so, yeah, I don’t know, I guess that’s another–, there’s just so many moments on the daily where I have to remind myself that it’s okay that I am in the room.

What she believes the message children will get out of watching A Wrinkle In Time

this film marks such an incredible and unique time in history where so many people who have never seen themselves on screen are able to go to a film and see themselves starring in a huge sci-fi movie.  Like, that’s massive. I was just looking on Twitter, there’s a lot of organizations led by young teenage black girls to buy movie tickets for a bunch of other young black girls to go see this movie. And just that alone, the fact that people are organizing like this and are so prepared and ready for this thing to come out makes me feel so excited to be even a small part of it.  

Rowan brought a unique view to pre-teen bullying as her character Veronica Riley in A Wrinkle In Time. It definitely shows bullies are fighting their own demons and its always more to a story. If you aren’t familar of her hit show, Girl Meets World, its the spin-off show to the 90s classic sitcom Boy Meets World. I grew up on that show so much, so it makes me pretty old to see that Rowan plays Corey and Topanga Matthews daughter. I’m lowkey showing my age, I am still young but kudos for Rowan on her role on that show, and for bringing a contrasting imagery to a modern mean girl.

A Wrinkle In Time is now in theaters! 

From visionary director Ava DuVernay comes Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic which takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light and, ultimately, the triumph of love. Through one girl’s transformative journey led by three celestial guides, we discover that strength comes from embracing one’s individuality and that the best way to triumph over fear is to travel by one’s own light

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“A WRINKLE IN TIME” opens in U.S. theaters now!

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