ABC/Paula Lobo(NEW YORK) — A Wrinkle in Time director Ava DuVernay says part of her job was to create the right environment for the cast to be able to explore the fantastical, time-and-space-traveling characters from the classic sci-fi novel.
The Oscar-nominated director told ABC’s Good Morning America on Tuesday, “Part of it is creating an environment where everyone feels free and fun to explore their characters because people are pretending to be other people. It’s awkward, sometimes, if you don’t feel comfortable.”
And because the film is based on a fantasy novel, DuVernay said she was able to cast the movie however she wanted.
“Fans of the book [are] embracing the idea of Meg [as a] different color than what people might have imagined in the books,” she said of Storm Reid’s character. “I just love that. It’s time for everyone to see themselves in movies.”
DuVernay cast Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling as the astral travelers who help guide Meg as she looks for her missing scientist father. She says the women brought “good spirits” and a “warm vibe on the set.”
The director noted that the hardest part of her job was staying in tune with everyone on the production.
“There are hundreds of people that work to put those scenes together, so just making sure you’re listening to everyone and [being] kind to everyone all the time, that’s a big thing,” she advised.
A Wrinkle in Time opens in theaters nationwide March 9. It’s from Disney, the parent company of ABC News.