Walt Disney Pictures
(LOS ANGELES) — The cast of A Wrinkle in Time has many reasons to feel emotional about the film: They’ve been honored with their own Barbie dolls, and of course, there’s the history-making aspect of Ava DuVernay’s turn as the first black woman to direct a movie with a budget exceeding $100 million. But it was the movie’s young lead actress, Storm Reid, who brought everyone to tears during an interview on ABC’s Nightline last night.
Storm, who plays the central role of Meg Murry in the film, says she was overcome with emotion while describing how DuVernay is like a second mom to her.
“She just like really fought for me and just on set she was just there for me and she made me feel comfortable because this is my first lead role, you know?” the 14-year-old said through tears.
Her answer kicked off the waterworks for DuVernay and cast members Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and, yes, even Oprah Winfrey.
Witherspoon fueled the tears even more when she recounted something Reid had said: “I remember, Storm, you said the most beautiful thing to Ava. She said, ‘Thank you for making me the lead and not the best friend.’”
There wasn’t a dry eye on the interview couch, as Oprah pointed out, “This is strike one, two, three, four, five. I’ve never seen that happen, where five people are crying in an interview.”
A Wrinkle in Time hits theaters March 9. Disney is the parent company of ABC News.
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