The True Adventures of Wolfboy tells the story of Paul, a young man who lives an isolated life with his father in upstate New York. He finds making friends impossible due to a rare condition he has known as congenital hypertrichosis - an affliction that causes an abnormal amount of hair growth all over his face and body. On his 13th birthday, Paul receives a mysterious gift that compels him to run away and seek out the mother he has never known. You can read our spoiler-free review by clicking here.
The movie - which is out TODAY on Digital - was written by Olivia Dufault, and boasts an incredible all-star cast made up of names like Jaeden Martell, Sophie Giannamore, Chris Messina, and John Turturro.
Dufault is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter, though most of you will know Olivia from her work on Preacher and Legion (where she also served as an executive producer). The True Adventures of Wolfboy marks her feature debut as a writer, though, and after learning about Hypertrichosis ("Werewolf Syndrome"), the filmmaker set out to explore that, and how it relates to her personal experiences. Her work on the project is incredible, and this clearly the start of an amazing career.
Here, Olivia talks to us about this movie, her interest in superhero projects, trans people being better represented in that genre and beyond, and the fact FX's Legion ended after only three seasons.
As well as our interview, we also have an exclusive clip from the movie to share with you. In that, we see Paul (Martell) and Aristiana (Giannamore) striking up what promises to be a beautiful friendship. Needless to say, we want to extend a huge thank you to Olivia for answering our questions!
The way Paul comes across Aristiana at the start of the film is really fun and unique, but where exactly did the mermaid idea come from?
I was interested in using and subverting fairy tale icons by reimagining them in modern contexts. Mermaids have always had a certain iconographic role in trans subcultures, so it seemed like a good fit. And to be honest, I’ve just always loved mermaids, starting from when I was a kid. They’re equal parts glamorous and dangerous; they’ll sunbathe by the shore and then drown sailors to their deaths! What’s not to love?
How closely did you work with Sophie when it came to how Aristiana was portrayed in the film and the way her identity as a young trans woman is handled?
Sophie’s performance was so effortless and perfectly calibrated from the first rehearsal onwards that it required little to no participation on my part. That said, Sophie and I get along pretty fantastically, and in the weeks of preproduction leading up to shooting, we talked extensively about both the film and our personal lives. I’m sure those conversations found their way into the movie in ways I can’t even imagine.
Paul's condition, Hypertrichosis, is so unique, but what was it about that which made it something you wanted to explore in this film?
Hypertrichosis is fascinating to me, in that it’s where many believe the "wolfman" myth originated from. As such, it’s at this interesting intersection between the fantastical and the very real, the mythological and the mundane. But if I’m being brutally honest, what resonated with me was much more personal. Paul’s condition was always intended as an allegory for confronting one’s insecurities and reaching a place of self-acceptance. But for me in particular, it was very specifically an allegory for my experience coming to terms with my trans identity. I began writing 'Wolfboy' about seven years ago, when I was twenty-six. At that time, I was grappling with gender dysphoria, before ultimately reaching the conclusion that I needed to transition in order to survive. In many ways, writing 'Wolfboy' was essentially the act of me mustering up the courage to transition.
When you were writing Aristiana, how many of your own personal experiences were you able to include with how her story unfolds here?
Aristiana’s personal story is vastly different from my own. She's confident in who she is at an age where I could only dream of doing so. My family is infinitely more supportive than her own. That said, in many ways, Aristiana is emblematic of the elements of myself I’m most proud of -- namely my resilience and vibrancy. And yeah, there are definitely a few details stolen from my youth. It’s not just that we’re both into mermaids. When writing 'Wolfboy,' Paul and Aristiana very much represented my internal dialogue with myself as I was processing my anxieties and overcoming my fears. Paul was where I was, Aristiana was where I wanted to be.
You've worked on comic book TV shows like Preacher and Legion, so is returning to that genre of interest?
I’m a massive comic book fan; I’ll be bold and say it’s my favorite of any artistic medium. Brian K Vaughan’s 'Y: The Last Man' was actually an inspiration for 'Wolfboy' in terms of its allegorical, road trip structure! I could gush about comic books forever. There are absolutely more comic-inspired stories that I’d love to explore.
With Legion, did you know that end was coming or did Marvel Studios getting those X-Men rights back a factor in the show wrapping up when it did?
Legion was always conceived by Noah Hawley as a three season story. I know it’s not as salacious, but Marvel acquiring the X-Men rights really had nothing to do with the series reaching its conclusion! From the onset, part of the appeal of working on Legion’s final season was the opportunity to shape where these characters’ ultimately ended up.
Supergirl has introduced a trans character, but beyond that, it still feels like there's a lot of work to do. Are you hopeful that genre will continue to evolve and become more diverse moving forward?
I agree, there is a lot of work to do! First and foremost, I think it’s incredibly important that not only are prominent trans characters being portrayed by trans actors onscreen, but that trans talent is represented behind the scenes as well. I’m talking trans writers, directors, producers, network executives, etc. It’s only through this that we’ll have more honest, diverse, and interesting stories. I’m optimistic for the future. Working with young folks like Sophie has that effect on me.
With so many big films being delayed, it feels like this film has the chance to shine now, but how do you both feel about that and are you excited that it's not being overshadowed by blockbusters?
It’s certainly an odd moment to release a film. It’s a pretty traumatic time that we find ourselves in, particularly for marginalized people who are most harmed by the pandemic. I wrote this film partially to help me through a challenging period of my life, so I hope it can do the same for others! But you’re right, the silver lining of this all is, yeah, there are no big budget blockbusters to compete with for attention! Sorry, Wonder Woman.
Finally, I felt like there was a real message of positivity here, but what do you hope people take from The True Adventures of Wolfboy after watching it?
Simply enough, I just want to inspire young people like me at age thirteen to be kinder to themselves.