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.
Directed by Martin Krejcí and written by Olivia Dufault (Legion), the movie stars Chris Messina, Eve Hewson, Michelle Wilson, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sophie Giannamore, Chloë Sevigny, John Turturro, and lead Jaeden Martell. Recently, we had the opportunity to catch up with the IT, Knives Out, and Defending Jacob star to discuss his role as Paul in the touching Indie movie.
In this interview, we talk in detail with the actor about what it was like to be transformed into a "wolfboy" for this role, the hard-hitting themes this project often touches on, the message he hopes viewers take from the movie, and more. We also quizzed Jaeden on whether Defending Jacob could return for a second season and what it was like to work alongside Chris Evans on that and Knives Out.
Needless to say, we want to extend a huge thank you to Jaeden for taking the time to talk to us about The True Adventures of Wolfboy, and we definitely recommend you check it out this weekend!
The True Adventures of Wolfboy is available On Demand and Digital on Friday, October 30th.
When you were offered The True Adventures of Wolfboy, what was it about this quirky tale that made it something you felt you wanted to be part of?
That's a good question. I think it was, as you said, the quirkiness. And how each character is so unique, and so elaborate in terms of their appearances, but also just in terms of how they approach the world underneath that and their expectations of the world. Paul is a very timid character who hates confrontation, and he learns how to be strong and how to kick ass, for himself, throughout this movie. I wanted to be part of that to teach people, and myself too, how to be strong, you know?
Having been part of a franchise as big as IT, was it refreshing, or even important for you as an actor, to star in an original, smaller scale story like this one?
It was super important. It didn't always feel like a smaller movie. Even though it has a smaller budget, I had to go through so much prosthetics and work with Legacy Effects which was amazing. It felt like a huge superhero movie even though it was a small, intimate story. It's always exciting to do stories like these that are on a smaller scale, but just as important.
In terms of prosthetics, how long did you transformation take, and did wearing that mask cut down on what you had to be made up with?
That's what they said! They said it was going to be quicker and easier when I had the mask on, but it definitely was not. It didn't take off any time. It took probably three and a half hours once we got used to it, and once Mark and Lenny, the two guys who did my makeup (one did the left, and one did the right-hand side) got into the rhythm of it. The first few times, it was maybe six hours or longer.
It must have been a real honour working with Legacy on those effects, though?
It was incredible. They seem like a very tight-knit family, and we got to have a little tour of their studios. They do everything. Every big movie you can think of. That was pretty awesome, and they're all super kind and love each other, and treated me very well.
The chemistry you have with Sophie Giannamore is really incredible, and the relationship between her and Paul is very much at the heart of this film, so what was it like for you to explore such a unique dynamic between these two young people who are, in many ways, both outcasts?
It was really interesting. It's a really interesting dynamic that they have, and I think they both learn a lot from each other. Sophie is super talented, and she definitely brought an energy that Paul didn't have. Like I said before, he's very timid, and she brought something out of Paul that wasn't there before. She did that for me too on the set.
I thought it was great that despite Paul's condition, the fact Aristiana is a young trans woman doesn't matter in any way. What did you think of that?
Yeah, that was an incredible part of the story that I was really drawn to. The fact that each of these characters has these quirk and reasons to stand out that they never feel sorry for themselves. Paul does in the beginning, and Aristiana teaches him how to not feel that way. It's an incredible thing to be able to be yourself without apologising, and I think it was a really important topic to get across through this movie.
At this point in your career, you've already worked with some heavy-hitters, but how beneficial did you find it getting to share the screen here with John Turturro and Chris Messina?
It was awesome. It was definitely a learning experience, especially because each actor is so different in the way they approach the movie and what they brought to the movie. John Turturro's character was super theatrical and loud and terrifying, so it was really cool to sit back and watch him work. Seeing how he treated his character was really interesting. Chris Messina is so talented and I loved working with him. He's so tender, and he treated me a like a son as soon as we got on set. I think that's awesome, and I learned a lot from everyone actually.
Between wearing those prosthetics and the heavy material the film often deals with, how challenging was it for you to get into Paul's headspace and do his story justice?
The prosthetics made it easier to get into his headspace actually, It was definitely challenging. As me, as a human, it took a toll on me emotionally. It's hard to sit there for that many hours and it sort of restricts the emotions in your face. At first in the story, Paul resents his hair, and he hates the way people look at him. I began to resent that makeup, and eventually I leaned to love it. When I would be out in the street, I would see people looking at me, and people would make fun of the way I looked so I really got emphasise with the character. It helped me understand where he was coming from.
Looking back at IT and the legacy Stephen King's work has, do you have any reservations about returning to big franchises or was it a good experience overall?
For me, I'm not really focused on the size of the movie, but the people attached to it. The directors and actors and the story itself in the script. If it speaks to me, it speaks to me, then I want to be part of it. I have nothing against big studio movies, and it just really matters on the content of the movie. A good movie is a good movie, you know?
Defending Jacob was a hit for Apple, and while it covered the entire novel, if there was a way to continue that story, would it be of interest?
It's definitely not something we're planning on. Obviously, it's based on a book, and that came to a conclusion, but I loved being part of that story, so who knows what will happen?
You and Chris Evans have great chemistry, so it must have been fun working on both that and Knives Out together?
Yeah, it was super fun. It's actually kind of crazy. I told him on the set of Knives Out that my first ever movie, and I'd worked one day on this called Playing It Cool, and I played a younger Chris Evans in my first ever project. That was kind of crazy.
Do you view The True Adventures of Wolfboy as a standalone story or is this Paul's story one you think could be revisited in some way?
I think this is a standalone story. This definitely has a beginning, middle, and end, and you feel each of the characters grow and change throughout the story, and I think at the end of this movie, Paul is where he wants to be. I feel satisfied with the way that it ended, so I don't know. That's always a hard question to answer because part of me wants to be like, 'No, it's over,' but of course I wouldn't mind working with these talented people again and being this interesting character.
With so many big movies delayed, it feels like this one is going to get the chance to find a big audience on VOD, but what is your hope when it comes from what people will take from this one?
I think it's just about being yourself which sounds clichéd, but it's true. I think we forget that. It's being proud of you, and also finding people you can relate to, and that you love and love you without any judgement or reservations. It's about finding those people. Your people. These characters are able to do that.