Deric McCabe is just like any other kid in America. He goes to school. He loves being silly. Oh, and he happens to be one of the stars in Disney’s A Wrinkle In Time.
Okay, so that last one may not be so average, but for an actor, Deric is one grounded and rambunctious kid. Recently on a Disney blogger trip (#HanSoloEvent), we had the privilege of not just seeing some new bonus footage from the A Wrinkle in Time movie, but we spent some time with Deric himself.
Being more of a ham than… well, Toy Story’s Ham, Deric didn’t miss an opportunity to flash his pearly whites or show off his acrobatic skills. Yeah, the kid can even do a summersault.
Perhaps he’s different at the end of the day, but throughout our interview, Deric was like one of those wind-up toys that just didn’t stop. Bursting with energy, this kid has no off button. And a quick look at his smiling father who would just laughingly shake his head, shows that his energy knows no bounds.
Deric took questions from our blogger crew in rapid fire, reveling in the act of pointing and calling on people. In some ways, he must have felt like a teacher in school. That holds true for the interview, as we learned plenty about A Wrinkle in Time and Deric’s role in filming it.
Oprah Stole His Popcorn
“The first time I met Oprah..” teased Deric, “they make this a really good popcorn and they make butter on it and cheddar on it and we were doing stunt practice for the cave scene. They said to put down on a mat. It wasn’t Oprah’s turn yet but it was mine. She just started eating my popcorn and she was like, ‘whose popcorn is this? This is delicious.’ I’m like oh, that’s mine. Oprah’s eating my popcorn. ”
His Celebrity Crush: Scarlett Johansson
“I have a baby brother and I tell him that Hulk is bad,” said Deric. “No, this is the reason. I have a crush on Scarlett Johansson. And Hulk and Scarlett Johansson just did a movie [The Avengers] so I said Hulk, bad, Scarlett Johansson, good.”
The young actor apparently loves his super heroines. Besides Scarlett Johansson, who plays Black Widow in the Avengers movies, Deric has a big crush on Chloe Bennet, Quake from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
“Scarlett Johansson and Chloe Bennet. You know, they are delightful. You know, I haven’t met them. They are hot and they love me even though they don’t know me.”
Getting Through the Audition Process
Throughout the audition process, Deric was called back a number of times to read for different scenes. It was a very nerve-wracking experience. But one thing above all else helped him get through it.
“What helped me? My parents,” he said. “They did because they were like, don’t worry. They may call you back. They’re going to call you back. And then the time where Ava called me, my mom was like oh, here, it’s for you. And I was like, okay. Hello, not thinking it was going to be Ava, and she’s like hi. And I was like who are you? She’s like, oh, I’m Ava, the one that was doing the auditions. I was like wow, hello. She was like, I was wondering if you would like to work with me on A Wrinkle in Time. And I was like, yes. That would be great.”
Realizing He Wanted to Become an Actor
“This is going to sound really silly,” explains Deric as he reveals the moment he decided he wanted to become an actor. “But I was watching the Avengers with my dad and I just saw Scarlett Johansson [fight] and I was like oh, I want to do that and I’m going to meet her. So, then I was like, I think I want to do acting. They put me into acting and now here I am talking to all you mommy bloggers.”
A Wrinkle in Time Bonus Features
Besides trying to keep up with the super-energetic Deric McCabe, we were shown some of the bonus material from the A Wrinkle in Time Blu-ray. These were interviews with everyone from Director Ava DuVernay to Oprah Winfrey. We saw how the amazing special effects were handled, including the big brain scene at the end.
I love seeing all the behind-the-scenes info from movies, especially when you get to really see how the actors behave around each other when the camera’s not rolling. (Though it really is, at least for the bonus features!) Seeing Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling chat non-stop was a riot. From the second the director yells “Cut!” to the time she says, “Action!” those two were in a non-stop conversation.
My favorite, though, is seeing the stunts. In the one Yoga-like scene with Zach Galifianakis as the Happy Medium, all the characters did some incredible balancing acts. Through camera angles, harnesses and wires, you get to see how the filmmakers pulled off these incredible stunts.
What else can you look forward to in terms of bonus features on the Blu-ray and Digital HD editions?
- A Journey Through Time – Take an up-close look at the making of this magnificent movie with Director Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey, and the cast and crew.
- Deleted Scenes (with optional director audio commentary)
- Ant on a String
- Aunt Beast
- Meg Learns About Calvin’s Dad
- Papergirl
- Audio Commentary
- Director Ava DuVernay
- Producer Jim Whitaker
- Co-Screenwriter Jennifer Lee
- Production designer Naomi Shohan
- First assistant director Michael Moore
- Editor Spencer Averick
- VFX supervisor Rich McBride
- Bloopers
- Original Songs/Music Videos
- “I Believe” performed by DJ Khaled featuring Demi Lovato
- “Warrior” performed by Chloe x Halle
About A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time is directed by Emmy® winner and Oscar® and Golden Globe® nominee Ava DuVernay from a screenplay by Oscar winner Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell based upon the beloved novel by Madeleine L’Engle. The film is produced by Jim Whitaker and Catherine Hand with Doug Merrifield and Adam Borba serving as executive producers, and stars two-time Academy Award® nominee Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Which; Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy winner Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Whatsit; Emmy nominee Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who; Storm Reid as Meg Murry; Levi Miller as Calvin; Deric McCabe as Charles Wallace; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Mrs. Murry; Michael Peña as Red; with two-time Emmy winner Zach Galifianakis as the Happy Medium and Emmy nominee Chris Pine as Mr. Murry.
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