00:00As people gather in the movie theaters, it's one of the areas where we connect back to the
00:04strangers around us and we recognize as we laugh together in the same moments and cry together in
00:09the same moments, we're really not all that different." Zachary Levi stars in the new movie
00:13Harold and the Purple Crayon, an adaptation of the classic children's book. The film follows a grown
00:18up Harold as he accidentally steps out of the pages of his book and brings the magic of his
00:23purple crayon into the real world. Levi and his co-stars Zooey Deschanel and Lil Rel Howery spoke
00:29to The Hollywood Reporter all about working on the project. This movie is all about the power
00:33of imagination and believing in the magic of Harold's purple crayon. For you, how did working
00:39on this movie inspire you to get back in touch with that childlike sense of wonder within yourself?
00:45Well, I don't know that I've ever let go of it, which is probably why I got the job to begin with
00:51and also jobs like Shazam and things like that. You know, I just always held on to purposefully
00:59those things that keep me connected to that childlike wonder and joy and fun. And so,
01:06this was just a really fun opportunity to turn that up a little bit more, dive into it,
01:12get to portray this character that is just relentless light, that there's no negative
01:17energy in his world that he carries and he's only learning the negative stuff as he comes
01:21into the real world. But then that provided a really great juxtaposition to create the comedy
01:27and also the growth that the character has. And I think that was all a really fun experience.
01:32You have to use your imagination a little differently, right? Especially playing Moose,
01:36I had to really like, I mean, one of my favorite things I did was when Moose lands into the real
01:42world and he looks at himself for the first time, he just yells. It's just to put myself
01:48in the mindset of what that would look like to a Moose who's only seen himself one way.
01:54It's so funny to me, but that's where your imagination got to go. It was constantly like
02:00trying to make sure I found the innocence in my character. And that was fun to do, actually.
02:06It's so beautiful. Look at all the friendly people.
02:09We lost Smurf.
02:10Here's my antlers.
02:12Family films like this one are having a huge summer at the box office. And it makes me feel
02:17like that might be because a lot of people want to get back in touch with their inner child and
02:21remember the joys and magic of life the way that movies like this one inspire you to.
02:26Why do you think people need a movie like Harold and the Purple Crayon right now?
02:30I think it's really nice to have a movie you can go see with your kids and you can
02:33talk about afterwards and it can inspire everybody and feel like something that's
02:38uniting rather than separating. So many things I feel like separate everybody out. You like this,
02:44you like that, everyone's different, separate. It's nice to have something that's for everybody
02:49and brings everybody together and really emphasizes what we all have in common.
02:55Well, I think audiences need a movie like Harold and the Purple Crayon for the same reasons that
03:00we need good entertainment in general, which is it provides a respite to the insanity in the world.
03:09And there's just unfortunately a lot of insanity going on in the world right now.
03:14And to be able to provide people some escapism, some respite, some just like,
03:20hey, let's go on an adventure together as a family and also as a community as people
03:25gather into movie theaters. It's one of the areas where we connect back to the strangers around us
03:30and we recognize as we laugh together in the same moments and cry together in the same moments,
03:34we're really not all that different. And I think those are important moments for us,
03:39as kids and as adults.
03:45Are you okay?
03:46My insides are coming to my outside.
03:48I thought I saw a moose.
03:50I'm a moose.
03:51Harold lives in a world that's of his own design. If you could design your own dream world,
03:55what would it look like?
03:57Well, it would be a lot of fun. It would have elements of it that are amusement park kind of
04:03elements where there's lots of rides and things and activities and just all of the fun that you
04:09can have. But more important than that, it would have a lot of fundamental, just philosophical
04:16tenants that would underpin all of that fun like kindness and peace and unity and forgiveness and
04:24empathy and patience and things that we're sorely lacking in the world today.
04:29Harold and the Purple Crayon is now playing in theaters.
04:32For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.
Comments