The Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile The team celebrated the world premiere of the children’s novel, which was filmed in New York City on Sunday.
Stars Constance Wue, Shawn MendesEgo Nwodim, Scoot McNairy and newcomers Winslow Fegley and Lyric Hurd, as well as the film’s directors and producers, took to the black and white checkered carpet to tell all about their live-action project.
“It’s such a beautiful story,” producer Hutch Parker said The Hollywood Reporter. “I mean, it’s a beloved book, but it’s Lyle’s spirit that makes it so special. And it just felt like it was the right time to tell such a story. We like to say that everyone needs a little bit of Lyle in their lives, and I think it’s really true.”
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile follows mr. and mrs. Primm, played by McNairy and Wu respectively, who recently moved to New York, while their young son, Josh (Fegley), struggles to adjust to his new environment and make friends. When he meets Lyle, a singing crocodile who loves caviar and baths, that all changes – until the Primms’ evil neighbor, Mr. Grumps (Brett Gelman), Lyle’s existence threatens.
Parker believes directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon were a big draw for the cast, and when they all got together, everyone clicked pretty seamlessly.
“Constance was great,” Parker said. “Javier [Bardem, who also stars in the movie,] is fantastic. He’s kind of a legend. So that was exciting and remarkable to watch him tackle. He has never sung or danced in a movie like this. I mean, this was a big undertaking, and it’s pretty special to see him do his thing.”
Mendes voices the crocodile and marks one of the first major film roles of his career. The pop star also wrote some original songs for Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile.
“Shawn was remarkable because this is very different for him,” Parker explained. “It’s a very different process. You spent a lot of time getting him to understand the way the songs worked dramatically, but he was a natural. He was excellent.”
McNairy was inspired to collaborate with such talented actors, especially Bardem.
“Javier is so talented and so fun to be around, incredibly nice,” he said. “But just the things he adds to it, it’s really fascinating to see someone work that you admire so much.” McNairy added that it was important to him to be able to work on a project for his kids to watch, so they can see what their dad is doing, rather than just hearing about it. He hopes that children who watch Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile leave the theater feeling confident and knowing they can overcome their fears.
As for Wu, she feels the movie, as well as her upcoming memoir Create a sceneare images of her authentic self.
“I feel really relieved to have a really authentic image of myself in the audience,” she said. THR of her two recent releases. “I’m really happy that a musical is coming out, because that’s a representation of my authentic self, because I’m a music theater nerd. I always have been.”
When it comes to Create a sceneWu hopes it will help readers become more empathetic and curious about people rather than jumping to conclusions.
“I say something in the introduction where I say, ‘Instead of thinking about someone as a girl, making a scene, think about the scenes the girl made’, and what I mean by that is that it’s It is important to stop our judgment and instead awaken our empathy and curiosity about the circumstances that someone may have expressed at that particular moment.”
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile hits theaters on October 7.