Having a cast that’s so dependent on the performances of young actors seems as risky as filming at sea. Alfred Hitchcock compared directing actors to herding cattle, and while this may be fair in many cases, for most adult, professional performers, this is more than a little patronizing. Most filmmakers who treat their actors as collaborators on a common project seem to enjoy much greater success.
Child and teenage actors are tough because there’s far less of a chance they can be seen as equal collaborators. And very often, the test of a talented director is how well they harness the qualities of child performers and make them work in the finished film. We’ve seen too many examples where young characters are nearly unbearable.
All that being said, casting is important, and the young folks cast in this film are among the most accomplished for their age. Asa Butterfield honed his skills in some terrific smaller movies before landing the lead in the Scorsese hit Hugo. Abigail Breslin and Hailee Steinfeld are both Oscar nominees, for Little Miss Sunshine and True Grit, respectively. Breslin, in particular, is still in her teens but a basically an industry veteran, first gaining attention back in 2002 in Signs. These guys have turned in enough solid work to merit some confidence heading into Ender’s Game.
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