Daveed Diggs On ‘Wonder,’ Teaching & Working With Jacob Tremblay [VIDEO EXCLUSIVE]

Daveed Diggs plays a teacher in the film Wonder, about a young boy with a craniofacial difference. Jacob Tremblay plays the boy, Auggie Pullman, and his parents are played by Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. The film has been receiving high praise from critics since it came to theaters last weekend.

“Wonder is the story of Auggie Pullman, and is the story of him going to public school for the first time – he’s been homeschooled his whole life up until now. And it is about the way that the spirit of this young boy radiates into the world around him and creates a better community,” Diggs explains. “I get the great pleasure of playing his teacher Mr. Browne who is, I hope, the teacher that we all get to have at some point in our lives.”

Before becoming an actor, Diggs had a career as a school teacher, so acting as one was very much in his wheelhouse. “It was everything, I was very lucky,” he said. “I didn’t have a ton of time to prepare for this role, so it was good to be doing something that I felt at home with, and then Stephen Chbosky director also created a space were I could interact with the students in a way that was familiar to me, so that was really nice also, so allowing me to move around in the desks and move kind of the way I would normally. I drew on that experience quite a bit.”

Diggs was impressed by his young co-star’s winning personality. “The thing I remember most about him is just how funny and how kind he is when the cameras aren’t rolling,” the actor said. “He really creates a wonderful atmosphere to be around, and that’s a lesson I’ve been trying to take with me to other sets. All of these kids really took it upon themselves to make sure that the environment was fun to be in, and you don’t think about that often that that can be part of your job as an actor too, to make sure that the atmosphere is great, and I learned that from these kids and Ive been trying to use it in the rest of my life.”

Full interview transcript below:

Daveed Digs

Q: How does the story of ‘Wonder’ begin?

A: ‘Wonder’ is the story of Auggie Pullman, who’s a little boy who’s growing up with a craniofacial difference. And this is the story of him going to public school for the first time. He’s been home-schooled his whole life up until now. It is about sort of the way that the spirit of this young boy radiates into the world around him and create a better community, and I get the great pleasure of playing his teacher Mr. Brown, who is, I hope, the teacher that we all get to have at some point in our lives.

Q: Did your former career in teaching help with this role?

A: It was everything. I was very lucky. I didn’t have a ton of time to prepare for this role, so it was good to be doing something that I felt at home with, and then Stephen Chbosky, our director, also created a space where I could sort of interact with the students in a way that was sort of familiar to me. That was really nice also, sort of allowing me to play around in the desks and move kind of the way I would normally, but I drew on that experience quite a bit.

Q: What was the most memorable moment working with Jason Tremblay?

A: The thing I remember most about him is just how funny and kind he is when the cameras aren’t rolling. He really creates sort of a wonderful atmosphere to be around, and that’s a lesson I’ve been trying to take with me to other sets. All of these kids really took it upon themselves to make sure that the environment was fun to be in, and you don’t think about that often that that can be part of your job as an actor too, sort of make sure that the atmosphere is great. And I learned that from these kids, and I’ve been trying to use it in the rest of my life.