Exclusive: Wildflower Director and Co-Star Discuss Their New Coming-of-Age Film

Who doesn’t love a coming-of-age tale — especially if it’s told with the help of a talented ensemble cast on the big screen? Past classics include Super 8 and Boyhood, which should have won Best Picture back in 2015. And now, enter Wildflower, now in theaters and based on a true story. It follows Bea Johnson (Mad Men star Kiernan Shipka) from birth to graduation as she navigates life with two intellectually disabled parents (Dash Mihok and Samantha Hyde) and an extended family (including Jacki Weaver and Jean Smart) who can’t quite agree on the best way to help.

We recently caught up with director Matt Smukler to learn more about his feature film debut. We also sat down with co-star Samantha Hyde, who opens up about performing alongside Hollywood greats like Brad Garrett and Alexandra Daddario.

Director Matt Smukler on ‘Launching’ from a Documentary

MW: I see that you have like a story credit on Wildflower in addition to directing the film. How did the project all start?

Matt Smukler: It actually started as a documentary that hasn’t been released yet. And I was working on another project with Jana Savage, the screenwriter. I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but I think she had seen some of the footage. I showed her some of the footage from the documentary, and she was like, “We should be making a narrative out of this.”

And so anyway, in terms of a story for me, I worked very closely with Jana for, I don’t know, six weeks, and we just sort of wrote a bunch of cards and had our bulletin board and kind of plotted it out, using the characters from the documentary as a launch-off point, but really as just an inspiration. And then we really kind of made them our own. But it’s very, very helpful, obviously, to have kind of that person to at least go off. In many ways, it’s like when you write a script with an actor in mind; I think it sort of was a little bit of that, you know?

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MW: Do you have a timeline of when the documentary will be released?

Matt Smukler: I took my foot off the gas once the narrative kicked in. And that was sort of the decision of some of the producers, and so I will definitely be getting ready to shop that around soon.

MW: What was it like working with such a talented ensemble?

Matt Smukler: I mean, it was incredible. That was like a dream come true, just sort of getting all of my first choices to say “yes.” I remember the first day, they all came over to my house, and we kind of had breakfast together, and I was able to observe them as a family. And I mean, it was pretty overwhelming how amazing this cast was, and I just got very, very lucky.

MW: In addition to using your documentary as inspiration, did you also draw on any personal experiences to craft some of the storyline and characters?

Matt Smukler: For sure. [Writer Jana Savage and I] both did. The scene with Charlie Plummer, where he ends up peeing over the car — that was right out of Jana’s high school. Yeah, so that was a moment that didn’t come from the documentary. And the coma [scenes were] definitely a real event. And you know, how we decided to tell that, obviously in terms of the chronological aspect of the features, we obviously took a lot of creative liberties there.

MW: Looking ahead, are there other projects that you’re working on, that you’d like to share about?

Matt Smukler: Yeah, I’m doing another movie called Think Positive and Soar […] we’re casting that now. And then there are a couple of other projects that I’m super excited about. So we’ll just have to kind of see how everything goes. And then there’s another movie called The Portland Condition that I’m really excited about […] We’re just kind of getting into it, hammering out some of the details on all these. But yeah, I’m excited to dig in.

Co-Star Samantha Hyde on Working Alongside Veterans

MW: Going back to square one, what was it about Wildflower that first drew you to the project?

Samantha Hyde: The script was so strong, and the disability representation was unlike anything I’d seen before. Even though [my character] Sharon is very different from me, she’s based on a real person. And the way Jana [Savage] has written her just feels so authentic. So I was really excited about the opportunity to play such a passionate character who pursues her dreams, even as everyone else tells her they’re impossible.

MW: What was it like working alongside Hollywood greats like Jean Smart and Jacki Weaver?

Samantha Hyde: It was a masterclass in talent and kindness, and actually being easier on yourself. I think I was kind of scared a little bit, like, “Oh my gosh, how am I gonna keep up with these superstars?” But it actually is like, so much easier when you’re acting with superstars because you just look at them, and they look at you, and it’s just real. Getting to watch them work and hear about their stories […]

Jean [Smart] really felt like my mom, when she looks at you. She’s so genuine, both on and off-screen, and you feel really loved. And I’ll always remember the first time we met, it was over Zoom. And I just mentioned offhandedly that when I hug people, I like to be the outside of the hug. And when we met, she was like, “Oh, you gotta be on the outside, right?” And I was like, “Oh, that’s so sweet that you remember that.” And Jacki is just such a fireball and so confident. I just learned so much from her and Jean, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity.

Related: Wildflower: Official Trailer Breakdown

MW: Why do you think Wildflower is such an important story to tell?

Samantha Hyde: It’s so important that the world sees that there is more than one way to be disabled, and a family with disabled members can be just a normal family. It’s also really important to give the diverse talent the chance to get their foot in the door. I am so thankful to the producers and our director, and the writer and all the stakeholders who gave me this opportunity. And I hope it continues the conversation about how important authentic casting is, and that it contributes to disabled people having more opportunities on screen, both in disabled and non-disabled roles.

I’ve been so blessed to have this Wildflower family. I think one of the things that I wasn’t expecting when I got cast was that I’ve been able to get advice beyond acting. I really hope someday that I can learn to produce, that I can help other people tell their stories. And I’ve been working on my own screenplay, and the producers have given me all this advice, and it’s been such a wonderful environment.

MW: Is there an actor or filmmaker you’d like to work with down the line?

Samantha Hyde: This is probably not going to happen right away, but Guillermo del Toro, Emerald Fennell, Tom Hiddleston, Rachel Zegler, Billy Magnussen, Halle Bailey. I’m so excited for The Little Mermaid […] Honestly, I’d love to work with anyone. I think every project teaches you something different.

From eOne, Limelight, Morning Moon, and Hunting Lane Films, Momentum Pictures has now released Wildflower in theaters, and it will be available on-demand and on digital platforms March 21.