Much the way Russ Duritz meets his younger self and experiences a revelation about his life in ways both profound and amusing, the film’s cast and crew shared aspects of that experience throughout production. The universal questions the story asks were revealing, as much to them about their lives as the story’s main character was learning about his own.
"What really attracted me to the story are the questions it asks, not the answers it provides," says director Jon Turteltaub. "’If you met yourself at age eight would that kid be happy with who you turned out to be? What did you want to be when you were a kid and did you fulfill those expectations? If you saw yourself at eight would you love who you were or would you be embarrassed of who you were?’ These are really universal questions, and because the story allows the audience to answer them for themselves—perhaps even for the first time in their lives—they can relate to Russ’ character and what he is going through on a very personal level, which is what I think makes it so believable."
"One of the truly amazing elements of Audrey’s script, is that it tells a very personal story that every single person can relate to," says Christina Steinberg. "Like Russ, all of us probably have a faint memory of what our dreams were when we were a kid, but somehow have discarded them as ‘silly childhood dreams.’
"I think in many ways it is a story that at its heart allows you to laugh, not only at what is happening to the characters, but even at yourself. In remembering some of the unpleasant things about our pasts, we can actually release some of the pain and laugh about who we were, or even who we turned out to be," she adds.
And what did international superstar Bruce Willis want to grow up to be when he was 8 years old? "I think when I was 8 I wanted to be nine. I wanted to be older. For a while I wanted to be a truck driver because I thought if was a truck driver I could grow up and see the world, or at least the country. Then I grew up doing a job where I got to see the world anyway."
Like many young girls, Steinberg remembers dreaming about being a ballerina or a princess when she was a kid but thinks her 8-year-old self would be thrilled with how her life turned out. "Ultimately, I think my younger self would very happy with what I have achieved," reflects Steinberg. "That I am happily married and have a job that I love, but she would probably think I work too much and need to have a little more fun sometimes," she laughs.
Emily Mortimer also had a quintessential dream as a little girl. "I definitely fantasized about being in a big movie and wanting to be a film star," she says. "Either that or some sort of goddess. I remember taking a trip to Greece with my parents and being deeply influenced by all the myths of gods and goddesses and decided I wanted to be one," she laughs.
"I think my 8-year-old self would be more impressed than I am with how cool it is to be a movie director and remind me what a great job I have because I always wanted to be in show business," says Turteltaub. "I also think that he might be a little disappointed that I am not married and am not a dad at this point."
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