The Spiderwick Chronicles made its debut on Roku this past Friday and for the show’s press junket, I got to sit down and have a brief but delightful conversation with two of the show’s stars. Jack Dylan Grazer, best known for the two Shazam films and Pixar’s Luca, who voices the mischevious boggart Thimbletack, and Alyvia Alyn Lind, whose previous work includes The Young and The Restless as well as the Chucky TV series, who plays Mulgarath’s adopted daughter Calliope.
Also Read: The Spiderwick Chronicles (2024) Review – A Fantastical Pleasant Surprise
Featured Video:
“Everything she does is just slightly off.” – Alyvia Alyn Lind
The main thing I discussed with both of these actors is the challenge of playing sympathetic yet antagonistic characters. For instance, Calliope starts the series off as a devoted acolyte of Mulgarath eager to see humanity devoured, but over the course of the show, you see how her bitterness stems from a genuine place, as well as how she becomes a better person through her bonds with the Grace family.
When speaking on this challenge, Alyiva Alyn Lind described it as “fun but difficult.” She was faced with a unique but arguably freeing circumstance in that her character was created specifically for the show, meaning that she had no source material to work with but could make the character into whatever she wanted. As such, she worked very hard to find “that balance between thousand-year-old fetch and teenage girl.”
Moreover, Lind spoke about trying to make sure everything about Calliope felt unique and “slightly off” from “the way she walks, her mannerisms” to the way she communicates with others in order to help her stand out as a character. Jack Dylan Grazer particularly praised her line delivery in Episode 4 regarding her character’s smell, which we all had a good laugh about.
“I love being this mischievous little dude.” – Jack Dylan Grazer
In contrast to Calliope, Jack Dylan Grazer’s character Thimbletack is more overtly heroic, being old friends with Great Aunt Lucinda and guiding our heroes on their quest to collect the pages of Arthur Spiderwick’s field guide; but he certainly goes about it in a rather unorthodox way. Tying Mallory’s hair in knots, freezing Simon’s pet mice to death, and causing all sorts of trouble for the Grace family and their friends.
Grazer, for his part, defended the actions of his character; stating that he only causes “productive mischief” though he admitted he might be “biased” in his assessment. I really wish I could’ve heard how he would’ve responded to the whole “killing those mice” thing, but I unfortunately did not have time to bring it up. But regardless, that defense seems to translate into Grazer’s investment in the role of Thimbletack.
He absolutely adored this role and could not say enough about how fun it was, how much he loved playing Thimbletack, and how he generally appreciated “everything about this character.” I feel like this tracks rather consistently with who Jack Dylan Grazer is as a person because, in the admittedly limited interaction I had with him, he came across as an absolute gremlin of a man. A lovable gremlin, but a gremlin nonetheless.
I suspect that Grazer’s wacky hijinks and the near derailing of the interview that came from the extended “smell” improv towards the middle is why we were prompted so suddenly, even in the context of a press junket, to start wrapping things up. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed my time talking with both actors and I even got to personally praise Grazer for his wonderful performance in Luca before signing off, for which he thanked me and flashed me a peace sign.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for more entertainment coverage.
