Turtles All The Way Down Stars Felix Mallard & Cree On Honoring The John Green Adaptation

Summary Turtles All The Way Down brings John Green's novel to life, shedding light on OCD and mental health struggles.

Cree and Felix Mallard discuss the importance of accurately representing mental health in the film adaptation.

Isabela Merced, Cree, and Felix share their experiences working together and bringing empathy to difficult conversations.

Cree and Felix Mallard open up on joining the Turtles All The Way Down cast, which casts a big spotlight on OCD and mental health. 2024 marks another year for author John Green as one of his novels is coming to life, with Turtles All The Way Down set to be one of Max's upcoming original movies. Directed by Hannah Marks, Turtles All The Way Down stars Isabela Merced as Aza Holmes, a teenage girl struggling with the challenges of OCD.

One of the crucial players in Turtles All The Way Down is Aza's best friend, Daisy Ramirez (And Just Like That's Cree), a passionate nerdy high school student. Another big character in Aza's story is Davis Pickett (Mallard), who re-enters her life after her childhood crush on him. Turtles All The Way Down, which hits Max starting on May 2, also stars Judy Reyes, Maliq Johnson, and Poorna Jagannathan.

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Screen Rant recently interviewed Cree and Mallard about adapting one of Green's books to the world of film. Throughout the interview, Cree and Mallard both share their thoughts on how important it was to nail the crucial elements of Turtles All The Way Down's mental health focus, as well as their respective chemistry with Merced.

Felix Mallard & Cree Preview Turtles All The Way Down

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Screen Rant: I really love this movie, as someone whose family member also has OCD, this was a very relatable story. Can you talk about getting involved in this project as Daisy and Davis?

Cree: The book is gorgeous, it's so incredible, I immediately fell in love with it and with the script. Daisy, to me, felt like such a special character, and to have the chance to explore comedy, but also this platonic love story with her best friend, and also some darker, more uncomfortable parts of the mental health conversation that's had throughout the film, felt like an amazing opportunity. I felt like if I can just even scratch the surface of what John accomplished in the book and what our writers accomplished in the scripts, that I'd be happy. Felix Mallard: Exactly that, the book is so loved and so revered for such a good reason. While enjoying the project, it became such a responsibility and making sure that this conversation about mental health was done with the love and care and empathy and kindness that John brought to it. It felt like we, hopefully, achieved that. Everyone wanted to create something that was bigger than some of the parts we wanted to do or give this beautiful story the justice it deserves.

Did you both get a better understanding of people with OCD doing this film and what do you hope audiences will take away from this mental health aspect of the story?

Cree: Yeah, absolutely. I think that OCD is an incredibly misunderstood thing in society and also in media. I think television and film tends to get it wrong, [it] tends to be the butt of jokes, and just really not correctly or accurately represented. I think, John, this was the first time he wrote about OCD in depth, this very personal story for him. He was incredibly generous and vulnerable with his readers and his audience. So I definitely learned a lot reading the book, being in the film, reading the script, speaking with John and I hope that audiences can walk away with just a more accurate understanding of what OCD is, and how it can present itself, what hope and love and friendship means in individual people's journeys with their mental health struggles. Felix Mallard: I could not have said that better, but that was amazing.

You both have such great chemistry with Isabela, how was it working with her in the respective relationships you guys had with her?

Felix Mallard: Isabela is a trait to work with, she's an absolute gem, she's so talented, she's so kind, she gives so much on the day, it's so beautiful to come to sit and know that you're immediately going to be listened to, you have someone to listen to. I just counted myself quite lucky that I could go on set and know that we could trust each other and know that we could, take risks and maybe make choices that [are not] necessarily conventional and see where it takes us. To have that freedom to play and to bring empathy to these kinds of really difficult conversations was so fun. Cree: Seconded it, he killed that one, that's exactly right!

Do you guys have a most memorable moment from filming?

Cree: I haven't spoken about this yesterday, but there was one particular scene which I loved filming that felt really special, and not to be all actor [about it,] but magical as it was happening. It was effortless and was happening without it too. much conscious effort or overthinking, which is the scene between Isabela and I in her bedroom when we're looking through security footage, and we're talking about Davis for the first time, the fact that she has a crush on him, the fact that I think that he's interested in her. It felt so laid and loose that day, I don't know, the chemistry was working, I think maybe that was a little earlier in the schedule and we were really finding our rhythm. It felt so like girlhood, sitting on our beds, supporting each other, trying to encourage each other to be braver. Something about that just felt really like loose and special, that was a really fun night, that was one of my favorite. Felix Mallard: That's so funny you say that because that moment in the trailer is where it really pops. You're building it up and this kind of setting up the OCD stuff and then immediately you see these two people who were so bubbly and connected. There's a severe urgency, which I love. Cree: Interesting. Thank you, honey, I agree, it crackles!

The Future Of Ginny & Georgia Season 3 & ...And Just Like That

What do you both have coming out that we can look forward to? For you, Cree, for example, any chance Luisa is coming back to ...And Just Like That?

Cree: I cannot speak to the entire future of ...And Just Like That - as of right now, Luisa will not be returning. All I can hope audiences will put their attention to, in the moment, is Turtles All The Way Down on Max, May 2. Please, we're in love with it!

Felix, I don't know how many more times I can re-binge seasons 1 and 2, what is coming up for Marcis in Ginny & Georgia season 3, do you have any updates that you can give us?

Felix Mallard: I have no idea what's coming up for Marcus. I'm excited to continue maybe having those conversations about mental health, [that] is what I love about Turtles All The Way Down, it's what I love about Marcus in that we can really have those honest conversations about what it's like to be a teenager today and what that looks like versus maybe what a trope would look like. So I hope we can continue that, we're about to go back to start shooting, so it's really exciting and I just hope we can bring more of that empathy. But yeah, right now it's just Turtles All The Way Down on May 2.

About Turtles All The Way Down

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TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN tackles anxiety through its 17-year-old protagonist, Aza Holmes (Isabela Merced). It’s not easy being Aza, but she’s trying... trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, and a good student, all while navigating an endless barrage of invasive, obsessive thoughts that she cannot control. When she reconnects with Davis, her childhood crush, Aza is confronted with fundamental questions about her potential for love, happiness, friendship, and hope.

Check out our other Turtles All The Way Down interviews here:

Isabela Merced

Hannah Marks (Director) & John Green (Executive Producer)

Turtles All The Way Down arrives on Max starting on May 2.

Source: Screen Rant Plus