When Alisha Weir was first told she’d be playing Matilda in Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical, she happy-cried. “I just burst into tears because I couldn’t believe it,” the 13-year-old actor tells Tudum. “I think my whole family… we were all just speechless.”
Director Matthew Warchus auditioned many child actors for the part, but one of the things that set Weir apart — beyond her ample talent, cheeky line delivery and mesmerizing glare — was that “she’s a brilliant listener,” Warchus says. “That’s really important because if you listen carefully, you can take direction, and also you can listen to the people who you’re playing a scene with, and respond to them.”
So, who is the girl behind the latest rendition of Matilda? Get to know Alisha Weir a little more ahead:
How did you feel the moment you found out you were going to play Matilda?
It was on my mom’s birthday, and I was meant to [be in] class. And then my mom said, “Matthew wants to have a Zoom with you.” I didn’t really know what to think. I was really excited, but I didn’t want to get too excited, because it could’ve been a yes or a no. And my whole family was there at the time. Matthew said that he’d like to offer me the part of Matilda, and I just burst into tears.
What was your relationship to the character Matilda, before auditioning to play her?
I’d read the book and seen the film, but I hadn’t seen the stage version. I just really like the character because first of all, she’s really kind and loving, but she’s very courageous — she’s brave. She’s very mature for her age — she’s a kid, in the body of a child, but she has the mentality of an adult. So I just really like how she stands up for herself, and she’s just trying to spread the word that we should all stand up for ourselves.
What was your favorite scene to film?
Well, when I went up in the hot air balloon — I really enjoyed that, because I actually got to go up in that hot air balloon, and I really liked singing up there.
Weir also gushed over bonding with the other kids on set, getting to work on a soundstage, and watching a layer of Bruce’s cake go home with Warchus for his son’s birthday. Most of all, Weir loved working with the incredible cast assembled to bring Matilda to life. Get to know the rest of the characters and the actors who play them ahead:
Miss Trunchbull is the sort of character whose very name will make you shudder. She’s the headmistress from hell, and every child’s worst nightmare. She refers to children as “maggots” and believes in punishing all the creativity and joy out of them. Which is part of the reason why it’s such a surprise to see Emma Thompson in the role. Thompson has played some despicable villains, sure (see: The Baroness in Cruella). But more so, she’s known for her charm, grace and subtle comedic touch on-screen. And yet, in Matilda the Musical, the Sense and Sensibility star proves why she’s a legend: She has the range to do it all.
Between her nasty parents and the notorious school principal, there aren’t a lot of kind adults in Matilda’s life. The great exception, though, is Miss Honey, who quickly recognizes Matilda’s intellectual gifts and becomes her champion. Lashana Lynch, best known for her roles in action blockbusters like No Time to Die, The Woman King and Captain Marvel, plays the character with warmth and sweetness.
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Early in the film, Matilda’s father makes one thing very clear: he never wanted a daughter. And when he gets one, he lets his disdain show, misgendering her and treating her less like a person and more like a piece of furniture. But Matilda is a force to be reckoned with, and Mr. Wormwood becomes the subject of many of his daughter’s ingenious pranks. Stephen Graham, no stranger to playing comically obnoxious blowhards (see: Snatch), relishes the role, getting big laughs as he’s outsmarted time and again by his gifted daughter.
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Like her husband, Mrs. Wormwood doesn’t pay her daughter much attention; to her, Matilda is little more than a nuisance. Mrs. Wormwood is more concerned with her looks, donning bright outfits and applying lots of makeup. Riseborough is known for her roles in Birdman, Oblivion and Possessor.
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Apart from Miss Honey and her friends at school, Matilda finds refuge in Mrs. Phelps, who runs a traveling library car. It’s there that Matilda gets in a lot of her reading, but she also spins her own stories. Mrs. Phelps listens with baited breath as Matilda tells a tragic one about a couple of trapeze artists. Vee, a comedian who Netflix viewers may recognize as Olivia’s mom on Sex Education, takes on the wondrous Mrs. Phelps who provides Matilda with the safe space she needs.
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