Danny DeVito confirms plans for ‘Matilda’ reunion
Actor Danny DeVito has admitted that there are currently plans being made for him to reunite with his Matilda co-star Mara Wilson for a return to the classic 1996 movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s original novel of the same name.
DeVito also served as the director of the film version, and now he has revealed that both he and Wilson are coming back together to collaborate on Matilda in Concert. The pair will provide narration over a live score by David Newman.
In an interview with The Messenger, DeVito said, “Mara and I were planning to perform Matilda live with the New Jersey Philharmonic Orchestra just before the strike hit. We had it all set, but after the strike hit, we couldn’t proceed because it would be seen as a promotion for a movie.”
He continued, “However, we’re still planning to do that. We’re going to watch the movie with David Newman’s score and try to do it sometime soon, as it seems the strike may be coming to an end — I hope!”
Wilson played Matilda in the film and also made performances in Mrs. Doubtfire and Miracle on 34th Street. She retired from acting 2001 for 12 years before returning in 2013.
In an interview with The Guardian from earlier this year, Wilson admitted to being burnt out by her early fame, noting, “People don’t realise how much constantly talking to the press as a child weighs on you. When you have fans, you can no longer be yourself when you’re out in public.”
“I saw that they were disappointed that I wasn’t as smart, pretty, nice as they expect you to be. I think they were expecting me to be Matilda, and she’s wonderful, but she’s not real,” Wilson added. “She’s brilliant in every single way. She’s smart, kind and powerful. Then they met me, this nerdy, awkward teenager who got angry sometimes but couldn’t even channel her anger into powers. I was never going to live up to that.”
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