NATIONAL NEWS
January 16, 2009
TFK Chats with Eliza Hope Bennett
The British actress stars in Inkheart, in theaters January 23
In Cornelia Funke’s best-selling fantasy book Inkheart, 12-year-old Meggie Folchart and her father, Mo, share a special gift. They can make storybook characters come alive just by reading aloud. Now, Funke’s book is springing to life too — on the big screen! The movie hits theaters on January 23.
 |  Eliza Hope Bennett, 16, in a scene from Inkheart. |
Nanny McPhee star Eliza Hope Bennett, 16, plays the book-loving Meggie. Meggie and Mo’s extraordinary ability has brought all kinds of classic book characters into the real world. They include everyone from a teenager pulled out of 1001 Arabian Nights to Dorothy’s loyal pup, Toto, from The Wizard of Oz. But the special talent is not always a good thing. Big trouble follows after Mo accidentally brings an evil book villain to life. Can Meggie and her father set the real world right before it’s too late?
TFK chatted with Eliza about Meggie’s special talent.
TFK:What’s your character, Meggie, like?
ELIZA:Meggie is quite feisty and strong. Although she can be quite innocent, she also has an inner strength to her that shows throughout the film. And she has a big passion for books. I think I can relate to Meggie in that way because I really love reading as well. I think that I can be quite feisty as well, which is something else I might share with her. But Meggie gets put through a lot of things in the book that I never, ever in my wildest dreams will have to go through.
TFK:Were you a fan of the book before you won the part?
ELIZA:I read the first book and second book, Inkspell, after I got my first audition. But the third book, Inkdeath, hadn’t come out yet. I’m usually not a big fantasy reader, so I was quite surprised that I read them so quickly and really, really enjoyed them.
TFK:Who is your favorite Inkheart character?
ELIZA:I’d go with Meggie, obviously. But when reading the books, I really, really liked Dustfinger [a fire juggler who gets pulled into the real world from the book, Inkheart]. You never quite knew if he was good or bad. And you never were quite sure if he meant well or if he was selfish. He’s really complicated.
TFK:How did you like working with Brendan Fraser, who plays Mo?
ELIZA:It was amazing. I was a little bit nervous to meet him after looking at the cast list. There were so many big names working on the film. But meeting Brendan, there was an instant warmth, and he’s so funny. Having him play my dad was great. I felt so lucky to have worked with him.
TFK:Were there any pranks played on set?
ELIZA:We worked with ferrets because Dustfinger has his pet, Gwin, that is played by several ferrets in the movie. And we had this one fake ferret that was really life-like. It would get hidden all around the set and people would freak out because it would surprise them from different places.
TFK:If you could read characters out of storybooks, whom would you bring out?
ELIZA:Well, Meggie reads Toto out of The Wizard of Oz. The dog that plays Toto was so cute. Most of his scenes were with me, and I really fell in love with him. So, I think I have to remain faithful and say that if I did have the power, I would pick up The Wizard of Oz and read Toto out.
TFK:And if you could hop into any book, which one would it be?
ELIZA:Books like the ones Jane Austen wrote and books from that period of time (late 1700s and 1800s). I would like to hop into Pride and Prejudice and go to one of those fancy balls. Nowadays, you never get to wear beautiful ball gowns like they wore in those days. Though, I would always like a ticket back to my world. That’s the good thing about filming — you get to jump into worlds like that and jump back out again.
TFK:What are some of the messages in the film?
ELIZA:The book and film are based around reading, and Meggie has a huge love of books. So, I think Inkheart encourages more children to read.
TFK:If the other Inkworld books, Inkspell and Inkdeath, were made into films, would you be interested in returning to the role of Meggie?
ELIZA:Yes! When all the actors and director signed on to do Inkheart, we were signing on for all three if it happened. We had such fun shooting the first one that I think everyone would be up for doing two and three. It just sort of depends on how well received Inkheart is.
