Hey Teen Books Hey

I’ve had the incredible opportunity to talk to K.L. Going about the upcoming Fat Kid Rules the World movie, and how your contributions to their Kickstarter campaign can help shape the future of this film. Click through to read about the movie, and what working with Matthew Lillard (from SLC Punk! and Scooby Doo) was like.

Who initiated the idea of a movie?

Matthew Lillard was the first person to express interest in the film
rights. However, shortly after he contacted me, another well-known studio
also contacted my agent. We had no contract in place, but by then, Matt
had already sold me on the fact that he was the right person to make the
film.

How involved were you during the production of the film?

Matt and the producers of the film have been wonderful about keeping me in
the loop every step of the way, but I was not involved in the creative
decision making.

Was the actors’ interpretation of your characters different from what you imagined?

Actually, it was spot on. I couldn’t believe how close they came to my
original vision. The casting is phenomenal and all the actors did an
amazing job.

How faithful is the movie? Did you have any influence over the script?

The movie is extremely faithful to the book even though I was not at all
involved in the script writing. Michael Galvin and Peter Speakman wrote
the script and they are very talented writers with a punk rock background.

How did the idea of using Kickstarter come about?

Once the movie had its world premiere at SXSW in Austin, TX, and we won an
Audience Award and came away with over thirty absolutely glowing reviews,
we knew we had something special with this film, but distributors still
didn’t see it. They keep saying no one will go see a film about a fat kid.
But we think they’re wrong. This film has heart and it’s about the fat kid
in all of us, so we’re betting that people will connect with it. Kickstarter is a way to bypass the crappy distribution offers that would
have sent the film straight into DVD obscurity.

Are you happy with the progress of the Kickstarter campaign? Is it meeting your expectations?

Definitely! We’re almost at our goal of 150K! I can’t believe it!

How will contributing to Kickstarter shape the future of Fat Kid?

First, it will allow us to co-sponsor the Vans Warped Tour, which is a
punk rock tour that travels to 42 cities nationwide. We’ll be able to
connect to the exact audience the film is meant for… Second, it will pay
for an experienced publicity person to help us market the film ourselves
so fans of the book can actually get to see the movie on a big screen!

I have to ask a fangirl question: How was working with Matthew Lillard? I know this is his first film as a director; is he as awesome behind the camera as he is in front of it?

Getting to know Matthew has been a great experience. He is the most
optimistic person I’ve ever met, but somehow he tempers that with realism,
and I still can’t quite figure out how he manages that. Me? I’m a worrier.
So I feel like I’ve learned a lot from him. I remember when we first
talked on the phone about the Fat Kid film rights he told me, “I never
fail” and this was a statement I could not imagine coming out of my mouth
in a million, zillion years, so it floored me. But so far he’s been true
to his word. The film is BEAUTIFUL, and we’re about to achieve what seemed
like an impossible goal on Kickstarter. Wow.

Also, and most importantly, the process of making this film has been
collaborative, right from the start. I love the way Matt has brought
people in and allowed them to be a part of Fat Kid Rules the World.
Whether someone was an extra on the movie set, or they stood in line to
see the film at one of the festivals, or they’ve donated to Kickstarter…
I think everyone comes away feeling included, knowing they’re a part of
something special that was made with integrity, just for them.

There’s only twelve hours left for the Fat Kid Rules the World Kickstarter campaign! Help K.L. and the rest of Team Fat Kid reach as many people as possible with this film by donating here.

-Allyx