Screenwriter Gabe Sachs (left), actor Robert Capron (center) and interviewer Arianna Kenig (right) participate in a question-and-answer (Q&A) session at the Arlene & Dick Van Dyke Theatre on Sept. 20. The discussion followed a showing of the 2010 film “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” Photos by Triniti Gregg
From illustrated diary entries to cafeteria drama, a behind-the-scenes discussion explored middle school’s awkward moments.
Malibu Film Society and LA County Library presented a screening of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” on at the Arlene & Dick Van Dyke Theatre. The event featured a Q&A session with screenwriter Gabe Sachs and actor Robert Capron, who plays Rowley Jefferson.
After the 2 p.m. screening, Capron and Sachs said adapting author Jeff Kinney’s work led to memorable filming experiences and relationships that continued after production.
Timothy Sitkovetsky, a 13-year-old student at Malibu Middle School, said the event offered a chance to meet an actor from one of his favorite books he grew up reading.
“I never thought that I’d get the coolest opportunity to really meet someone famous like that,” Sitkovetsky said.
Sketching Out the Story
Adapting Kinney’s illustrated book into a movie required the writers to connect individual moments into a complete story, Sachs said.
“The biggest challenge was the fact that it’s a comic,” Sachs said. “It involved taking those one-pagers and creating a cohesive story.”
The book supplied characters and memorable scenes, but Sachs said the challenge was weaving those pieces into a beginning, middle and end.
Kinney helped the writers identify what readers loved and decided which moments belonged on-screen, Sachs said. Their conversations allowed the team to build a story while preserving familiar humor.
“Jeff Kinney was a huge part of our process,” Sachs said. “He knows his audience so well — he knows what everyone loves.”
Sachs said bringing the drawings to life also required collaboration among the director, producers and production team. Additionally, he said wardrobe, makeup, hair and production design all contributed to creating the movie’s world.
“No one knew how successful it would be,” Sachs said. “It was such a fun project all around, we had the best time doing it, but that really was the icing on the cake.”
Rowley Returns
Capron said he had not watched the movie in roughly four or five years before the screening, although he estimated he had seen it more than 40 times.
Rewatching the film brought back memories of the crew behind the camera for Capron. When the credits appeared, he said a costume designer’s name reminded him of their time together on set.
Watching the film as an adult also revealed humor Capron said he had missed as a child. A scene featuring the school’s Safety Patrol, a group of students responsible for enforcing school rules, stood out because he said their exaggerated seriousness once seemed reasonable to him.
Capron said he saw parts of his childhood personality in Rowley. Like his character, he said he sometimes took jokes literally and readily followed instructions.
“Rowley’s just such a giving person,” Capron said. “I had so much in common with his trusting nature.”
Beyond the jokes, Capron said he appreciates the movie’s portrayal of friendship. Lead character Greg Heffley learns he cannot force Rowley to become someone else, while Rowley discovers he can make his own decisions.
Sachs said the young actors brought innocence to their performances. He said he recalled listening to Capron through headsets during filming and feeling excited about how the scenes came together.
“He did it the right way every time,” Sachs said. “It was really fun.”
A Real-Life Middle School Review
Sitkovetsky said he has read nearly all 21 books in the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series and has watched the films multiple times.
Timothy Sitkovetsky holds his copy of “The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary” beside a Malibu Film Society poster Sept. 20 at the Arlene & Dick Van Dyke Theatre. Sitkovetsky said he was thrilled to receive autographs from both Capron and Sachs at the event.
The illustrations are among Sitkovetsky’s favorite aspects of the book. In the movie, he said he enjoys moments when Rowley delivers unexpected and possible accidental insults while appearing sincere.
Experiencing middle school himself makes the story’s humor even more relatable, Sitkovetsky said.
Although the movie exaggerates certain situations, parts of the film resemble things he witnesses at school.
“I’ve seen so many kids do or say crazy things,” Sitkovetsky said. “The movie is not as far off as you might think.”
Sitkovetsky said hearing Capron explain filmmaking and his relationships with other actors added another perspective to the familiar story.
“I’ve never really done something like this before,” Sitkovetsky said. “Being able to go see a movie and then also meet the actors afterwards was so awesome.”
Beyond the Diary
Playing Rowley created opportunities that extended far beyond the movie set, Capron said.
He said he traveled to Tanzania with Kinney for philanthropic work.
The movie also created lasting friendships. Capron said he regularly sees his former co-star Zachary Gordon, who played Greg, and described their relationship as resembling family.
“It’s something that just gives and gives and gives,” Capron said.
Sachs said the story continues to connect with audiences because people recognize the uncertainty of entering middle school.
“Everyone has been 11 years old” Sachs said. “We’ve all been there, so watching this movie, you sort of feel and experience it all over again.”
For students navigating those years now, Capron said he encourages them to embrace their interests rather than hide them to fit in.
“Genuinely, just be yourself,” Capron said. “Life’s too short.”
This story was copy edited by Haylie Ross.
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Contact Triniti Gregg via email: triniti.gregg@pepperdine.edu