Interview by Paul Salfen
We got to Mr. Rogers hometown of Pittsburgh for the screening of A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. In this interview, Paul Salfen talks to Director Marielle Heller, Vanity Fair Journalist Tom Junod, who the character Tom Vogel is based upon in the film, and Bill Isler, longtime friend and CEO of Mr. Roger’s Company. A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD is a sincere effort to portray a man who considered the space between the camera and his audience as sacred, and thanks to Director Marielle Heller and her team, gives us the type of film we need to see more of today.
Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer (Emmy winner Matthew Rhys) is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about kindness, love and forgiveness from America’s most beloved neighbor.
Directed by: Marielle Heller. Written by: Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster. Inspired by the article “Can You Say. . . Hero?” by Tom Junod
Produced by: Youree Henley
Peter Saraf
Marc Turtletaub
Leah Holzer
Cast: Tom Hanks
Matthew Rhys
Susan Kelechi Watson
and Chris Cooper
