Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Cast: Logan Lerman, Dylan McDermott, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd, Mae Whitman
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rated: M
Running Time: 109 minutes

Synopsis: A sensitive teenager learns to navigate the soaring highs and perilous lows of adolescence in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a powerful and affecting coming-of-age story based on the wildly popular young adult novel by Stephen Chbosky. Starring Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Emma Watson (the Harry Potter franchise) and Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin, Another Happy Day), The Perks of Being a Wallflower captures the complexities of growing up with uncommon grace, humour and compassion.

It's 1991 and academically precocious, socially awkward Charlie (Logan Lerman) is a wallflower, always watching from the sidelines, until a pair of charismatic seniors take him under their wing. Beautiful, free-spirited Sam (Emma Watson) and her fearless stepbrother, Patrick (Ezra Miller), shepherd Charlie through new friendships, first love, burgeoning sexuality, bacchanalian parties, midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the quest for the perfect song. At the same time, his English teacher, Mr. Anderson (Paul Rudd) introduces him to the world of literature, sparking his dreams of becoming a writer.

But even as Charlie thrives in his new, more grown-up world, the pain of his past"which includes, his best friend Michael's recent suicide and the accidental death of a beloved aunt"lurks just below the surface. As his older friends plan to leave home for college, Charlie's precarious equilibrium begins to crumble, and at the root of his sadness is a shocking revelation.

Release Date: November 29th, 2012
Website: www.perks-of-being-a-wallflower.com

 

About the Production

In 1987, a then-17-year-old Stephen Chbosky (pronounced sha-bos-key) attended a film festival at the Fulton Theater in Pittsburgh where he met one of the city's most famous citizens"horror king George Romero. The aspiring screenwriter and director asked Romero to sign a poster for him that now hangs in his office. The inscription reads: 'Stephen Chbosky, stay scared. I hope you get your first script produced. George Romero."

His first screenplay may remain unproduced, but his first literary effort, the young adult novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, was published in 1999, and has gone on to become a cult favourite that has been required reading at some schools and banned at others. Now Stephen Chbosky has written and directed a sensitively framed film based on his acclaimed novel. Like the book, the movie follows its hero, Charlie, through a thrilling, traumatic and ultimately triumphant first year of high school.

A graduate of the prestigious screenwriting program at the University of Southern California, Stephen Chbosky began writing the book while still in college, completing it a few years later while living in New York. 'I wrote the book for very personal reasons," he says. 'I was going through a difficult time in my personal life. But I had also reached a point in my life where I was ready to write about why good people have to go through such bad things and how a family of friends can get you through. I really needed answers for myself and it was like Charlie tapped me on the shoulder and said, -I'm ready to tell my story.'"

Ironically, it's the intensely personal nature of the material that makes it so universal, he says. 'I was not trying to please everybody or reach everybody. I was just trying to tell my own truth. I never thought about appealing to a wide audience. I authentically told my story, and I think that people respect that."

The book's remarkable success led to several offers for the writer to adapt the story for the movies. Instead, Stephen Chbosky moved to Los Angeles to pursue other projects, including writing the screenplay for the movie version of the Broadway phenomenon 'Rent" and co-creating the CBS television series 'Jericho." But he knew that at some point he would return to Charlie's story.

'I always wanted to make a movie based on my book," he says. 'I saw the images so vividly when I was writing it. But I wanted the time and distance to do it right. In the interim, I worked on a lot of different scripts. I honed my craft until I was ready to write a script that was authentic to the book."

  Stephen Chbosky felt an enormous sense of accountability toward his multitudes of fans as he adapted the popular novel into a screenplay. 'In the 13 years since Perks was first published, I've received hundreds of letters and emails," he explains. 'Some of them would break your heart. You realize that a lot of kids feel terribly alone. They think that that no one is listening, that no one cares. Some of them say they were thinking about ending it, but then they read the book and chose not to. When that happens, it changes you, and you realise what a responsibility you have."

The book is written as a series of letters from Charlie to an unnamed correspondent. Charlie's letters deal frankly with issues that continue to confront teens over a decade later. Some of those 'hot button" topics, including drug and alcohol use and sex, have made the material controversial in some communities. 'Every time the book gets banned, people say it's a badge of honor," says the author. 'But for me, there's always a sad moment. I wrote the book in part to end a silence. I want parents and kids to talk about what they are going through. Censorship and book banning just end the conversation."

More important than any of the events of the book are the characters, the author says. For that reason, when writing the script, he streamlined the plot, and focused on the relationship between Charlie and the first friends he makes at his new school, most notably Sam and her stepbrother Patrick, who see in him a kindred spirit. 'Some things had to go, but the central themes are unchanged," says Stephen Chbosky. 'The family of friends and the relationship between Charlie and Sam and Patrick had to be there. I ultimately did cut things that are beautiful in the book, but didn't quite fit into the movie. But if I had filmed every scene in the book, it would've been about four hours long."

The story is still told through Charlie's eyes, but Stephen Chbosky engineered a subtle shift in point of view that he knew was necessary to tell his story most effectively. 'In the book, we come to love Charlie's friends through his love for them," he says. 'But that doesn't work in a movie. I had to find an objective way to show Charlie's subjective love. I had to do things like make the character of Patrick much funnier, because it wasn't good enough for Charlie to describe how funny Patrick was. He had to actually earn it."

Hearing that Stephen Chbosky was working on an adaptation of his novel, Lianne Halfon, Russell Smith and John Malkovich, partners in Mr. Mudd Productions, reached out to him. The company is responsible for films including the Oscar®-nominated Juno, Ghost World, Art School Confidential, Abel and Jeff Who Lives at Home, as well as acclaimed documentaries including Which Way Home. The partners agreed that Stephen Chbosky was the only director they would consider for the project, even if that made putting together a deal a bit more difficult.

'There was an understanding that when we had a screenplay that truly reflected the book, we would start shopping it around," says Russell Smith. 'All the components had to be the best, because a first-time director is always the biggest unknown, but we were all in agreement that Stephen Chbosky needed to direct the movie. Since Stephen Chbosky had written a beautiful book and a wonderful screenplay, we were confident that he could pull it off."

The team took a hands-on approach to filmmaking, a decision much appreciated by the first time director. 'I couldn't have asked for better producers," says Stephen Chbosky. 'They were there every day on set and in post-production. They always told me the truth. Their notes and suggestions were invaluable."

John Malkovich gave Stephen Chbosky one key piece of advice before shooting began. 'John Malkovich told me the reason he loved the script was that it had real heart. And because we had real heart, we didn't need sentiment. He said, -Always get the tough take,' and I never forgot that. I'm a softie. I want the romantic take, but more often than not, that simple note saved us from becoming too sentimental."

Stephen Chbosky calls the completed film an unconventional love story. 'I wrote the line -we accept the love we think we deserve' in my first draft," he says. 'It became a central theme for the entire book, and then ultimately the movie. It's not just about romantic love. It can be about friends. It can be about how you treat yourself. It's about how to have a great life if you just let in more of the world."

Although the novel is most often read by teenagers, Stephen Chbosky is confident that the film's appeal transcends age. 'Watching the movie, an adult may get very nostalgic about what it was it like to be that young," he says. 'A twelve-year-old, who hasn't been through high school yet, may find a bit of a road map. Someone in the thick of it might just need some affirmation that what they're going through is real and that someone else gets it. I want a mom to see the movie and remember being young, and I want a daughter to feel affirmed about what it is to be young. I want them both to be compelled to talk to each other about what they've experienced. That's all I want."
Charlie and Company

Finding the right actors for any film is a delicate process, but filling the shoes of characters beloved by a generation presents unique challenges. Stephen Chbosky meticulously put together an extraordinary cast for his directing debut, including a gifted trio of young actors playing the central characters of Charlie, Sam and Patrick: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller. 'I think the script was waiting for this cast," he says. 'If I'd finished the screenplay three years earlier, they would all have been too young. If I finished two years later, they would be too old."

Logan Lerman, an emerging star who plays the title role in the Percy Jackson franchise was cast as Charlie. His immediate connection to the character surprised even the director. 'I thought no one knew Charlie like I did, but Logan :er,am does," says Stephen Chbosky. 'His performance is so subtle. He is awkward, but at the same time he's handsome and positive. He navigates every emotion with such dexterity. I think it's one of the greatest performances I have ever seen by such a young actor."

Stephen Chbosky was so impressed by Logan Lerman's emotional transparency and versatility that he preserved a moment of the film that he says represents the actor at his best. 'He has a very emotional scene with Joan Cusack, who plays Dr. Burton. We tried it so many ways. I saved a ten-minute take of him doing the scene three times, with small adjustments. It is one of the most powerful ten minutes I have ever seen on film. I will cherish it forever."

Logan Lerman knew the novel by reputation, but had not read it when he received the script. His reaction to the story and the characters was immediate and intense. 'I was overwhelmed with emotion," he says. 'The people are so real and interesting. I didn't know who I wanted to play at first, but I knew that I wanted to be a part of the film no matter what."

He soon decided that Charlie was the role he really wanted. 'Charlie's very naïve and uncomfortable in his own skin," he says. 'He's trying to deal with the emotional struggles of some tough situations in his past, and make it through his first year of high school."

What saves Charlie, says Stephen Chbosky, is his openness. 'Charlie is a very pure soul. On the surface, he's awkward and lonesome, but he always tries to find joy in the world. He has just entered high school, he has lost a dear friend, and he is still struggling with the loss of his favourite relative many years before. He's trying to find some hope and what he gets is a bunch of mean seniors and a sister who won't eat lunch with him. Then he does a brave thing. He goes stag to the Friday night football game, and he encounters Patrick. It changes his life forever. And that is an important message. Just get off the wall. Just go to the game. You might look like a dork. But go to the game."

Given that the material is so well-known and loved, Logan Lerman was reassured to know that Stephen Chbosky retained creative control over the screenplay and the film shoot. 'The book means so much to so many people," he says. 'Stephen Chbosky brought real passion to the process and passion is contagious. It was an exhausting shoot, but sitting down and talking to Stephen Chbosky every day refueled me. He assembled a group of people whose work I deeply admire. To be a part of a film where I can work with these talented people is a big honour. I just hope that people respond to it as strongly as we did."

Sam and Patrick are stepsiblings, seniors who introduce Charlie to their friends, a group of creative free spirits that Sam refers to as inhabitants of the 'island of misfit toys." 'They decide to welcome him so that he doesn't ever have to feel alone again," says Stephen Chbosky. 'Sam has a reputation for being a bit wild and Patrick is gay, so they know what it feels like to be judged. You cannot deny the inherent goodness of these two kids. They teach Charlie the ways of the world. They give him permission to explore life, to strip down to his underwear and stand in front of 300 people for The Rocky Horror Picture Show and to question the things he thinks he knows. They lead him to his first kiss, his first great drive, and to the music that will define his entire life."

Emma Watson plays Sam in her first major role since she completed the Harry Potter films that made her a star at the tender age of 11. 'To me, Sam is the perfect girl," says Stephen Chbosky. 'Emma Watson is absolutely luminous in the role. She took it very seriously. It took about five minutes for me to realise that she was the perfect person for the character and the movie. She grew up in the middle of a hurricane, and she did it with such grace and such class, but there is this loneliness about her. I knew when I met her that this was a part of her that was just dying to come out. She just needed permission."

Watson was studying at Brown University when she received the script. Unfamiliar with the novel, she mentioned it to several friends and discovered they were huge fans. 'I was actually crying when I finished the script," says Emma Watson. 'There's no way that you won't be able to relate to the experiences of the characters. I didn't need to go to an American high school or attend prom to be able to relate to Sam"or Charlie or Brad or any of the characters."

After almost a decade of playing Hermione Granger, Watson was well aware of the risks involved in bringing a beloved fictional character to life. 'I sometimes felt like I'd jumped straight from one frying pan into another," she admits. 'People seem to care just as much about Sam as they do Harry Potter. It's a great deal of pressure to try and embody a character that people already love and identify with. I just hope that it lives up to people's expectations and that we do justice to a brilliant book."

Having Stephen Chbosky at the helm gave her confidence that they were doing just that. 'There is such a pure line of connection," she says. 'Stephen Chbosky had a complete vision for the movie. He had been dreaming about making it for over ten years. The man had every shot planned out in his head. He knew how he wanted everything to look and feel and I had absolute faith in him because it's his world."

Each of the characters faces a crisis in the story, according to Emma Watson. 'There isn't a single character that doesn't have an arc or that isn't fully developed. They are dealing with some quite difficult, serious stuff, but it's always juxtaposed with something humorous, so hopefully we will make audiences laugh and cry in equal measure."

  And Sam is able to learn from Charlie as much as he does from her. 'He has been through a pretty rough time," she notes. 'But he is the sweetest, most sensitive soul you'll ever meet. Sam and Patrick try to shepherd him through the first year of high school, which we all know can be intimidating.

Sam is one of these kids in school who feels like she constantly has to be up and party like crazy. That gets exhausting after awhile. With Charlie, she can finally be herself around someone else."

The actress speaks of her co-stars with affection and great respect. 'It was such fun working with Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller because we have the same kind of bond in real life," she says. 'It made the work not really feel like work. Logan is going to break hearts in this movie. He's devastating. He innately understands Charlie. And Ezra Miller's so funny. Getting to adlib with him was a dream. I thought I had energy, but he's on another level entirely. He's the perfect casting for Patrick."

The director has equally high praise for Emma Watson. 'Emma Watson threw herself into that character and she never looked back," says Stephen Chbosky. 'She has so much passion, so much professionalism, so much artistic integrity that it inspired me. She took a big risk with this movie. And she embraced every part of it. She found the character, and she was brilliant."

Patrick is Sam's best friends as well as her stepbrother. He is witty, utterly unconventional and larger than life. 'Patrick is a clown and a smart ass, but he will always stick up for whoever who needs sticking up for," says Stephen Chbosky. 'He is what I consider a guy's guy, even though he's gay. It was important to me in writing the character, and then casting Ezra Miller, that in this movie the gay kid be the coolest one, and he's the strongest one. He's the one that Charlie wants to be. Ezra Miller played him perfectly."

At only 19, Ezra Miller is quickly amassing an impressive body of work, playing complex characters in the recent films We Need to Talk About Kevin and Another Happy Day. He claims that his first reaction to the script was, 'Holy mother of Jehovah!"

'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower was a seminal book for me and a lot of my close friends when we were starting high school," he adds. 'It's youth incarnate. Adolescence is a time when it is almost impossible to figure out what is going on. There's a massive void created where the innocence and wonder of childhood used to be. There are lessons we all must learn and they're really hard. A lot of the time, it feels pointless. But if you can maintain your dignity in the face of pain it will power you through the rest of your life."

Patrick gets through it all because he has a rare understanding of his own identity, according to Ezra Miller. 'He can stand in the middle of an American high school and acknowledge that he's gay. Because he and his awesome group of idiosyncratic crazy friends are all struggling to realize their identities, he recognises that in Charlie."

Patrick derives much of his strength from Sam, and vice versa, says Ezra Miller. 'Sam and Patrick are male and female counterparts. Together they make this great personable whole. Their two hearts together can just forge through whatever the situation may be."

Like their characters, Ezra Miller, Emma Watson and Logan forged a lasting bond during the production. 'I think Emma Watson and I were bound to know one other," says the actor.

He describes Logan Lerman as 'the consummate cinephile who understands every technical aspect of what's happening. I think he's not only one of the next important leading men in film, but he will also be a major force behind the camera."

Expressing his respect for Stephen Chbosky, Ezra Miller notes how rare it is for an original novelist to be able to carry his vision all the way to the screen as Stephen Chbosky has. 'But I don't think that it would have been possible for anyone else to make this film. Stephen Chbosky is a natural director. He would give notes that put everything in perspective and allow the actors to move the scene in the direction he wanted without imposing his vision. He also managed to put together a cast that is like the ultimate chemistry set."

Stephen Chbosky always felt that the friendship between the teenagers in the movie would have to bleed into real life for it to be believable on screen. 'I told everyone that it was really important that they have the summer of their lives," he says. 'If they did that, my job would be easy. And they did. All the camaraderie led to for them staying up all night and playing music and becoming great friends, which translated to the movie. And that extended to all the kids in the cast. Mae Whitman and Emma Watson became instant girlfriends."

Mae Whitman, who currently plays Amber Holt on the NBC series 'Parenthood," is Mary Elizabeth, Sam's best friend and an important influence on Charlie. 'Mary Elizabeth is really bossy, and tries to be in charge of everybody," says Stephen Chbosky. 'She can be a bit of a buffoon sometimes, and Mae fully embraced the buffoonery in playing her. But through her relationship with Charlie, she eventually learns to open up to someone who cares about her and not just open the floodgates to someone who's not that into her."

The actress came to the set already a fan of the book. 'I was surprised and grateful that the script was so faithful to the original," she says. 'So often a screenplay doesn't do the book justice, but here, it didn't feel like anything was missing. The story really puts the feeling of being young and sensitive in perspective. Everything is new and you're having all these intense feelings for the first time. It can be overwhelming and emotional and painful. The movie deals with a lot of difficult issues, but nothing is sugarcoated. It's comforting to know that other people are going through the same things, however dark they may be."

Mae Whitman found that her familiarity with book was a helpful guide for discovering the nuances in her character and rounding out her relationships with other characters. 'Mary Elizabeth is a complex character," says Mae Whitman. 'She's kind of punky and Goth with an angry exterior and strong opinions. But she's also a Buddhist. She feels the connection to the world and she passes that on to Charlie. It's very hard for her to be vulnerable or to put herself out there in a way that is feminine. Through reading the book, I knew about many things that Sam and Mary Elizabeth had been through together and why they are so close."

Nina Dobrev, one the stars of the CW Network's popular 'The Vampire Diaries," plays Candace, Charlie's seemingly happy older sister. 'I think the film speaks to a lot of different kinds of people," Nina Dobrev says, 'The people and issues transcend time. It doesn't matter that it's set in the '90s, it relates to people today, and it will relate to people 10 years from now. My character tries to be perfect all the time, straight A's and all of that. And her life turns out to be anything but. Everyone knows someone like that"or is that person."

The cast also includes Erin Wilhelmi as Alice, Mary Elizabeth's best friend. When she received the script, she knew right away which character she wanted to portray. Erin Wilhelmi says, 'In her first character description, it said that she was trying to be Goth, but not succeeding. And then it said, -Dot, dot, dot poor Alice.' And I thought, -Perfect.'"

Johnny Simmons plays Brad, a high-school quarterback with a secret life. Like the other characters, he has something to teach Charlie, whether he knows it or not. 'From Sam, he learns about redemption," says Stephen Chbosky. 'From Patrick, he learns that it's okay to be exactly who you are and be fearless about it. If people make fun of you, then fight back. Brad shows him that not everyone is who they seem. You never know what people are going through behind closed doors. Even the toughest person you've ever met has insecurities, you know. Even the toughest person needs love."

The adults in Charlie's life were just as painstakingly conceived and cast. 'For me, too many movies about young people make adults seem foolish," says Stephen Chbosky. 'This movie tries to respect both sides."

To play Charlie's favourite teacher and mentor, Mr. Anderson, the director turned to Paul Rudd. 'I met Paul in New York about ten years ago," he says. 'My book had been out for about a year, and I knew then that I'd make the movie someday, and that he would be the guy to play Mr. Anderson."

The inspiration for the character was Stephen Chbosky's real life teacher, Stuart Stern. A faculty member at USC's film school, Stern wrote the screenplays for such classic films as Rebel Without a Cause, Sibyl, Rachel Rachel and The Ugly American. 'There he was talking about when he first met James Dean, when he was traveling with Brando, working with Sally Field to figure out how to play Sibyl. I could not believe it. It completely changed my life. He became my friend and my mentor. He's the first person who ever read the screenplay of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Mr. Anderson is my tribute to him. He's a teacher who cares and encourages a student he sees something special in."

Paul Rudd was unaware of the book's popularity until he mentioned Stephen Chbosky's name in front of his children's babysitter. 'She said -you mean Perks of Being a Wallflower Steve Chbosky? That's my favourite book of all time.' To that generation, this book is so beloved and I had no idea."

The actor remembers having several teachers who made him feel that they saw and understood him. 'And I liked the idea of playing that kind of guy," he says. 'But it was weird being the elder statesman on the movie. I've never been in that position before. But it helped me find the character. He sees some of himself in this kid. Maybe he thinks that Charlie is more talented as a writer than he is, but he knows that this is somebody who really appreciates literature in the same way he does, and in a way that probably most of the class doesn't."

Charlie's home life is as important as his school 'family," and Stephen Chbosky counts himself fortunate to have had veteran actors Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott and Melanie Lynsky on hand to play his mother, father and aunt respectively. 'I wanted to believe this family emotionally and physically," says Stephen Chbosky. 'They had to embody the emotions of the story we were telling."

The Circus Comes to Pittsburgh

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was shot primarily in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, including Peters Township, Bethel Park, Dormont and Upper St. Clair, the same area in which, not coincidentally, Stephen Chbosky grew up.

'There was nowhere else I could have made this movie," he says. 'Filming in Pittsburgh was authentic to the book, as well as to my upbringing. There's a scene between Aunt Helen and little Charlie outside on the street. The house I grew up in is literally off camera by about 15 yards."

Emma Watson testifies to the filmmaker's home-turf advantage: 'Stephen Chbosky grew up in Pittsburgh. It is his hometown, it is where he went to school, and the characters, for the most part, are really based on real people that he knew, some of whom he still does know. It was amazing to be able to shoot there."

Before shooting began, Chbosky introduced the cast to some of the important landmarks of his own teen years. 'Teenagers have some things in common everywhere, but the truth is in the details," he says. 'The cast didn't know what Sarris chocolate pretzels were until they came here. They hadn't had chipped ham or cheese fries from the Original O or a sandwich at Primanti Bros. That was the homework that I gave them. Needless to say, they loved their homework.

'Sometimes it felt like I brought the circus to town. We all stayed in one small hotel right near the mall that I hung out at when I was a teenager. They embraced the whole suburban experience, which was something none of them really had. They were all child actors. They grew up on sets, and so they all finally got to have their high-school experience, go to the food court and go to the movie theater, while sweet Emma Watson stopped and signed every Harry Potter book she was handed."

For the scenes of some of the characters' most challenging life moments, Peters Township High School stood in for Mill Grove High School.

And for the movie's riotous Rocky Horror Picture Show scenes, the director returned to the landmark Dormont Hollywood Theater where he originally saw the film as a teen. While Stephen Chbosky admits that he was afraid to participate during his own high-school days, he gave his characters free rein as the stars of the front-of-screen live re-enactment of the classic movie.

'The local -Rocky Horror Floor Show' cast were our technical advisors," he says. 'And the audience is filled with real Rocky Horror devotees. Ezra Miller and Emma Watson were in heaven during those scenes. We had to drag Ezra Miller off the stage because he was so into playing Frank-N-Furter! Those were two of the greatest days we had."

The scene was a highlight for costume designer David Robinson, as well. 'We had a lot of fun," he says. 'It had to look like high-school kids had made their own costumes, but we also needed it to look cool. I think the end result was fantastic. Plus Ezra Miller in five-inch pumps is someone to be reckoned with!"

Perhaps the most meaningful element for Stephen Chbosky in recreating his youth for the screen was the evocative soundtrack he put together for the film. 'I don't care how old you are," he says. 'When you think back to your youth, you think of the music you listened to. I made mix tapes like the kids in the movie, then CDs, and now it's playlists. It's a constant with kids. Music is one of the cornerstones of being young. It helps form your identity. It defines you and bonds you to your friends."

He sets his story to the soundtrack of his high-school years that includes some of the most memorable music of the late '80s and early '90s, including 'Asleep" by The Smiths, 'Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners, 'Could it Be Another Change" by The Samples and 'Araby" by The Reivers. 'I knew -Come On Eileen' was absolutely going to be the homecoming song. I knew that Air Supply had to be in it. And I wanted XTC's -Dear God' in the movie because I love that song. But the cornerstone of the movie is -Asleep,' which I first heard on a mix tape many years ago. It defined a year of my life."

Music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas contributed her ideas as well, recommending songs that Stephen Chbosky was not familiar with. 'She has such a passion for that era," he says. 'She introduced me to things that I'd never heard before, but I will love until the day I die. To me the soundtrack is a mix tape that reflects a time and sets a tone. I'm really, really proud of the music in this film."

The music and singing didn't always stop once the cameras stopped rolling. A hotel room band, jokingly dubbed Octopus Jam, included Ezra Miller on drums, Logan Lerman on guitar and Watson on vocals, along with a rotating roster of 'guest" artists, including singer-songwriter Landon Pigg, who appears in the film as well.

Emma Watson says, 'It was such a great group of people. We all hung out at the hotel at night and we played music. Pretty much everyone involved is musically talented in some way, so we spent most of our evenings playing and talking and being silly."

Equally important to recreating the late 20th-century feeling for the film were the costumes. With more than a dozen principals and crowds of extras, costume designer David Robinson says he scoured thrift stores in and around Pittsburgh. 'The leads had numerous costume changes. We had a football game, a pep rally, a homecoming dance, Sadie Hawkins, Christmas, Rocky Horror, prom, graduation. It was like one huge storm after another of clothes."

For the extras alone, more 4,000 changes were required. David Robinson used local high-school yearbooks to ensure authenticity and repurposed vintage clothing for costumes including Sam's homecoming dress, which was refashioned from a long gown. Stephen Chbosky was as involved in costume selection as he was in everything else on the shoot, sometimes walking through the wardrobe trailer to pull pieces for specific characters.

One of the highlights of both the book and the film is a pair of scenes that could only be filmed in Pittsburgh. The Fort Pitt Tunnel leads into downtown Pittsburgh, feeding cars onto a bridge with an expansive view of the city's skyline. A must-see for visitors to the city, it is the setting for a transformational moment for Charlie, as he first watches Sam take an exhilarating ride in the back of pickup truck hurtling through the tunnel and later takes that same ride himself.

Stephen Chbosky calls that sequence a dream come true. 'I've had the image of those kids flying through the tunnel in my head for about 18 years now, and to finally have actually filmed it felt pretty fantastic."

Emma Watson was initially told that she wouldn't be allowed to actually participate in the stunt, but she was determined to do it herself and finally wore the director down. She soon found herself standing in the back of a flatbed truck, traveling at around 60 miles-per-hour through the tunnel, tethered by a single cord. 'I had only one string, with my hands in the air, all the way through the tunnel until we came out the other end," she remembers. 'The first time I did it, I became so emotional that I cried. It was really special and beautiful, and the shot blew my mind. It's stunning, and Steve knew when he conceptualised it that it would be amazing. It was, hands down, one of the exciting moments of my life."

Charlie repeats the ride later in the film and Logan Lerman also insisted on doing the stunt himself. 'The experience can't be matched. I remember climbing out onto the truck bed, and standing up. We shot out of the tunnel and I saw the city lights. I have never experienced anything like that before. Words can't describe how awesome it was." The image of the teens 'in flight," which closes both the novel and the movie, is what Stephen Chbosky wants to stay with viewers. 'In the face of all that pain, they feel the possibilities for the future are infinite," he says. 'It's the perfect song, the perfect drive and they're the perfect people. These are the moments that will define your life forever. To me, -infinite' was the perfect word to describe that feeling that after this, his life is only going to get better. It is only going to go up."

With the film finally complete, Stephen Chbosky says he can't imagine a better experience. 'The Saturday before we wrapped was like the last day of camp," he says. 'Even the most hardened production veteran was crying, because they knew they were about to say goodbye to a unique moment. Landon Pigg sang this song called -Something Brief,' about how these moments come and go, and love comes and goes. We were in this little bar in Mount Lebanon, and I looked across at everybody. There was Emma Watson swaying to the music and Mae sitting next to her boyfriend. Ezra Miller was crying his eyes out. We were all moved. I don't think anybody who was there that night will ever forget it, because that was like graduation for us.

'When I wrote the book, a few people read it and gave me some really smart comments, but it was primarily me alone in a room," Stephen Chbosky adds. 'The film was created by hundreds of people. I'm so proud to be able to share this with everyone involved, including the fans. I wouldn't change a frame of it. We did it right and we did it with integrity. It is the proudest reflection of the book I could've made."