Diversity Implementation In A Wrinkle In Time.

Many novels have been adapted into films, and fans tend to prefer one over the other. Many times the film adaptation does not live it up to the novel, but other times it may even be better. This can be due to various aspects but one in particular has received much attention these past few years, diversity.

A Wrinkle in Time is the 2018 Disney live-action fantasy movie, directed by Ava Duvernay. It is an adaptation of the 1962 novel by Madeleine L’Engle. This novel is enjoyed by many and continues as a child classic until this day. In recent years, Hollywood producers and casting directors have been criticized for the lack of diversity in filmmaking. Conversely, in the film adaptation, Duvernay takes a modern and successful approach to the interpretation of characters through her choice of diverse cast members.

The novel A Wrinkle in Time was written by L’Engle in the late 1950s. This time period, while largely identified as the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement for African Americans, still didn't have many African American authors or novels written with black people in mind. The most popular authors were predominantly white and wrote books with white characters in mind. This is evident in L'Engle's case when writing a A Wrinkle in Time. The way she describes the physical appearance and features of her characters, leads to the idea that her characters were white and/or light skinned. Megs’s mom was described as having fair skin, straight hair, and violet eyes with long dark lashes (chapter 1, page 12).

Furthermore, Calvin is also described as having fair skin, blonde hair, light eyes, and freckles (page 70). Even in the book covers, it is clear that the intent was to display children of fair skin. For example, one of the book covers is pale yellow and features three white children riding a centaur across a rainbow. In fact, every iteration of A Wrinkle in Time, be it a book cover or film adaptation, has featured predominantly white characters. For example, Disney also produced a made-for-TV movie based on the book in 2003 which featured predominantly white characters, the exception being Alfre Woodard as Mrs. Whatsit (Roseboom). The deliberate range in casting for the 2018 version of A Wrinkle in Time brings diversity to the classically white fantasy genre, but adds weight to the original messages of the novel.

In a Los Angeles Times interview about her diverse casting, Duvernay stated, “I wanted the Mrs. of all different shapes, sizes, ages, cultures, races...I knew I wanted a black one and a white one and someone who was not either... [Mindy Kaling, who is of Indian descent] was actually the first one who came to mind...I don’t think people really give Mindy credit. She’s a woman of color with a show with her name on it. She represents someone you never see in television and film; she is so important to the culture in that way” (James). She then praised Oprah Winfrey who played the glorious character of Mrs.Which.

Additionally, Duvernay chose deliberately to have the Murry family be interracial. In the film, Dr. Alex Murry (Chris Pine) is white, Dr. Kate Murray (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is black, and their children are mixed race (Storm Reid) or of Filipino descent (Deric McCabe). It is explained early on in the film that Charles Wallace is adopted, which is why he is not of the same ethnic background as his sister. Outside the main cast, there are additional, small roles that were chosen to be played by non-white actors. Michael Peña (Mexican-American) plays the part of an evil henchman on the planet Camazotz, André Holland (Black) plays Meg’s school principal, and Rowan Blanchard (Middle-Eastern descent) plays Meg’s “bully”. All these deliberate and bold casting choices improved the film, even if the diversity was not necessarily present in the source material it was adapted from. Seeing diverse characters helps viewers feel more connected to the plot since they see someone that looks like them and perhaps shares their same culture.

The diversity in this film expands upon the morals and themes of L’Engle’s novel. Bullying and self acceptance are a main theme of the film’s plot. Meg is the target of one particular mean girl, Veronica, who is later shown to be battling insecurity issues of her own. While the novel focuses on Meg being teased for her appearance, the film builds upon that by making Meg’s hair a part of her self-criticism. For many decades, straight hair has been perceived as a way to be more acceptable. Many non-white women have had to grapple between embracing their natural wavy, curly, and coily hair, or giving in to society’s beauty standards, which favors straight hair. In the first chapter, Meg is described as plain, and having unruly curly hair, along with “a mouthful of teeth covered with braces” (chapter 1, page 10). She compares herself to her mother, who, to her, is what an ideal woman should look like, focusing specifically on her mother’s straight hair.

Additionally, in the novel, when Calvin meets Meg, he compliments her curls and she reacts defensively, telling him to please not comment on her hair again. In the movie, however, on the evil planet of Camazotz, Meg is offered the chance to become the ideal ‘pretty’ girl. This version of Meg doesn’t wear glasses, is dressed more fashionably, and has notably straight hair. As Meg becomes more confident in herself, she rejects the offer. Comparatively, the novel does not address the confidence issue again, perhaps leaving the reader feeling insecure about him/herself and his/her ethnic hair. The casting of the actress Storm Reid led to proper representation of young girls with curly hair and empowers them to embrace their ethnic hair. Small details like these are what deepen and expand the original themes of L’Engle’s book in Duvernay’s adaptation.

The 2018 film adaptation A Wrinkle in Time is a prime example that diversity in Hollywood is possible especially in book adaptations where directors have more room for creative interpretation. No doubt that this diversity improved the understanding of the L’Engle’s original message. Not only does A Wrinkle in Time have a diverse cast, but it shares a message of hope for audiences of all ages and encourages people to look for the positive in life and never give up.