Actress Odeya Rush talks about The Odd Life of Timothy Green

I am always completely amazed at the wisdom of youth. Children seem to know so much more than adults (including me) give them credit for.  I was reminded of just how wise kids can be when I sat down with 15-year old actress, Odeya Rush, who is staring in the new Disney film The Odd Life of Timothy Green.

SD: What attracted you to the Odd Life of Timothy Green script?

OR: I fell in love with the story. My heart broke and it kinda got put back together. I thought it was magical. I was more of a fan of the story, it was one of those stories that I loved so much and was so ambitious about it that I just wanted to be in it, anything that I could do to be in it. 

SD: Oh I love that, that you were a fan first.

OR: I was, I wanted to see it on screen, I was wondering the entire time who was going to play who and what’s this going to look like.

SD: That's excited. Well then since you like magic that brings me to my next question. Magic is a strong theme in the film. The kind of magic that only happens when love is present. Do you believe that love is magical?

OR: Yes, because it can make people do crazy things that they wouldn’t normally do.

(laughter)

SD: Very true. Although Timothy and Joni are very young, their relationship is more mature than most adults. As a teen, how important do you think it is for kids to create genuine relationships with their peers?

OR: Looking back I think the friends that I have until today are the friends that I’ve built since my childhood. I’ve known them throughout all this time. Also when you’re children people see you kind of naked, they see all of you, you spend so much time together, you’re inseparable, the way Joni and Timothy are. It’s very difficult to break that all of a sudden and then just having a three month relationship with a friend.

SD: That’s very true.  I don’t have very many friends, but the one’s I do have, have been my friends my whole life. Well and my sisters are two of them, so I guess they have really been my friends my whole life! 

(laughter)

SD: What's the most important message that you hope people will take away from the film?

OR: A lot of messages. I think don’t be afraid to embrace your flaws, embrace who you are. Don’t try to conceal it or hide it or shy away from it. I think also to appreciate the little things in life that might not seem like they mean a lot, but when you look at them from a different perspective they mean a whole lot.

SD: And you’re only 15?

OR: Yes

SD: You’re wise, you’re wise.

OR: Oh thanks!

SD:What's it like growing up with six brothers?

OR: Crazy! The house is never quiet, but I love it that way. I love my brothers. 

SD: That’s excellent. I think it’s really important to love your siblings. I know people that don’t talk to their sisters and brothers and I just don’t get it.

OR: I just don’t understand how people can do that. I talk to them every single day.

SD: Yea I mean they’re your first friends or first enemies!

OR: They are those people that even if you fight with them, a really bad fight. After two seconds it’s all over. Because it’s something that you can’t explain, but you’re stuck together. No matter how big a fight, you’re still going to come back together and love each other. 

SD: Exactly, it’s so important.  So who or what inspired you to be an actress?

OR: So I’ll tell you the story of how I started.  When I was four years old, boy twins were born into our family and then a year later another set of boy twins were born into our family.  So we had four babies at home at the same time, and then they got older, one or two years old. As a part of helping my mom I had to keep them busy, sometimes I had to do something with them. They were always running around, so I would sit them on the steps. I would sit two on one step and then two on the step above it and then I would perform in front of them. I would just do whatever the pre-school teacher did at school, I’d do it there. They were my students. Or something I saw in a Disney movie I’d do it there. And then I did my own things, my own plays. Then they got older and they were in my plays. And that’s how I started.

SD: That’s excellent. Creative energy is powerful!

OR: Yes it is.

SD: Who knew what you were creating for your future. So what’s next for Odeya?

OR: I’m doing a film called “Mary, Mother of Christ.”

SD: I read that.

OR: I will be playing Mary, the title role. It’s with Ben Kingsley and Peter O’Toole.

SD: Oh, exciting!

OR: So that’s next. I have some other things, I have a film called the “Locals” with Shirley MacClaine, Alan Arkin and Vera Farmiga. I’m doing that soon. I’m also doing a short film called “Little Girl Blue.”

SD: Nice.  Well congratulations on your already decided success.

OR: Thank you, thank you so much.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green opens in theaters on August 15th.  

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Arrangements and accommodations for this interview were provided by Disney.