The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is one that has, for 14 years, resonated with kids from all over the globe. The beloved series follows the misadventures of middle-schooler Greg Heffley as he chronicles his trials and triumphs in his journals. With October's release of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot, the series now encompasses 16 books and several live-action films. In December, Greg ventures onto the small screen with a new animated film for Disney+.
In a press conference attended by CBR and other outlets, series creator Jeff Kinney and Brady Noon (The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers), the voice of Greg, discussed how their connections to the characters helped them bring the Wimpy world to life once more.
"I instantly went to the book," Noon shared. "I re-read the book and I did a lot of homework, a lot of research on the previous live-action [films] and all the books and everything. I just gathered as much information as I possibly could because I really wanted it. I was excited, not only at the fact that I had the opportunity to audition for something this incredible, but also the fact that there was another movie coming out."
In their roles as voice actor and screenwriter, respectively, Noon and Kinney had to play upon their connections to Greg especially to make sure he and his world as it's seen in the book made it to the screen in its entirety. When discussing which Wimpy Kid character they related to the most, naturally both answered Greg, albeit for very different reasons.
"I'd say that I can relate to Greg on a friendship level," Noon explained. "I do feel like, me as a person, I try and be nice to everyone. But sometimes along the way I do mess up, just like Greg and just like everyone else. But, in the end, we're always trying to make things right and to make amends with everyone. I feel it's a very strong message and something that I learned from Greg that I carry throughout my life now."
As the creator of the entire Wimpy Kid series, Kinney, of course, described his relationship to Greg as being a bit more personal. "Greg is really a version of myself. He's making this mistake of reporting his life at a time when nobody should report their life, at the beginning of middle school. Nobody wants a record of that, and Greg is doing it. He's thinking, 'one day I'll be rich and famous.' So, he thinks he's telling his autobiography. I was a lot like Greg as a kid. I was a messy kid. It sounds like Brady is a little messy at times too, which is comforting to hear [laughs]."
However, though both felt strong connections to Greg, Kinney and Noon's favorite characters in the series are a bit unexpected. "Personally, I think I can relate to Fregley a little bit," Noon revealed, "I see myself as a bit of a nerd with certain things like I'm a big bookworm, I like comic books and Star Wars, and I feel like I see my little geeky side in Fregley. I don't know about the boogers and all that, though [laughs]."
"I will always love Greg because Greg is very near and dear to my heart, but I really like Rowley as well," Kinney said. "Rowley is a character who likes being a kid. He's an only child, he doesn't have an older brother like Greg does and he likes just living in that child's world, which frustrates Greg because Greg thinks they should both grow up. But Rowley is really incorruptible, which I really like about him. It creates this kind of tension in their friendship that Brady does such a good job of showing frustration with, you know. He's-he's always just trying to drag Rowley along with him. But Rowley's not ready to grow up yet."
Having sold over 250 million copies worldwide, it's abundantly clear that the characters of Wimpy Kid have left a lasting impression on the hearts of many. When asked how it is that his characters can speak to people from wildly different parts of the world, Kinney revealed that he only came to understand it after doing some traveling himself.
"I think I sort of discovered the answer to that question by traveling around the world," Kinney explained, "I think that everybody sees Greg as one of them. Like, if I go to China or Brazil, or Israel, New Zealand, they don't think of Greg as this American kid who lives far away, they think he could be their friend or their neighbor. And I think that's really cool. If you think of Greg Heffley as he's designed on the page, he's really simple. He's about as blank as a character can be. And I think that allows people to kind of project themselves onto Greg. Which is good. I think that the stories are really relatable. I think that you know people like this, and your family is probably like this in some ways. And, of course, hopefully, the humor as well."
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2021) is now available to stream on Disney+.