One of the best feel-good movies of all time is having a big birthday this year!
Released in August 2006, Little Miss Sunshine was one of those small movies that kind of came out of nowhere to blow everyone away.
Featuring some incredible performers earlier in their careers – including Toni Collette, Steve Carrell, Greg Kinnear and Paul Dano – the indie drama with a tiny budget ($8 million) went on to make serious bank at the box office ($101 million), as well as being nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture.
However, one of the biggest takeaways from the movie was Abigail Breslin as Olive, the young girl who wants to go to a beauty pageant, which spurs on the entire thrust of the movie’s plot.
Breslin was only nine when the movie came out, but she was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance, but eventually lost out to Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls.
We recently caught up with Breslin during the press tour for her new drama Stillwater, in which she plays a young woman in prison for a crime she claims she did not commit, while her father (Matt Damon) does everything he can to build a case to prove her innocence.
You can check out our full interview with Breslin, as well as her Stillwater co-stars Matt Damon, Camille Cottin (Call My Agent), and the movie’s writer/director Tom McCarthy (Spotlight) right here.
Given the timely nature of the interview, falling on Little Miss Sunshine’s 15th anniversary, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to chat to Breslin about the much-loved modern classic, and her memories of making it.
Breslin told us the following:
“I think that has been such a part of my life for so long now, and it is very rare that you get to do a film that so many people say has impacted them so much. So having been a part of something that has touched so many people and brought them so much joy, it is just such an honour and a privilege.
“I am always so grateful for it. It changed my career, for sure. It opened so many doors for me and gave me so many opportunities, so I’m just thrilled to be aligned with it.”
Little Miss Sunshine is available to watch on Disney+ right now.
Meanwhile, Stillwater is released in Irish cinemas on Friday 6 August.
Clip via EOne UK
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