Earlier in the year, I had the honor of meeting one of my favorite authors, Stephen Chbosky as he written and directed the movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. For today’s special edition of INTERVUE, I talked to one of the stars of the movie, Logan Lerman. Logan plays the lead character of Charlie,  the eponymous wallflower of the movie.

Dean: What was it like working with director Stephen Chbosky, the author/director of Perks? 

Logan Lerman (Charlie): It was a luxury to have the author there. He was like a cheat sheet for any questions you have as an actor in order to figure out the character. We meshed well, we really did. He gave me his trust and I gave him mine. We just collaborated and came up with ideas. At the end of the day, we gave options to the editing room.

DR: Stephen said he knew he had found his Charlie when he met you. What made you understand the character so well?

LL: I was just passionate about the material and was very affected by the script. Its very rare that you read something that really affects you. I haven’t read anything like this that had the emotional value that this script had for me. I knew that I wanted to be a part of it.

DR: I was very touched by the relationship between Paul Rudd and your character when they shared the reading classics like “Catcher in the Rye.” What books did you like to read as a teen?

LL: As a teenager, funny enough, it was really just my high school syllabus. The books that affected me in high school were Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies, the same books that Charlie read in the movie.

DR: What do you like to read now?

LL: The last book I read that I really enjoy was When You’re Engulfed in Flames. Stephen Sedaris’ book of short stories. I really enjoyed that.

DR: Have you met any of your favorite authors?

LL: No, I haven’t with the exception of Stephen

DR:  Were there any films that you watched before filming to get you in the right frame of mind for Perks?

LL: My number 1 preference was Ordinary People. I also watched a lot of documentaries that had nothing to do with the film but it was the only material that really disturbed me because it was real. A random doc I saw was “Gladiator Days”, it really messed me up.

DR: After being part of Perks, what scene stood out, for you, as the most difficult or rewarding?

LL: The most difficult scene to prepare for was Charlie’s breakdown at the end. I was really impressed by the way it was shot. There you have the look, the visual representation of a nervous breakdown. I really liked it. I hate to say this but the most enjoyable scene was my scene with Mae Whitman and the relationship between Charlie and Mary Elizabeth. I thought their relationship was very funny and I had a great time doing it.

We would like to thank Mr. Logan Lerman for his time. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is infinite in theatres NOW.

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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