Director PJ Hogan was delighted to have the opportunity to cast a boy in the role of Peter. "Peter Pan has been a cartoon character, and onstage he's mainly been played by women. In the silent film version, he was played by a woman, and in 'Hook,' he was 40 years old. Now a kid is finally getting to do the greatest role ever written for a kid. Jeremy is Peter Pan. He is wild, confident, boisterous, fun - all those things that were so difficult to find in one kid. I was looking for the 12-year-old Errol Flynn, which was very difficult because 12-year-olds usually don't know who they are, and are not confident. We searched a long time. But I knew as Jeremy walked through the door that he was it."
JEREMY SUMPTER ('Peter Pan'):
What was your hardest thing to do?
The hardest thing to do was flying because I was on the wires everyday. You had to look like the perfect flyer that Peter Pan is. It was very difficult.
Was there anything the director asked you to do that you just physically couldn’t do?
Not really. When we were filming, I thought that I was Peter Pan, you know? I thought I was the coolest kid in the world, so I wound up being the coolest kid in the world.
How many months of training did you have to do for the sword fighting and the other stunts?
I had three months of training, six hours a day of flying, four hours of training for sword fighting a day, and then I’d go to the gym for two hours. I worked for six weeks everyday just to get back muscles and leg muscles to hold myself in the air.
Have you kept up those muscles since filming finished?
(Laughing and flexing) Oh yeah, of course I did.
Is it true that during the filming of "Peter Pan" you actually grew more than 6 inches?
Yeah, I grew 8 inches on set. I guess it was the fairy dust that made me grow that much (laughing). I don’t know. They had to change the window four different times so that when I walked through it, I wouldn’t hit my head.
They had to actually change the set because you were growing so much?
It was like a really awkward stage.
What are kids going to like the most about this movie? Will it be the effects, the fighting…?
The imagination of Peter Pan. He brings his imagination to all the kids – the kids and the adults. It’ll be a wonderful movie for all the kids to love.
How did playing one of the most recognizable figures in literature change you?
I’m just going to be Jeremy still. I’m not going to change that much – well, I have changed a lot because I’ve grown a lot. But it feels great being able to play the coolest kid in the world because Peter Pan is the coolest kid in the world.
How does it feel to have girls scream out your name?
Very exciting, it gives me tingling feelings in my stomach. It’s really good – I love it.
Are your friends jealous?
No, but my dad is a bit. He didn’t have girls screaming at him when he was younger. They’re proud of me and my friends think it’s the ultimate cool thing in the world. They can’t wait to see the movie when it comes out.
How does it feel being recognized? Do people call you Peter yet?
No, they just call me Jeremy. But if they do call me Peter, I’d rather be known as "Jeremy, the kid who played Peter Pan," than "Peter, the kid who played Peter Pan."
What’s next for you?
I have been getting a lot of great scripts, but I am looking for a little bit of a vacation with my family.
If you had your own Neverland, what would it be like?
If I had my own Neverland it would probably be the coolest place in the world. You could do anything you want there. There would be trees everywhere. Swings…it’d be the best place in the world.
Additional “Peter Pan” Cast Interviews:
PJ Hogan, Ludivine Sagnier and Carsen Gray, and Lucy Fisher/Douglas Wick/Don McAlpine/Patrick McCormick
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"Peter Pan" Photo Gallery
"Peter Pan” Trailer, Credits and Movie News
