Lyon Daniels, Mychala Lee, Noah Cottrell, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Alyvia Alyn Lind discuss their characters Jared, Mallory, Simon, Thimbletack, and Calliope during The Spiderwick Chronicles’ Press Day on April 15, 2024.
Multiverse of Color’s Vanessa Young asked the young actors about their respective roles and, in particular, about Black hair and the impact of seeing a young person dealing with real issues amongst the magical.
Watch the interviews below:
The series is loosely based on The Spiderwick Chronicles book series written by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. The show focuses on the Grace family settling into the Spiderwick estate in Michigan, to help Jared, Simon’s fraternal twin and Mallory’s little brother (Lyon Daniels, Mychala Lee, Noah Cottrell), with his oppositional defiant disorder.
A series of twists and turns happen that challenge each Grace family member, including their mother Helen (Joy Grace), even up until the last moment of the last episode. It’s a wholesome, family-centric show that turns corny at times with hamfisted life lessons, but the strong acting from the younger cast makes it worth the watch.
Jack Dylan Grazer shines as a magical creature, Thimbletack, (spoiler: boggart turned brownie) that harasses and menaces the Grace family, most of whom believe its Jared acting out again.
One of Thimbletack’s shenanigans had lasting repercussions with Mallory’s hair being affected. In one of the more powerful scenes of the series, Lee as Mallory vents to her brother about how difficult it was for her to love and take care of her hair. A frustration many Black girls around the world share, especially mixed Black girls.
Alyvia Alyn Lind as Calliope, a Fetch that lurks near death, shines as she struggles to adjust her perception of herself throughout the series. Christian Slater rounds the main cast out as the main villain, Mulgarath.
The Spiderwick Chronicles streams for free on the Roku Channel, April 19.