Julia Roberts reveals Wonder of human kindness in new film

STARTING a new school can be very difficult for a child.

So spare a thought for Auggie, whose facial disfigurement has prevented him from having a mainstream education before now, but is about to start in the fifth grade.

“I know I’m not an ordinary 10-year-old kid,” Auggie tells us via narration in new film Wonder, out this week.

“Ordinary kids don’t get stared at wherever they go.

“I’ve had 27 surgeries. They’ve helped me to breathe, to see, to hear without a hearing aid, but none of them can make me look ordinary.”

Auggie suffers from Treachers Collins syndrome and has taken to wearing a helmet to conceal what he sees as his imperfections.

His condition is one that affects the development of bones and other tissues of the face, and the symptoms and appearances of each sufferer can vary greatly.

Vision and hearing loss can affect people with the condition, though they usually have average intelligence, which is why Auggie is attending a mainstream school.

The film was inspired by a novel of the same name by RJ Palacio, which was based on a real-life experience the author had with her son.

While in a queue for ice cream, they noticed a girl with facial birth defects and the author decided to move her son away, fearing that he would react badly to the situation.

She ended up making matters worse and, along with a song called Wonder, the experience inspired her to write a book about how society can all learn a lesson about how they treat others.

“No-one’s going to get through this without crying, even if it’s just a little bit, even if it’s just that choked feeling in your throat,” says Julia Roberts, who stars as Auggie’s mum Isabel.

“But it’s not just because it’s deeply sad, but because it’s so meaningful and tender and gentle.

“It’s not something that’s just going to make you feel like you’re a puddle on the floor, it’s going to make you feel, I think, ultimately, like any of us can be and can do anything we want.”

As you might imagine, with the fact that kids can, at times, be quite cruel to one another, Auggie is subjected to some bullying.

Bit by bit, though, his personality shines through, and he wins over the people who had teased him.

The film’s slogan is Choose Kind and the movie will really make you think about how you address other people around you — with or without facial disfigurements.

Jacob Tremblay stars as Auggie and revealed that it took two hours in the morning just to apply the prosthetics and make-up to turn him into his character.

“When I saw myself in the mirror for the first time with the make-up on, it definitely did help me to feel more like Auggie,” he says.

On Twitter, he wrote: “I am very honoured to help bring Auggie to life! Let’s #choosekind everyone!”

Wise words, and this is set to be a great film, so don’t miss it.

A word of advice, though — take some tissues as you’ll need them to wipe away those tears!

Wonder is in cinemas now.