Villarreal believes kids will really be able to get into this movie and relate to its themes. “First of all, it’s very entertaining. And second of all, it’s just an all-around good movie and you can learn from it. There’s a father in the movie and he’s very pushy. He pushes his son. And parents can learn from that because I know sometimes, thank god it’s never happened to me, but sometimes parents push their kids to follow their own dreams and not the children’s dreams. And it’s very important to not do that, you know? There’s definitely that and definitely a whole minority thing. Everyone is made equal and you make whatever you want out of yourself using school and books and your talent and your love – it’s nothing to do with race at all.”
Learning from a Real Spelling Bee Expert: Villarreal learned a lot about bees from acting with George Hornedo, a real spelling bee participant who had a role in Akeelah and the Bee. “He played a small part in the film and he was also the consultant,” explained Villarreal. “He was in the spelling bee last year and unfortunately he didn’t make it. He knew the word but he misspelled it. He said a different syllable. He was very smart, just to mess with him I’d say, ‘How do you spell this or how do you spell that?’ He told me, ‘This is what goes through your mind. When you get up there you need to get a feel of it. It’s kind of like being a comedian. You have to feel out the crowd so you can know how to do it.’”
Hornedo shared his knowledge of what’s going on in the minds of kids involved in bees with Villarreal, which helped him understand what’s happening when the kids are up on stage. “He just told me that most spellers misspell their words because they’re thinking too fast. They think so fast that their mind is like searching for the letters and all of a sudden you’ve got the word and then you come out with the wrong letter. It’s like the world stops and you start going, ‘What did I just do!’ You’re angry, you’re emotional, you feel sad. You feel everything at the same time for like two seconds and then you go back to normal life. It’s over. You either come back next year or that part of my life is done.”
Spelling and Spelling Bees: JR Villarreal admits he wasn’t very familiar with spelling bees prior to working on Akeelah and the Bee. “Not really,” said Villarreal. “ I would see clips and highlights of the spelling bee on ESPN and it seemed very difficult to spell such long words.” As far as spelling goes, Villarreal says he isn’t nearly as proficient as his character in the film. “When it comes to mediocre words I’m good, but not stuff like what they would spell in the spelling bees. It’s just amazing how kids could just pull these words out of their minds. Compared to my character and to Akeelah and Dylan, not at all.”
JR Villarreal Can Relate to His Akeelah and the Bee Character: “Of course, definitely. I’ve been told by people that I’m a good friend. Javier is a very good friend to Akeelah, like standing up for her to Dylan. And also like his charisma, his character, he can always put a smile on your face. He really doesn’t care what people think of him that much and he helps Akeelah out with that little matter because she cares very much of what people think about her.”
On Working with Writer/Director Doug Atchison: “He was awesome. He was so smart. It’s his first movie and he did amazing. His patience to handle the kids like everyone… It’s his first movie and with all of these kids – most of the main characters are all minors. And knowing that we’re actors, we have big personalities. And he had so much patience and he knew just how to talk to kids.”
Next Up: The Death and Life of Bobby Z: “I play Kit and I am Bobby Z’s, I think, son. And Bobby Z is played by Paul Walker who is an amazing, awesome, down to earth normal person who I still keep in contact with today. He’s an awesome guy.
I play a really troubled kid. I live in Baja California with a guardian, my mom’s friend. I have no mom, I have no dad, and I’m living kind of in the middle of a mini drug world. It’s all about transporting marijuana and it’s all about drugs all over the place. I’m surrounded by evil and I’m just looking for a way to get out. With Bobby Z I see a way to get out.”