When director Matthew Warchus began adapting his Tony and Olivier Award-winning Matilda the Musical for the screen, he knew that finding the right young performer to star as the courageous protagonist, who dares to take a stand to change her story, would be the key to the production’s success. A months-long search led the filmmaker to Alisha Weir, who could not only act but was also a gifted singer and dancer. Her audition, the director says, was simply “unforgettable.” 

Of course, Matilda, the heroine who first sprang to life in the pages of Roald Dahl’s 1988 children’s novel, has proven to be pretty unforgettable and extraordinary herself. The curious character has delighted readers around the world with her bravery, love of books, and mischievous prank-pulling, and her struggles against both her closed-minded parents and the domineering Trunchbull, who oversees Crunchem Hall, Matilda’s terrifying school, have been adapted several times over. 

Inspired by the mind behind Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical delivers a fresh energy never seen before. Warchus’s latest retelling of the classic tale boasts a fantastic cast of veteran performers including Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough as Matilda’s parents and Lashana Lynch as kind teacher Miss Honey. But in the title role, 11-year-old Weir holds her own. “I was bowled over by Alisha,” says Academy Award winner Emma Thompson, who plays Miss Trunchbull, the story’s iconic villain. Such high praise is all the more impressive considering this is Weir’s very first role in a feature.