The Squickerwonkers | Evangeline Lilly MTV | Talks at Google

TL;DR

Actress Evangeline Lilly talks about her new book, "The Squickerwonkers", and how it is a passion project for her.

Transcript

ARTUR OLIVEIRA: Thank you all so much for coming. My name is Artur. And I am really excited today to be able to welcome Evangeline Lilly to Google in Mountain View. As you all know, Evangeline is an incredibly famous and successful actress. She's been in plenty of works on the big screen and on TV. But today we're here to talk about her new book-- ... Read More

Key Insights

• 💦 Evangeline Lilly's book, "The Squickerwonkers," is a passion project that she worked on for three years and poured her full-time efforts into.
• 🧓 The book is not strictly for children, as people of all ages, including Lilly's own son and 13-year-old niece, have enjoyed it.
• 👶 The book challenges the traditional children's storybook model by exploring the complexities of human nature and embracing characters with both positive and negative qualities.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Evangeline Lilly transition from being a successful actress to writing her first book?

Lilly explains that while she stumbled into acting and found success, writing has always been her true passion. Becoming a published author is a way for her to change career trajectories.

Q: Will the art style of the book change throughout the 18-book series?

Lilly plans to stick with the same art style, as she wants to maintain the brand identification. However, she acknowledges that the art may evolve over time.

Q: How did Evangeline Lilly's perspective and life experiences influence the book compared to when she first wrote it at 14?

As a mother and a grown woman, Lilly infused the book with life lessons and a more nuanced approach to character development. She wanted to break away from the traditional children's storybook model and explore the complexities of human nature.

Q: How did Evangeline Lilly create the character Tauriel in "The Hobbit" movies?

Tauriel is a completely invented character for the films, not appearing in J.R.R. Tolkien's original books. Lilly worked closely with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens to create and develop the character within the Tolkien universe.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Evangeline Lilly wrote a poem called "The Squickerwonkers" when she was 14 years old and recently published it as her first book.

• The book is the first in a series of 18 Squickerwonker stories and is not just for kids, but for all ages.

• The book combines Lilly's rhymes with the illustrations of Johnny Fraser-Allen, with plans for a future stop animation film and multimedia experience.