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ike, I think you need
to check the bathroom,” the studio
publicist told me.
It was June of last
year, and we were
inside a luxury hotel room in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, where Fox
Searchlight was holding a press day for
Beasts of the Southern Wild. The movie,
made for next to nothing by a group of
unknowns and first-timers, had won
the jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and some people — not many, but
some — thought it had a shot at scoring
a few Oscar nominations.
I had arrived on time for my scheduled
M
s
s
history
interview with the star of the movie —
and arguably its best hope for a nomination — but there was a problem. The star
in question had decided to play a game of
hide-and-seek because the star in question, Quvenzhané Wallis, was 8 years old,
and that is what 8 year olds do.
As my brain processed the publicist’s request, I imagined unsettling
headlines. Headlines like: “Huffington
Post Journalist Startles Innocent Child
During Potty Time.”
“I’m not doing that,” I replied.
While I fidgeted, Wallis’ mother, Qulyndriea, played along with her daughter,
as mothers of 8-year-old children do.
“She’s not in the mini-bar,” Qulyndriea