Why is it that the ‘Girl’ in The Truth, first known as The Truth, I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything, and now re-issued as The Truth, Diary of a Gutsy Tween, can be acted by almost any girl between the ages of 8 and 17? Why can she be acted in the play version, ‘The Locket’ one moment by a girl of 9 and a few minutes later played by a girl of 15? The answer is simple, the ‘Girl’ in The Truth is not only #Almost 13, she is someone that we all have either been, are now or will be some day. If we are girls and/or women, we have to pass through many of the moods, feelings, opportunities and passages of life that she passes through.
All of us have had at one time a first crush, most have had to move, many have had siblings, many have had parents fighting, many have felt left out by friends or misunderstood by teachers, parents, others, many have been bullied or put down. I could go on and on. But the truth is, the ‘Girl’ is universal in spirit.
By the way, that is why I didn’t name her. If you wish her to have a name, name her! Maybe it will be your name or your daughter’s or a friend.
Of course, when it comes to going public in a film or a play, then choosing the right actress for a particular version of The Truth becomes relevant. When I decided to produce ‘The Truth, a Short Film’ I knew I wanted Cassidy Terracciano to be the star. I had seen her acting skills and I felt she would be perfect to capture a girl going on 13 in a short film.
However, on many other occasions, in some of the staged readings of ‘The Locket’ I want as many girls as possible to play the ‘Girl’. That’s what you see in the picture above.