NIM’S QUEST:ABIGAIL BRESLIN PLAYS A YOUNG ACTION HEROINE

The heroine at the very center of NIM’S ISLAND is, of course, Nim herself, the fiery, feisty, colorful youngster who leads a truly wild life, romping on an awe-inspiring, far-away island with a Sea Lion named Selkie for a best friend. 

From the minute Nim, her island life and her powerful imagination popped into author Wendy Orr’s head, she knew she was onto something very special. “Nim is fiercely courageous, loyal and resilient.  She has her flaws when you’re a writer there are certain characters you create that you love more than others, and Nim is one of those that I really, really fell in love with as I was writing,” confesses Orr.  

The filmmakers of Nim’s Island felt precisely the same way about Nim, which led to a dilemma:  how would they ever find a young actress who could capture those very special feelings in a complex performance combining comedy, action and moving family moments?  The initial plan was to undertake a worldwide search to find an unknown Nim, but then something happened to change the filmmakers’ minds – the runaway smash comedy Little Miss Sunshine hit the theatres and introduced the world to the distinctive talents of Abigail Breslin.  At the extraordinary age of 10, Breslin garnered an Academy Award® nomination for her richly nuanced role as a would-be pre-adolescent pageant contestant and proved her widespread appeal as a young actress who defies the mold. 

“When we saw Abigail’s performance it became very clear that we didn’t need to do a worldwide search at all!” remarks Paula Mazur. “When we met her, we were even more certain she could inhabit Nim beautifully.”
Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett remember indelibly the minute they met her.  “We were both like, wow, she is so original and real and emotionally accessible.  And her smile is so fantastic,” says Flackett.  “She is so much a kid living her life in extraordinary circumstances and that really comes across as Nim.”

On the set, the directors note that Abigail was so creative and collaborative, they entirely stopped thinking of her as a “child actress” at all.  “She’s very tapped into her emotions, but not in a cloying way.  It’s very genuine and beautiful and you really feel it, especially when Nim is missing her father,” adds Levin.  “Everyone involved in the production was blown away by Abigail’s performance.”

Abigail says that what first drew her to the role was Nim’s amazing life of action, adventure and unbridled imagination. “It was something new that I’d never done before,” says Abigail.  “I got to do a lot of climbing and running, and flying on the zip-line, which was really fun.  And sword fighting!  I also did a lot of training for the scenes in the water, I learned how to do duck dives, how to hold my breath under water, and even how to scream under water.  It’s not as hard as you think – you just open your mouth and scream right away, so that none of the water goes in.”

Abigail continues:  “And then I got to have fun getting to know all of Nim’s friends – the Sea Lions and the Bearded Dragons and the Pelicans -- and it was so cool.”

Like Nim, Abigail found herself constantly challenged by leading this tropical existence far from the usual pre-teen suburbia. Stunt coordinator Glenn Ruehland watched as the role transformed the young actress both physically and mentally.  “Abigail went from being this sophisticated girl from New York to a real action girl by the end of production,” remarks Ruehland.  “She went through underwater swimming training, zip line training, and was even towed through the water by 400-pound Sea Lions.  She got a vast amount of experience in action in this one role and we watched her develop great confidence.”  

Abigail loved the physical challenges but she notes that the really big things that happen to Nim start when she joins forces with Alexandra Rover – and they happen under the skin. “What I loved most is that Nim and Alexandra come to see that they both have more strength inside than they ever believed,” she says.  “They also see that everyone needs other people, no matter who they are.  Everyone has times when they need someone they love just to be there for them.”