'Grow' More Than a Movie About Pumpkins ... It's Fantastic Family Fare

Dominic McLaughlin, Golda Roseheuvel, Nick Frost, Priya-Rose Brookwell in 'Grow'. Photo image courtesy Fathom Entertainment
With a hint of crispness in the air, Fall is a season that can be downright magical for those who ascribe to the vividly colored hues of falling leaves, deep blue skies, and the earthen aroma of harvest.

As the centerpiece of this autumnal bliss is the pumpkin, the bright orange symbol of cooler climes and trendy front porch decorations. But the pumpkin is so much more than that. Beyond carving jack-o-lanterns from them or being a favorite beverage this time of year at your local coffee shop, it is the focal point of a new uplifting family movie opening in theaters this weekend.

Starring Golda Rosheuvel (Bridgerton), Nick Frost (How to Train Your Dragon), and child actress Priya-Rose Brookwell (The Lazarus Project), Grow tells the story of a little girl with an extraordinary knack for growing giant award-winning pumpkins. Along the way, she discovers the real prize is not measured in pounds but in joy, laughter, and community instead.

I recently sat down with the rising young actress Brookwell to talk about all things pumpkin, the value of being part of a community filled with love and compassion, and why she thinks this movie will leave a lasting, emotional impact on audiences for seasons to come.

If you were trying to convince a friend to take the time to get out to the theater to see Grow, what would you say to encourage them?

I'd probably say it's really funny. There's a lot of messages in it and it's kind of like the whole time it's a proper story. There was not one time where I was like, oh, it's kind of boring. There's always something interesting about it. It’s really fun and you'd laugh a lot.

What I find interesting about this movie is that your character seems to have a special knack for connecting with plants which reflects on her own longing to feel seen and loved. Could you comment on that connection and how you approached it as an actor?

Well, it's just thinking about the pumpkin being someone I know, like a human, not just a thing in the ground. On the script, maybe it said the pumpkin is lonely. So, I would think of a friend or a family member telling me that they feel lonely. I transfer that to what the plant is telling me. But I think of it as someone I know saying it.

What I find to be very endearing about this movie is that together, your character (Charlie) and her aunt (Dinah) discover that the real prize of this pumpkin competition is not measured by wins and losses but in joy, laughter, and community instead. Why are those qualities so important in today’s culture?

I think it's because you are not part of the community unless you take part in it. Of course, that’s a thing that they do in their place and they don't find it weird. And everyone has a great time. So no matter who wins, it's always good. Of course in the movie it's a bit of a competition, but it's just a thing that the town does. They love it. They all come together. It’s really important to take part in what your community is doing. You meet new people, and you can learn a lot.

To me, for a movie to be successful it needs to leave a lasting and emotional impact with me long after I have left the theater. In other words, the movie’s message stays with me long after I have seen it. For you, what is it about this movie that will leave a lasting and emotional impact on audiences?

I think it's the connection between that and the connection between my character Charlie and people. That’s because her connection with others is so strong, even though it's centered around a pumpkin. It can be emotional sometimes because she's been through a lot in her life. She's been juggled around by a bunch of people in a bunch of places. And when she finally finds a place where she belongs, it's quite sad even though it's happy.

In making and taking part in these movies, you often learn something about yourself that you never realized before. Something that you will take with you and apply to your life, moving forward. Did you learn anything about yourself through making this movie that you will keep with you in the years to come?

I think so. I learned that I could go with my gut because that's always what the director (John McPhail) said. Listen to other’s opinions but always go with your gut. He said it so many times. So, I think I properly learned how to do that. So now in audition tapes, I'm a bit more free. I will sometimes do a bit of improvising and I don't go straight off the script because what makes you different is kind of how you get roles. I think that really showed with this movie. It showed me acting techniques from all the incredible actors in this movie … Golda Rosheuvel, Nick Frost, and Alan Carr. Going with my gut really shows me different ways to act and you don't need to go straight off the script.

Do you have a moment or a scene in Grow that you find to be the most meaningful on a personal level?

I loved filming many of the scenes but the one that sticks with me is the Halloween night scene. We threw toilet paper on everything. That was a really fun night because we had to wait until it was really dark. And I was obsessed with my costume. I loved it. Also, the scene when we were naming the pumpkin, that was so funny because Nick Frost is hilarious.

Some of the names we were coming up with were actually not names. They were random ones that we made up. So, loads of my reactions were genuine and improvised because it was just so funny.

Did you ever get tired of spending so much time around pumpkins and the ability to grow them properly?

Definitely. I do think this time of year is all about Halloween. And a large part of that is pumpkins. I'd never carved a pumpkin or anything like that before. And it's crazy that I carved a pumpkin for the first time in this movie. So, I think “Grow” made me like pumpkins more.

After audiences have had a chance to see the movie Grow, from your perspective, what would you like to see audiences take away from that experience? What is your greatest hope for the film?

I would like to see people always believe in themselves. Charlie believed she could grow the biggest pumpkin. So, she entered the pumpkin growing competition. She went through all this stuff in the middle while growing the pumpkin. And no matter what, she kept faith in herself. She kept going and she tried so hard and didn't stop believing in herself. That's the biggest thing I want people to like to learn from the movie.

WATCH A TRAILER FOR GROW: