'Dear Evan Hansen' director has no doubts about Ben Platt's casting: 'See the movie'

Not since "Hamilton" has a Broadway show become a pop-culture phenomenon like "Dear Evan Hansen." 

Winner of six Tony Awards in 2017 including best musical and best actor (Ben Platt), the production was an instant sensation among young adults, who latched on to its awkward teen protagonist and infectious pop score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ("La La Land," "The Greatest Showman"). 

Now, the musical has received an A-list big-screen adaptation, which opened Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday night ahead of its Sept. 24 release in theaters. Like the stage show, the film follows the anxious and shy Evan Hansen (Platt), who gains popularity after a lie involving Connor Murphy (Colton Ryan), a classmate who commits suicide. The musical drama tackles themes of loneliness, mental health and social media, with a cast rounded out by Amy Adams and Danny Pino as Connor's parents, Cynthia and Larry, and Kaitlyn Dever as his sister, Zoe. Julianne Moore and Amandla Stenberg co-star as Evan's mom Heidi and new friend Alana, respectively.

'Dear Evan Hansen':Watch Ben Platt reprise his role as Evan Hansen in first trailer

The movie is directed by author-turned-filmmaker Stephen Chbosky, returning to Toronto after premiering his "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" at the 2012 fest. 

Chbosky tells USA TODAY more about "Evan Hansen" and responds to online criticism of Platt, 27, reprising his role as a high-schooler. 

Question: What was the toughest part about translating the film to the screen?

Stephen Chbosky: As a fan of the show, I felt a responsibility to the other fans. The most difficult part of adapting anything is figuring out the right things to cut and add. How do you take a 2 hour and 40 minute show and turn it into a 2 hour and 8 minute movie, but also give extra time and attention to each individual character, knowing that close-ups are going to add so much more intimacy? Everything had to be calibrated to address how much more inherently emotional the (Murphy) family's grief was going to be. 

Q: Did you ever consider casting someone other than Ben as Evan? 

Chbosky: I actually never saw him do it on stage. I saw the Tony clip of him doing "Waving Through a Window," but knowing his work from the (cast album), it was Ben or it was no one. It's his role, he did it from the very first (reading in 2014). I knew he had something very special about him as an artist, so ultimately it was a no-brainer. 

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Q: Ben knows this character inside and out. What was your biggest priority as a director when it came to his performance? 

Chbosky: It was very liberating to never have seen him do it on stage, because I wasn't trying to re-create what I saw on Broadway. My job was first and foremost to be supportive and nurturing, and do whatever he needed (to help him) go to those emotional places. I also felt my job was just to encourage him to trust that his expressions and his eyes conveyed everything in a more subtle way. There's a big difference between playing to the back row of a 1,000-seat theater and playing to Amy Adams across the table. Sometimes I would say things like, "Don't sing out, sing in." 

Q: Some people on Twitter had strong reactions to Ben's appearance in the trailer. Do you hope they'll withhold judgment until they actually see the film?

Chbosky: His performance is so extraordinary in the movie that I never paid the internet much mind. It's a free world, you can have your opinions. Go see the movie. If you're still holding on to the hair or the age thing after, then the movie was never for you. The truth is, I think a lot of the reason why people talk about this issue is the fact that we had an earlier version of him doing the same part (on Broadway). A lot of the actors in the movie are basically his age. No one ever asks me about Nik Dodani (who plays Evan's classmate, Jared, and is 27). They only ask me about Ben. But the vast majority of people who've seen the movie are just so blown away by what (Platt) does that they don't care and in my opinion, they shouldn't. 

Q: Without spoilers, what were some of the changes you wanted to make from the stage show? 

Chbosky: It was a team effort. We looked around and said, "This is a chance to go a little deeper with Alana and give her her own song ("The Anonymous Ones"). This is a chance to see a little bit more of Connor," and that's what led to that other new song ("A Little Closer"). And it's hard to even compare what the movie was able to do for Cynthia and Larry's journey. So really, it was just trying to bring it close and intimate in every way we could. 

Q: This was one of the first major studio movies to shoot in North America during the pandemic. What challenges did that present? 

Chbosky: The No. 1 difficulty was the loneliness. Because of the (safety) protocols, basically people worked and then they went home. There were no restaurants, no bars, no mixing with your colleagues. You're just eating takeout and watching CNN. 

But there was a profound silver lining that came with this: We were shooting last September, so for all of us, the first time we saw a face in person (outside our quarantine bubbles) happened during the moment the actor took off a mask and we started shooting. And for the crew, nobody had worked for six months. This was a chance to do what you love and pay the bills. So it was an equal measure of solitude and gratitude.

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