Marsaili McGrath/getty images
Zach Helm.
Zach Helm had no idea his experience working a couple of toy-themed jobs in Chicago would one day translate into his first directorial gig in Hollywood.
At that time, Helm was a university student and a struggling playwright penning avant-garde theatre; jobs as a juggler outside FAO Schwartz and in sales at a neighbourhood toy store helped pay bills.
It was in the latter role that Helm found inspiration for his second screenplay and his first attempt at directing, an idea that would become the feature film Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, starring Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman.
One rainy, very slow day in the shop, Helm imagined a magical toy store owned by a 243-year-old eccentric and run by a musically inclined assistant. The store would have a life of its own, he imagined, while his Mr. Magorium would be a combination of wonder-wielding genius and man-child.
He began writing the ideas down, shaping characters that would later be played by Oscar-winner Dustin Hoffman as Magorium and Natalie Portman as his assistant.
“Usually I can never find where the inspiration came for the things that I write, but it was nice to know that this one came from that specific time and place,” Helm, whose standing in the film industry got a huge boost last year with the success of his critically acclaimed debut screenplay Stranger Than Fiction, says.
“It’s not there any more, that toy store,” he continues. “It got bought out by I think a Starbucks, but to know that our movie has been made and came from that is very special for me.”
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Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is in theatres today.
