Simon Wincer, director
I loved the script but someone else was given the job of directing it. I was in Russia, shooting The Young Indiana Jones, when my agent called and said: “Guess what? They want to remove the director and offer it to you.” I flew to Los Angeles and met with Warner Bros. They showed me a video of 10 kids’ auditions and said: “Which would you like for the role of Jesse?” Jason Richter jumped off the screen. The executives smiled because that’s who they wanted, too. I met Jason the next morning. He was fascinating, a lovely kid, and away we went. I had four weeks to pull this bloody show together.
