Tom Hiddleston stars in The Life of Chuck film, a poignant drama directed by Mike Flanagan that moved audiences to tears at its premiere screening, marking a memorable step outside Flanagan’s usual horror territory. With a powerful cast including Mark Hamill and Benjamin Pajak, the film, based on Stephen King’s story, delivers a heartfelt exploration of life’s sorrows and joys, debuting nationwide on June 6.
Flanagan Brings King’s Story to the Screen with Heartfelt Vision
Mike Flanagan, previously celebrated for his chilling Netflix series like The Haunting of Hill House, takes a dramatic turn with The Life of Chuck, focusing on deeply human themes rather than supernatural scares. The film adapts King’s narrative from the 2020 collection If It Bleeds, and it resonated immediately with Flanagan during the global lockdowns of 2020. He recounted that encountering the story at such a vulnerable moment felt personal and transformative:
“When I put the story down, it was April 2020, so a month into the lockdown,”
—Mike Flanagan, Director
“If I started reading this story, I felt like I might not finish it because it hit so close to home and I felt like the world was ending outside my window. But when I got to the last page, I was crying tears of relief and happiness and optimism, and I was looking back at my life and kind of re-contexualizing the things that brought me there, and I realized I had to make the movie. This was the one I had to do, and I emailed Stephen King and begged for the story because it meant that much to me to do it.”
—Mike Flanagan, Director
The director’s connection to the material inspired a project that would go on to win the Audience Award at the Toronto Film Festival. Flanagan’s emotional investment translates into a three-act story rich with both sorrow and hope, inviting viewers to reflect deeply on their own lives.
Mark Hamill’s Immediate Trust in Flanagan’s Direction
Joining the film as Chuck’s grandfather, Mark Hamill was drawn to the project thanks to his admiration for Flanagan’s previous works. Hamill’s experience working on The Fall of the House of Usher further solidified his trust in the director’s creative approach. He reminisced about his history with Flanagan’s filmography, noting the inventive ways Flanagan adapts and expands upon source material:
“I was a huge fan of his before he contacted me for The Fall of the House of Usher [another Flanagan series Hamill appears in],”
—Mark Hamill, Actor
“As a family, my wife and my daughter and I watched The Haunting of Hill House, and it was amazing because I know the source material. … But he’s great at taking something and expanding on it. Then we watched The Haunting of Bly Manor, we watched Midnight Mass. When he asked me to be in The Fall of the House of Usher, I went to his IMDb page and watched everything he’s ever done. I couldn’t find Oculus [online] so I ordered the disc and on the disc is his student film of Oculus, so I watched his progression. He’s one of the best ever.”
—Mark Hamill, Actor
Hamill’s portrayal of Chuck’s grandfather anchors the film’s final act, contributing to a performance that is both sensitive and impactful. His enthusiasm for working with Flanagan and respect for the director’s vision are evident in each scene, adding another layer of depth to the family drama.
Discovering the Perfect Young Chuck in Benjamin Pajak
Casting the role of young Chuck was crucial to balancing the film’s emotional arc. Flanagan revealed that after searching for talented child actors who could dance, he shifted his focus to Broadway, where Benjamin Pajak stood out immediately in his audition. Pajak takes on the story’s most demanding emotional scenes, entering nearly an hour into the runtime and carrying the narrative through to its conclusion:
“When we were looking for younger Chuck we looked first for actors who we thought could dance, and we just couldn’t find them,”
—Mike Flanagan, Director
“So then we started to look at Broadway kids and that was when we found Benjamin. I knew five seconds into his audition that he was the right choice. He comes into the film almost an hour into the runtime and takes the entire movie on his shoulders to the end. That’s a huge ask for an adult, much less a 12-year-old who’s never done a movie before. I’m amazed by what he pulled off. It was an honor to work with Benjamin.”
—Mike Flanagan, Director
Pajak himself expressed awe at collaborating with industry veterans like Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill. When recalling the moment he learned about his potential co-stars, Pajak’s excitement was palpable:
“I mean, even when I got the breakdown for the audition I was freaking out,”
—Benjamin Pajak, Actor
“Seeing the two names, I think it said Tom and Mark, and my mom and I just lost our minds. Being able to film with Mark was such an honor and being able to be there with him all day, and see how he gets into the moment and acts, it was just an absolute pleasure every day.”
—Benjamin Pajak, Actor
Pajak’s performance has been recognized as one of the standout aspects of the film, lending authenticity and heart to the movie’s emotional tapestry.
Tom Hiddleston’s Profound Connection to the Story
Tom Hiddleston takes on the challenging role of adult Chuck, delivering a nuanced and deeply felt performance. The multi-award-winning actor was compelled to join the project after being profoundly moved by Flanagan’s screenplay, finding its exploration of the human condition both wise and resonant. Hiddleston explained his reaction after first reading the script:
“I read the screenplay over Easter in 2023,”
—Tom Hiddleston, Actor
His reflections on the film underscore its emotional appeal and universal relevance:
“In this story there is an acknowledgement that life can be very difficult, that on the path of life we can encounter grief and loss and hardship and pain, and those experiences are real and we have to muster the courage to survive them. But alongside those experiences are other profound aspects that are part of the experience of being alive and being a human being, which are joy and love, and those things are deep and real and they sit alongside the other things in the experience of life. It was just so wise and touching and beautifully done, and I think that’s why I find the film so resonant. It’s seemingly about the life of an ordinary man, or a few ordinary people, but really it’s about all of our lives and the beauty and the breadth inside the soul of every human being.”
—Tom Hiddleston, Actor
Through Hiddleston’s portrayal, audiences experience Chuck’s triumphs and heartaches in vivid detail, making the story’s message about human connection and resilience even more compelling.
Audience Response and the Film’s Promising Future
The Life of Chuck made a significant impression from the moment it premiered. The audience–including enthusiastic fans and critics alike–was visibly moved during the screening, especially during the final act. Reports from the event described widespread emotional reactions, with many viewers moved to tears and reaching for tissues as the story drew to its conclusion. This powerful response forecasts a strong future for the film as it prepares for wider release under Neon, the company behind recent Oscar-winning titles like Anora.
The film’s authentic depiction of grief, hope, and what it means to be human positions it as a must-see for anyone seeking profound storytelling. As it makes its theatrical debut, anticipation continues to build for a movie that not only showcases Tom Hiddleston’s range in The Life of Chuck film, but also unites performances from the likes of Mark Hamill, Benjamin Pajak, and the entire creative team led by Mike Flanagan.
The Life of Chuck will open in theaters nationwide on June 6, inviting audiences to reflect on their own lives through the remarkable journey of its central characters.
