“Winged – A Bird Called Penguin Bloom”: Naomi Watts got this help from Sam Bloom

The tragic story of the paraplegic Australian Sam Bloom (50), who, with the help of a little bird named Penguin, regained her courage, was already a best seller in 2016 in book form (“Penguin Bloom: The Little Bird That Saved Our Family”). The film version entitled “Winged – A Bird Called Penguin Bloom” will start in German cinemas on August 19th. The Hollywood stars Naomi Watts (52, “The Impossible”) and Andrew Lincoln (57, “The Walking Dead”) star in Sam and her husband, photographer Cameron Bloom.

Slipping into the skin of the former nurse and mother of three, who fell two floors down on vacation in Thailand at the beginning of 2013 and has been in a wheelchair since then, must have been a difficult task even for seasoned actress Naomi Watts. The news agency spot on news reveals the successful parakanut Sam how she helped the Oscar-nominated world star in preparation and whether Watts’ portrayal was successful in her eyes. She and her husband Cameron also remember how the book first came about and then the movie and explain what gives the flick a personal touch – and whether the magpie Penguin still visits the Blooms from time to time.

Your family history – as it is described in the book and in the movie – is tragic, but also hopeful. Why did you choose to share it with the public?

Cameron Bloom: It all started when Penguin came into our lives and I kept taking pictures. Our guys suggested opening an Instagram account … and then it went crazy. All of these publishers contacted me and wanted to write a story about our bird. However, I said, “There’s more to this story”. Then (author) Bradley Trevor Greive took the stage who wrote the book. He said, “I know exactly how to tell this story – we use Penguin’s trip and the photos to tell Sam’s story.” Then everything took a natural course. The book became a success, and Naomi (Watts) wanted to play Sam (in a movie). We didn’t consciously intend to spread our story out into the world.

Sam Bloom: It just happened.

What does it mean to you to see your story on the big screen?

Sam: It’s obviously an honor to have someone like Naomi play me because I am just me. We are a normal family.

Cameron: We’re just the couple that live down the street with three kids. We could be any family.

Sam: It’s crazy! Never … would we have thought that someone would make a film about us.

Cameron: And in our own house!

Which makes it even more personal …

Cameron: Yeah, and I think (the film crew) felt a certain energy because it was in the very house where it all happened. All of my photos were taken in and around the house. The director and the cameraman took many angles that were similar to those of my recordings. That was nice and it gives depth.

It should just be your story.

Sam: Yeah. That was the first thing I said to the producers: I want it to be real and authentic and not have a big Hollywood touch. It shouldn’t seem like everything ends up being fantastic because it isn’t. It’s gotten a little easier and I’ve experienced nice things – but I would like to be my old self right away, getting up, mountain biking or surfing alone.

Cameron, in a touching scene you carry your wife on a stretcher up a steep slope to a place that is special to her: a lighthouse.

Cameron: I still cry, even after seeing the film for the fifth or sixth time.

Sam: It really happened that way, if a little bit differently. Cameron organized this for my first Christmas party (after the accident) – as a gift. I used to jog up there a lot, it was my “happy place”. So four of our friends were waiting in the parking lot below and they carried me up with Cameron.

Cameron: A lot of the scenes really happened that way. And if not, then the feeling (the film team) was trying to convey was still real.

Would you consider it helpful to review your traumatic experiences in the cinema – as a kind of therapy?

CARTER: I never thought of it as therapeutic. I don’t remember the accident itself, which is why I was afraid of this one scene. I didn’t want to see them show our children crying and screaming.

Cameron: You realized it very gently, though.

CARTER: The scene that hits me is where my kids are sick and they call for Cameron and not for me. That’s what happened, and I remember calling Cameron up and saying, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” I felt like the worst mother because I should be the one who runs up to them and makes sure they are okay.

How do you think your story has affected readers and viewers?

Sam: I think it changed a lot of people’s perspective a little bit. Maybe they appreciate the little things more, don’t take everything for granted, and are happy to get up and run or go for a walk.

Cameron: Especially during pandemic times, many people complain that they can’t do this or that.

Sam: And then I have to hold back from saying something, even though I think inside: “Be grateful that you can walk around.” So I think (our story) changed perspectives and gave hope.

In the film you can be seen in the form of Naomi Watts and Andrew Lincoln. Are you satisfied with your presentation?

Sam: Yeah, they played us very well. Naomi always had that look. She didn’t say much and I usually don’t either. I don’t scream, I just eat it and you could see this frustration and anger in her.

Cameron: That’s why … a scene where (Sam) destroys old photos was so important. You saw this pent-up anger.

CARTER: I didn’t really do that, though.

So Hollywood has dramatized this a little?

Sam: Exactly.

Cameron: And we love this scene.

Sam: I would have liked to have destroyed the photos. My old life was a thing of the past and I didn’t want to see those photos from before because they made me sad. Old Sam died, I always say.

Sam, it may have been difficult for Naomi Watts in particular to portray you in a way that does you justice. Were you able to help her with the challenge?

Sam: Yeah. I used to vent a lot of anger and guilt in a diary on my phone. I sent these notes to Naomi because I thought they would help her empathize with me. Because you don’t say directly to someone you hardly know: “Hi, Naomi! I’m Sam! Yes, I wanted to kill myself and wish I had died.”

Cameron: Both Naomi and Andrew (Lincoln) also have younger children, much like us. I think that’s why they just imagined what it would have been like for them.

Do you still have contact?

Sam: Yes, Naomi congratulated me on my birthday. You and Andrew are really dearest people.

Cameron: We wish they could have stayed longer. Andrew and I even went surfing together.

And your lady bird penguin? Has she ever stopped by again?

Sam: No, she left us about six years ago.