As a fan of the wildly popular books and collector of the equally popular dolls, playing Kit, a 10-year-old aspiring reporter during the Great Depression, was a role that Breslin relished. “I think she’d be a lot more brave than I would be,” she says. “I could never walk up to someone and say ‘Yes, I’m going to do this [become a reporter]’ … I just could never do that.”

When choosing what roles she’ll pursue, Breslin says she considers if the character is someone “I’d like to know.” And Kit definitely fit the bill, even if there was a considerable learning curve with accepting the part. Not only did she have to study up on the history of The Great Depression—since being true to the time period was so important to producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas (who regularly works with Julia Roberts, also a producer on Kit)—but she also had to learn to type on an old-fashioned typewriter. “When I first saw it, I was like ‘Where’s the screen?’” Breslin quips. “And you have to hit the keys so hard.”

In light of the film’s perilous time frame, Breslin also had to step up to the challenge of crying on cue. “With any role, I really don’t like crying scenes,” Breslin shares. “But when you think about the situation the character is in, that sort of helps you tear up.”

While trying to convince the editor of the Cincinnati Register to publish the story that’ll give her future career in journalism a serious kick start, Kit is also dealing with very adult realities as she’s seeing her family and friends’ families struggle economically—even losing their houses when they can’t pay the mortgage. And by learning about the Great Depression, Breslin has even drawn a few parallels to today’s struggling economy. “I don’t like to hear about anyone struggling,” Breslin says. “So I hope the movie will encourage people that even through hard times, you can pull through.”

Behind the Scenes

Joining Breslin in Kit is a well-known ensemble cast that includes Julia Ormond (Sabrina, The First Knight) as Kit’s mom, Chris O’Donnell (School Ties, Batman and Robin) as Kit’s dad, Joan Cusack (Friends with Money, Raising Helen) as the spirited traveling librarian (and the film’s chief comic relief) and Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada, TV’s ER) as a mischievous magician.

As a husband and father of five kids, O’Donnell says he accepted the role immediately after being offered it because he’s an advocate of making family movies that aren’t “nauseating.”