CLIPS on Instagram: "🎬 Fun Fact: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) To capture Greg Heffley’s awkward middle school life, the filmmakers cast real kids close to the characters’ ages rather than older teen actors. This meant many of the young cast members, including Zachary Gordon (Greg), were acting in their first major film. Director Thor Freudenthal encouraged them to improvise during rehearsals so the dialogue would sound natural and spontaneous, just like real conversations between kids."