Portland author Cheryl Strayed reflects on ‘Wild’ 10-year anniversary

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) – Ten years after the Oregon-made film “Wild” premiered, Cheryl Strayed is still grateful for the chance to share her story and inspire others to keep putting “one foot in front of the other.”

“I can’t believe that 10 years have passed,” Strayed told KOIN 6 News. “I felt grateful at the time when the film was made, but now looking back, I understand deeply what a special and exceptional experience it was.”

The film — starring Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern — is based on her best-selling memoir “Wild,” following her journey hiking over 1,000 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail as she navigates loss and rediscovers her strength.

“I learned about how we have to keep faith with our inner strength and continue to put one foot in front of the other even when it feels like we can’t or even when it hurts,” Strayed reflected. “I love that readers and move watchers around the world have taken that message into their own hearts.”

To help spread that message, Oregon Film Executive Director Tim Williams teamed up with Strayed to host a 10-year anniversary screening of the movie at Portland’s Hollywood Theatre on Sept. 12 with Strayed as a special guest. The screening is part of the theatre’s #OregonMade film series, showcasing films made in the state.

While hiking the trail was one journey, Strayed says making the film was another “interesting journey” with Witherspoon, producer Bruna Papandrea, and director Jean-Marc Vallée, including her in the filmmaking process to make decisions big and small.

“One thing that I learned pretty early on in my life is it’s so important to collaborate with people who you feel like you can trust, who are coming from a place of good intentions, and who share that aspiration that you do to tell essentially powerful stories in the world,” Strayed said.

“I knew that I found that when I first talked to Reese Witherspoon. It was before ‘Wild’ was even published, we were on the phone with each other discussing the idea of her making this into a movie and I trusted my instincts. She seemed like a good person who would be good for her word, and I wasn’t wrong about that. We’re dear friends to this day,” she continued.

The movie was shot in several locations across Oregon — including Portland, Bend, Ashland, and Crater Lake — which made the filmmaking process more special, Strayed said.

“I really do feel so grateful that this film was made in Oregon. That meant something pretty big to me because a huge part of the book is set in the state, but also, I’ve made Oregon my home ever since I finished my hike on the Pacific Crest Trail at the Bridge of the Gods and Cascade Locks,” Strayed said. “And so, it’s really special to me that so many beautiful places in Oregon are featured in this film.”

With around 300 people expected at the sold-out screening, Strayed added, “I hope that the movie makes people do what all good art does, make you laugh, make you cry, make you think, make you reflect on your own life and also the human condition.”

She continued, “I think that’s what films, and books, and really all art has the power to do is to entertain us and move us, and make us think more deeply about who we are.”

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