Jacob Tremblay Shares Advice for Meeting People Who Look Different Than You: 'Ask Questions'

Jacob Tremblay is offering some wise advice about empathy, and the world needs to hear it.

The 11-year-old actor stars as Auggie in the movie Wonder, the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of a boy with facial differences who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.

To prep for the role, Jacob asked patients at a Toronto children’s hospital to write him letters detailing their experiences living with facial conditions like his character.

“I had a binder with those letters in it, and I took it to the set with me every day,” Jacob told Today.

“They said it feels like you’re shrinking away,” he explained about the feeling of being stared at, “Like you are torn into a million pieces.”

His advice when meeting someone with a condition that makes them look different? “Behind the face is the heart,” Jacob said. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are curious about differences, because that’s OK. They will be happy to tell you about their conditions and about who they are.”

Wonder is in theaters now.