Q:	How did you get together to make the film?
A:	Jay told how he'd seen a review of the book in the New York Times Book Review section, bought it, read it, liked it, then called the author and agent to buy the rights for it. Co-producer Amy Robinson had also liked the book and contacted John Schultz whom she had worked with before (and who had also read the book independently) and her company managed to secure the rights to make it into a film. It seems that Jonathan had also independently read the book and was so enthusiastic about it that he, too, was looking into getting it started as a film. Thus, they all were able to come together and support it being made. The enthusiastic support of Jonathan was a very important part of encouraging the production to be authorized. As Jonathan told it, he "read it, loved it, and tried to get the rights" but John and Amy already had bought those. At a meeting with John, he gained two jobs at once ( "I wish it could be like that all the time!") because John wanted to have him act in Like Mike and to film that project first. After that was done, Jonathan was a little older but looked significantly older and so they then went ahead with Zachary Beaver from there.
Q:	Did you actually get to drive the truck, Jonathan? (The film has an episode in which he and Zachary take off in a truck for a while but get into trouble).
A:	Jonathan said he wasn't allowed to drive it on the highway, but he was able to do just a few things forward and reverse for those scenes.
Q:	An adult asked a fairly involved question (okay, I admit it, it was me!) saying first how the film was a very good, compassionate, life-affirming one, and then asking: "Suppose that you, as a director, or a star, or a producer, wanted to just continue doing positive projects like this - films that do good - without resorting to gunfights or murder or crime. Would those standards pose a serious obstacle to achieving or maintaining your success?"
A:	Director John Schultz gave a fairly involved answer that encouraged that such standards would not necessarily be an obstacle, suggesting that in the next theater was an example (I am guessing he was referring to Mel Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ?) and I was able to continue talking with him about the subject afterward, along with the producer, for about 10 or 15 minutes as a small autograph table was set up for Jonathan and he gave autographs to a long line of people. Before this happened, Jonathan was offered a chance to give his input on the question, and since John Schultz had already said quite a bit to me, he gave a smile to the audience and a witty "Um, no comment," which I admit was very fitting for my question which by that point had become very convoluted.

After the autographs, everyone shifted over to one of the theatre's lobby areas with tables where there was large frosted cake with Jonathan's picture placed on it. That was where I met his mother, talking with one of the film festival organizers. His mother Rhonda seemed to be about Jonathan's height (I'd say roughly 5' or slightly taller) with brown hair, and was extremely pleasant and friendly to talk to! She showed no reluctance whatsoever about talking to everyone and I greatly enjoyed the bits of conversation we were able to have. She is actively aware of Jonathan's work and referred to a new project that he's done but whose details she had to keep secret for now. Thus, I cannot risk saying any more about that part of our conversation. I CAN say that there'll be a new Jonathan movie in major release, I'd say within a year, so long as everything goes well with that scheduling.

We both seemed to be in agreement about the importance of his choosing film projects of good moral quality. (That stemmed from one of the questions I dared to ask during the Q & A session, which probably was a little more bold, complicated, and controversial than was expected, but hey! I haven't been to many showings like this!). Of particular interest to me since I have worn glasses for a long time but now am also getting into acting, was whether Jonathan found his glasses an obstacle to getting parts. Like so many of us, he finds contact lenses to be very much of a pain to wear, and so prefers to keep the glasses. Sometimes he's requested to go without, but it sounded like that hasn't really been an obstacle to his success. There was a cake there with his photo on it, and when everyone went up to get some cake and drinks, they cut him the piece that had his photo on it. I was nearer to the cake cutter than Jonathan himself, but I joked that he'd better be careful when eating the glasses. I think that joke got passed on to him because I DID notice that when he received the piece of cake he gave a laugh and smile when he saw it as the lady handed it to him while saying something.

Oh yeah, on that train of thought I should mention that When Zachary Beaver Came To Town has a really fun scene with Jonathan holding contact lenses. Contact lenses vs. glasses are actually very cleverly used in the film scenario to represent the degree to which his character feels close to, or distant from, his mother and what she wants for him. Just one of the many, many elements worked into the film's sophisticated script! That is definitely a film where you'll watch it multiple times and keep noticing new things in it each time! Finally, just before shifting toward the second, 7:00pm showing, I was able to have Jonathan sign my film festival program, which I'd also had signed by John Schultz.

The second showing had a couple of questions beforehand, which Jonathan answered for the audience...

The second showing proceeded. I don't think Jonathan and the others stayed during that showing (my guess is that they needed to get some food by that point...food beyond cake and pop, and that was the only real chance to get some) but Jonathan and his mother reappeared after the second showing, where the autograph table had been set up in the hallway. At the time I left, he was still there with lots of young fans around the table, giving autographs.