[on her real-life younger brother, Sean, the inspiration for Charlie, the older brother with autism in
The Black Balloon (2008)] When people talk about autism they often reference
Rain Man (1988), which is one aspect of autism. Sean is very different, and we had the added frustration of him being an elective mute. He was so naughty and so full of life, and we always thought he would be a great character for a film.
