Greg Heffley

Gregory "Greg" Heffley is a fictional character in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise, serving as the antiheroic main protagonist and unreliable narrator of the books, online series, and multimedia franchise. He was created by Jeff Kinney, and portrayed by Zachary Gordon and Jason Drucker in the first three films and the fourth film, respectively.^[10][11]

Characteristics and role

Greg was originally conceptualized in early 1998, after creator Jeff Kinney struggled to become a newspaper cartoonist.^[12] Greg is obsessed with his social status, but is bullied by the bigger students at his school and his older teenage brother, Rodrick. He often mistreats his best and only friend, Rowley, for being wimpy and socially inept, despite Rowley having generally good social relationships and a happy family and life. Greg receives bad grades in school, is addicted to video games, especially the fictional Twisted Wizard, and loves junk food. Despite these negative traits, he does show humanity, sensitivity, and care for those he loves.^[13][14][15]

Because of these qualities, internet users began to question if Greg was a sociopath. Jeff Kinney stated:^[16]

Greg is recording his life at a time when he shouldn't be recording. It's right when he's not a fully formed person, and I think that people that give Greg a label are sort of missing the joke. Right off the bat, Greg says, "One day when I'm rich and famous, I won't have time to answer people's stupid questions." Whatever that is – I'm not sure how you label that – it's misguided. It's a little bit cocksure. But I don't think it's anything worse than that.

Kinney, on separate occasions, has also clarified that Greg is supposed to represent an average and normal selfish middle schooler.^[17] Kinney never intended to write books for children, which is why Greg is a complicated and flawed character.^[12] Kinney has also denied the sociopath theories stating he always saw Greg as an "accurate kid" and people who give him that distinction are "missing the joke".^[18][16]

Film appearances

In the original trilogy of the film series adaptations, Greg was portrayed by actor Zachary Gordon.^[10] In the film adaptation of The Long Haul however, Greg was instead portrayed by Jason Drucker.^[11] After the film series was given a reboot during the acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Greg was voiced by Brady Noon in the animated adaptation of the first book and its sequel.^[19] He was voiced by Wesley Kimmel in the third animated film.^[20]

Reception

Due to Greg's narcissistic and selfish traits, some parents have questioned whether Greg's depiction has a negative influence on children.^[21][17] In 2008, Jewish publication Aish called the character "totally diabolical" and that parents should avoid the series at all costs.^[22] In Texas in October 2018, Greg's bad morals and pessimistic world view challenged the book to be banned by some school districts.^[23] Tidy Books wrote that Greg never learned from his lessons and rarely gets punished or gives sincere apologies, and that the writing is too subtle for kids to realize that he is doing the wrong thing and is an unreliable narrator.^[24] Some, such as reviewer Declan Rowles, have criticized the disapproval against the character, stating that the series doesn't glorify Greg's behavior and the majority of children understand that.^[25]

His film counterpart was given similar reception as Rotten Tomatoes has said that Greg is an "unlikable protagonist".^[26] Margaret Pomeranz disliked the character of Greg Heffley, saying "I really thought he was unpleasant. I did not want to spend time with him. I couldn't wait for the end of this film."^[27] However, reception to the character improved since the first film and in her review of the Dog Days film, Abby West of Entertainment Weekly wrote that "though often self-centered and conniving, Greg remains a likeable kid".^[28]

Greg's character has also garnered widespread acclaim for his relatability and anti-hero status.^[29] In a review, Sebastian Hall for Cherwell remarked that Greg embodied the disillusionment and irony characteristic of modern comic heroes. Hall argued that Greg's self-delusion and hubris, such as his attempts to belittle Rowley Jefferson or his misguided pursuit of popularity, is central to the series' humor. He compares Greg's struggles with contemporary issues, like technology clashes and commercialism, to literary figures like Adrian Mole and Gordon Comstock, portraying him as a voice of modern frustrations.^[30]

Notes

1. ^ This was a predecessor to the original book, published on Funbrain.^[31]

References

1. ^ "Theater review: New version of 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical' from Children's Theatre is relentlessly entertaining". Twin Cities. 2022-05-01. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
2. ^ Cristi, A. A. "Cast and Creative Team Announced For DIARY OF A WIMPY KID The Musical". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
3. ^ "What Excites the Cast of 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid the Musical' | Children's Theatre Company". childrenstheatre.org. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
4. ^ Dunkelberger, Rob (2022-05-23). "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical at The Children's Theatre Company". The Stages of MN. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
5. ^ Tribune, Rohan Preston Star (May 12, 2022). "'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' gets on its feet again". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
6. ^ Cejer, Autumn (2021-12-04). "Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2021 Cast Guide: What The Actors Look Like". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
7. ^ Monaghan, Jeremiah (2021-12-03). "Brady Noon on Bringing Greg Heffley to Life in 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' - Exclusive Interview". DiscussingFilm. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
8. ^ Halls, Kiara (2021-12-09). "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Star Explains His Take on Greg Heffley". CBR. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
9. ^ [1]
10. ^ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days - In Theaters August 3". diaryofawimpykidmovie.com. Archived July 31, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
11. ^ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul: 20th Century Studios Family". 20th Century Studios. Archived October 2, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
12. ^ Saba, Shrestha (2020-05-09). "Jeff Kinney on how Greg Heffley happened". www.telegraphindia.com. Archived 2022-09-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
13. ^ Beukeboom, Kathryn (2021-09-14). "Becoming a wimpy man". The Strand. Archived 2022-09-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
14. ^ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Character List". SparkNotes. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
15. ^ Iyer, Ram (2017-01-07). "I write about situations most kids can relate to, says author Jeff Kinney". Hindustan Times. Archived 2022-09-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
16. ^ Colangelo, B. J. (2021-12-07). "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid's Creator Says Greg Isn't A Sociopath, He's Just A 12-Year-Old". SlashFilm.com. Archived 2022-09-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
17. ^ Whitehouse, Beth (2009-02-04). "Talking with wimpy kid author Jeff Kinney - U.S. News - News". Catholic Online. Archived 2024-12-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
18. ^ Thapa, Shaurya (May 10, 2023). "Is Greg Heffley a Sociopath? Diary of a Wimpy Kid Creatives Weigh in". Screen Rant. Archived May 10, 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
19. ^ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Official Trailer - IGN Video", October 19, 2021, archived 2022-05-15 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2021-10-19
20. ^ "The Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever Cast". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived 17 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
21. ^ "Some Parents Wary Of 'Wimpy Kid' Series". NPR.org. 2008-10-22. Archived 2022-09-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
22. ^ Burnham, Rabbi Leiby (2009-10-28). "Diary of a Wimpy Writer". aish.com. Archived 2022-09-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
23. ^ Dellinger, Hannah & Serrano, Alejandro (2022-03-17). "Texas has seen a surge in requests to pull books from schools. Here are Houston's numbers so far". Houston Chronicle. Archived 2022-09-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
24. ^ Newbold, Ian (2013-01-10). "Should you be reading to children, even if book characters are bad ?". Official Tidy Books UK Store. Archived 2022-09-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
25. ^ Rowles, Declan (20 January 2023). "How 'Diary of the Wimpy Kid' Is like 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'". Pajiba. Archived 14 February 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
26. ^ "Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Archived September 19, 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
27. ^ David Stratton, Margaret Pomeranz (29 September 2010). "29 September 2010". At the Movies. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
28. ^ West, Abby (10 August 2012). "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived 18 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
29. ^ "Ten years ago, Jeff Kinney created a new kind of comic hero". The Washington Post. 26 April 2017. Archived 26 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
30. ^ Hall, Sebastian (8 March 2024). "Greg Heffley: A Hero of Our Time". Cherwell. Archived 13 June 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
31. ^ Kramer, Katie (October 31, 2015). "'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' goes from cartoonist to author". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-09-21.