Inside ‘The Good Lie’ with Margaret Nagle, Arnold Oceng, and Kuoth Wiel

The Good Lie Cast Interview
EMMANUEL JAL as Paul, KUOTH WIEL as Abital, GER DUANY as Jeremiah and ARNOLD OCENG as Mamere in the drama “The Good Lie,” a presentation of Alcon Entertainment, Imagine Entertainment and Black Label Media, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. (Photo ©2014 BLACK LABEL MEDIA, LLC)

Writer Margaret Nagle’s journey to bring The Good Lie to the screen took 11 years, yet the film’s release in October 2014 couldn’t be more timely. Nagle extensively researched the Lost Boys of Sudan and the desperate conditions that have led to two million men, women, and children being displaced by civil war. Hundreds of thousands of refugees live in camps and while the story that unfolds in The Good Lie starring Arnold Oceng, Kuoth Wiel, Emmanuel Jal, and Ger Duany centers around one very specific ‘family’, all involved hope moviegoers will take an interest in the conditions in Sudan and seek out ways to help those in need.

In conjunction with the release of the film, the Good Lie Fund has been launched to assist in getting donations to support UNICEF’s relief programs in Sudan. On October 1, 2014, The Good Life Fund, UNICEF, and other charitable organizations will be holding a Thunderclap on social media to get the word out.


Margaret Nagle and actors Arnold Oceng and Kuoth Wiel have been on the road visiting cities in support of The Good Lie, discussing the film and keeping the topic of Sudan front and center. And strange as it sounds, while Nagle was working on getting producers on board for the film it was even suggested that she move the story out of Sudan. Another potential backer wanted her to remove one of the critical scenes because it was too depressing, but Nagle stuck to her guns. She wrote 42 drafts total, however the finished film is very close to her first draft thanks to the support of producers who understood Nagle’s vision and to director Philippe Falardeau’s connection with the material.

In our exclusive interview, writer Nagle and actors Oceng and Wiel talked about the responsibility of getting the story right, reactions to the film from Sudanese refugees, and why 2014 is the perfect time for The Good Lie to open in theaters: