It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover recently addressed the controversy surrounding the casting of Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in Sony’s adaptation of her bestselling novel. In an interview with Today’s Jenna Bush Hager at Hoover’s Book Bananza festival in Texas, the author shared details about the upcoming adaptation and revealed that the casting choices were her decision.
One of the issues fans have had with the casting is that Lively and Baldoni are older than the characters they portray. In the book, Lily is 23 and Ryle is 30, while Lively is 35 and Baldoni is 39. Hoover explained that she wanted to age up the characters in the movie to correct a mistake she made in the book. She admitted that when she wrote It Ends With Us, the “new adult” genre was popular, and she was contracted to write college-age characters. She mistakenly made Lily very young without realizing the education required to become a neurosurgeon. For the movie, she decided to age the characters to be more accurate.
Despite the backlash, Hoover expressed her happiness with the casting choices. She shared that she has been a fan of Lively since Gossip Girl and couldn’t believe that the actress had agreed to star in the adaptation. Hoover also revealed that she has been obsessed with Lively’s involvement and is cautiously excited about the film.
Hoover also addressed the discussions surrounding Lily’s outfits, which were photographed in New Jersey before production was halted due to a writers strike. She mentioned that she didn’t imagine specific outfits when writing the book but appreciates the conversation the photos have sparked because it shows that people care. Lily’s style in the book is described as disheveled and unpredictable, with her wearing camouflage one day, blue boxers under patterned pants another day, and multicolored baggy sweaters. Hoover clarified that she doesn’t care about the outfits in the movie as it’s more about the conversations and the story. She assured fans that the outfits will make sense in the context of the film.
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It Ends With Us follows the story of Lily after she moves to a new city and falls for Ryle, a neurosurgeon, with whom she has an abusive relationship. Her first love, Atlas, reappears and challenges her new relationship. Despite fan concerns, Hoover believes that the movie will deliver what people want. She had the opportunity to visit the set and saw some footage, which moved her to tears. She shared her excitement and high expectations for the film, assuring fans that they will be happy with the final product.
In conclusion, Colleen Hoover addressed the controversy surrounding the casting of Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in the adaptation of her novel It Ends With Us. She explained her decision to age up the characters in the movie, admitting it was a mistake she made in the book. Despite the backlash, Hoover is happy with the casting choices and had an emotional reaction to the footage she saw from the set. She assured fans that the movie will deliver what they want and that the outfits in the film will make sense in context. Overall, Hoover is excited and hopeful about the adaptation of her bestselling novel.
