Blake Lively is reassuring passionate It Ends With Us book fans that she believes they will love the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s beloved book.
The actress, who plays Lily Bloom, spoke to Entertainment Tonight on Friday about the movie, which Justin Baldoni also directed and starred in.
“Some people will always like a book better than a movie and some people like a movie better than the book, but I think that we just did our best to honor the book and honor the fans, and, I think, really make something that works even by itself,” Lively explained.
“If you don’t know the book, the movie works,” she continued. “I don’t think there’s any way that if you read the book and you saw the movie that you wouldn’t be thrilled. We really worked hard on that,” she added. “I also believe if you saw the movie and then read the book, you wouldn’t go, ‘Hold on, this isn’t like [the other].’ You can do either. I think they’re both really beautiful.”
The movie, which hits theaters Aug. 9, follows Lily Bloom, who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new chapter, following her dreams. Along the way, she meets charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni), but as their connection grows deeper, Lily starts to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents’ relationship. And life gets even more confusing for Lily when her first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), suddenly reenters her life.
The Gossip Girl alum added that “the most important part” of the film is connecting with fans, some of whom have been dedicated to Hoover since the beginning.
“This story resonated with so many people, so there’s a great responsibility that comes with that,” Lively said of It Ends With Us. “You want to honor this book and this character that people love so much, but you also want to bring a life and a humanity to it that is true to who you are. It’s a lot of different things that you want to accomplish in this story.”
“I’m just so proud of this film,” she continued. “I’m just so proud to be here and sharing it with Colleen and the fans. It’s just really special. It was a great honor to take on Lily, and I’m so proud.”
At the Tribeca Festival earlier this week, Christy Hall, who penned the script, also spoke briefly with The Hollywood Reporter about the upcoming film.
“I have to say we all worked very hard to do that beautiful book justice,” she said. “And I really do believe in my heart that the fans are going to feel respected and taken care of and deeply loved because everyone who made that movie was just as passionate about that book as they are.”