As the company’s first employee It all ends with us After adapting it into a film, writer-producer Kristy Hall knew she still had a long way to go.
After director Justin Baldoni (who developed the film through his Wayfarer Studios company) and writer Colleen Hoover (whose 2016 bestseller inspired the adaptation) asked her to pen the script, Hall immediately immersed herself in In this book and its beloved story.
“I like to do this first, fall in love with every word, fall in love with every moment, fall in love with every line,” she told me hollywood reporter. This is my pickling part.
Christie Hall
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From there, she began working on the script, aiming to stick to the “core story” as much as possible while also being “very strategic and systematic” about what was and wasn’t kept from the book. Additionally, she wanted to make Hoover proud.
It all ends with us Lily (Blake Lively) overcame childhood trauma and started a new life. But after falling in love with neurosurgeon Lyle (Baldoni), she sees a side to him that reminds her of her parents’ abusive relationship. Things become more complicated when someone from her past, Atlas (Brandon Skrennar), reenters her life and Lily must learn to move forward on her own.
Now, years later, with the film finally in theaters, Hall hopes the adaptation will “de-stigmatize domestic violence” and “spark a lot of conversation” around the subject.
“I just think art’s job is to ignite conversations that may be uncomfortable and difficult. But its job is to shine a light on the dark corners of society,” she said. “I really believe art saves lives. I believe this book saves lives. So I really hope this movie continues the legacy that Colleen Hoover herself started.
Below, Hall also works with THR About the pressure on Hoover, fans and everyone involved in the adaptation to “do justice to the book,” her process in writing the script, and why she hopes the film inspires Hollywood to tell more stories of “social need.” The conversation took place before reports emerged of a feud between Lively and Baldoni.
Going back to the beginning, how did you become obsessed with writing screenplays?
my movies dad Came out about six weeks ago [Baldoni]read it as a specification. He also read the adaptation I did for Shawn Levy’s company 21 Laps. He reached out to me and said, “I feel in my bones that you’re the guy for this.” I hadn’t read the book yet, but he said, “Look, read it. You’re going to do this.” And that’s exactly what happened after I read the book, and I loved that she was so vocal about it being inspired by events in her life. Inspirational. I loved that it felt like I was reading a very classic love story and slowly but surely you realize Lily is a boiled frog. I finally called Justin and said if you guys would take me. , that would be my honor.
He set up a Zoom with Colleen and I…and we hit it off right away. There’s a lot of trust there. I was auditioning for her. I told her these were things that I felt we could really keep in the novel, and then things that I thought we could continue to explore. Because it is not a novel but a screenplay, space is limited. It’s a three-act structure – something I was already hinting to her about that I might want to explore in terms of supplementary aspects of the narrative. What follows is something I instinctively think might need to be removed. I basically just arranged it for her. I like to speak very honestly in meetings like it’s my instinct and if it doesn’t feel right for you, no harm, no foul. But I like to be transparent in meetings like this. I was excited by the end of the conversation. It was probably an almost two-hour Zoom session where we just really talked about it and really unpacked it. Finally, she told Wayfarer, “That’s our girl,” so I was excited. I feel like I won the lottery.
Initially, we thought it was going to be a small independent film and maybe “The Traveler” would be sold on the other side. But I firmly believe that if you build it, they will come. So it’s been an incredible journey from writing the script, to Sony being involved, to Black starring, and now it’s grown into something that’s very exciting and humbling.
Knowing that the book and story were loved by so many fans, did you feel any pressure when adapting it into a screenplay?
Not just the fans, but everyone involved. Hundreds of people came together to create a village to film the film. I believe everyone is here for the right reasons. We all wanted to do the book justice because we are all fans. So, yes, I felt pressure from the outside because there were big expectations for the book. But I even felt the pressure inside. I like this book. Colleen chose me and I’d be damned if I let her down.
Can you walk the audience through the process of translating the book’s established story into a screenplay?
I spent months reading it, and then reading it again, and reading it again, completely immersed in the source material until I almost memorized it. And then from there, you have to start thinking about three-act structure, you have to really think about drive, you have to think about midpoints, you have to think about turns. The other complicated thing about this is that it’s a dual timeline, so you have less space if you think about it. There are two stories being told, a past timeline that basically starts when we see Lily waking up and continues until she sees – spoiler alert – Atlas being loaded into an ambulance. And then there’s the current timeline. You have to be extremely strategic and systematic about what works and what doesn’t. I think a lot of it is just sticking to the core story as much as possible.
No decision is made lightly. We want Colleen to personally bless everything because if Colleen isn’t happy, I don’t know what the point is [is].
Knowing there was a heavy subject matter in the story, specifically domestic violence, what preparation and research did you do to help ensure it was portrayed accurately?
I know Wayfair works with a company, I believe it’s called NO MORE, just to make sure that we’re doing it right and that we’re very thoughtful about the decisions that we make. Again, I have a lot of respect that this is not an autobiographical story, but rather inspired by real events in Colleen’s life. So really making her our north star and then working with this organization as well. They read the script and saw the early combinations of edits. I think partnerships are an integral part of that.
Once the film is cast, do you go back and revise the script once you know which actor will play each character?
In fact, I try not to write with an actor in mind. Especially because in Colleen’s novels, her characters are very distinctive and very specific. so [I’m] Just wanted to pay homage to what Colleen created in these characters. I absolutely loved everyone’s performances. I thought Blake’s performance was absolutely perfect. I would have to say Jenny Slater – she’s Alyssa. I mean, when you read the book, she is everything you want her to be. I thought the cast was really good and I felt like those performers really brought out the characters that started with Colleen again. I’m really proud of them for that.
I know you couldn’t be on set due to the writers’ strike that year, but can you talk about your other role as a producer on the project?
I was able to stay deeply involved all the way to my union [Writers Guild of America] A strike was declared. As soon as the strike ended, I was able to participate and comment on edits, I saw very early rallies, and then I was able to get activated again, which was great. So I’m very proud to be a producer on this film and very proud to be a member of the WGA. I regret that I can’t be on set every day, that’s what I’m here for. But I’m also proud to stand with my union.
Now that you’ve been on this journey from the beginning, literally as one of the first employees, what do you hope audiences take away from this film?
I hope it destigmatizes the subject. This can be an uncomfortable subject and I feel like this is often relegated to indie films that talk about domestic abuse. I’m really proud… I have to give a shout out to Sony for putting out a very glossy and commercial movie. There is a lot of wish fulfillment surrounding it. Very beautiful. And it also tackles a thorny subject. So I hope it removes the stigma and I hope it sparks a lot of conversation. I hope victims who see this movie will seek help. I hope abusers who see this movie will seek help too. … I hope it inspires friends of victims to, you know, you don’t have to be forced to help, but you can help and you can provide yourself with a lifeline and a very safe place if the victim is really ready. . I just think the job of art is to ignite conversations that can be uncomfortable and difficult. But its job is to reveal the dark corners of society.
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It all ends with us Currently playing in theaters.
