“I’m just so proud of this film”

Blake Lively promised that the film adaptation of It ends with us will satisfy even the most die-hard fans of the author Colleen Hoover.

“Some people always like a book more than a movie and some people like a movie more than the book. But I think we just did our best to honor the book and the fans and, I think, really create something that works on its own as well,” Lively said. Entertainment tonight on Friday, June 14, at Book Bonanza, a book fair founded by Hoover and her sisters Lin and Murphy.

“There are a lot of different things you want to do with this story,” Lively said. “I’m just so proud of this film. I’m just so proud to be here and share it with Colleen and the fans. It’s just so special. It was a huge honor to take on Lily and I’m so proud.”

Lively will play alongside him Justin Baldoni In It ends with usthe film adaptation of Hoover’s 2016 romance novel of the same name. Lively plays Lily, whose life is turned upside down when her first love Atlas (Brandon Sklenar), returns to disrupt her life and her new relationship.

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“If you don’t know the book, the movie works,” Lively said ET“I don’t think it’s possible that if you read the book and saw the movie you wouldn’t be thrilled. We worked really hard on that. I also don’t think you would think, ‘Wait a minute, that’s not like (the other one).’ You can do both. I think they’re both really beautiful.”

Lively added that the connection with the fans was “the most important part” of the film.

“Colleen has such a loyal fan base. She self-published her stories initially, so it’s the fans that really drove the success of her stories,” Lively said. “She wrote stories that resonated with people, and she didn’t use all the traditional means that people use. She reached out directly to the people she spoke to, and they reached out in droves. This story resonated with so many people, it’s a huge responsibility.”

She added: “You want to honor this book and this character that people love so much, but you also want to give it life and humanity that is true to your personality.”

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Hoover announced in January 2023 that It ends with us Lively and Baldoni would star as Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid, with Baldoni also directing. In conversation with ET Joined by Lively on Saturday, Hoover shared her belief that “this adaptation is so true to the book” that fans will love it either way.

“This is the book that means the most to me. I’ve tried to get other books adapted, but it hasn’t quite worked out. I’ve been praying for four or five years now that this would work out, so it means so much to me,” Hoover said. “This book is the one that means the most to me, so to see it on the screen is meaningful. I saw it for the first time with my mother, who was the inspiration for the story, so I can’t put into words how incredible this whole experience is.”

It ends with us will be in theaters on August 9th.