ROBIN'S FULL INTERVIEW WITH COLLEEN HOOVER!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Our next Yes is an American author who didn't start
writing until her thirties. Less than ten years later, her
books held six of the top ten spots on the
New York Times bestseller list. Now one of those books,
It Ends with Us, has been turned into a movie
starring Blake Lively.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
We all have an idea of what life can be.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
That special connection you feel, that first kiss for fifteen seconds,
that's all it teakes.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
To completely change.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Everything Today, Robin and Kit welcome Colleen Hoover.

Speaker 4 (00:44):
Hey, Colleen, lovely to chat to you.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
You do tell me?

Speaker 4 (00:49):
I watched the film yesterday and I was a big
fan of yours and have read lots of your books
way before it became a film, and.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
It ooh, thank you.

Speaker 4 (00:58):
Well, it's sitting with me like I feel like it's
like a blanket that I'm sort of wrapped in and
I'm trying to get my head around it. It's so
personal to you. What do you think of the film?

Speaker 3 (01:10):
Oh my gosh, I'm not gonna lie. I was so nervous,
and you know when this started happening because this book
is so important to me, probably the most personal book
I've written out of all of mine, and so I
just wanted them to do justice to the book for
the readers, and I truly feel like they did. I
feel like it captures those same emotions and the same

(01:32):
you know, heart of the book, and so I am
I'm super excited for this release. I really am happy
with how it turned out. I think the actors did
such a phenomenal job.

Speaker 4 (01:44):
Did you have any say, I know you're an executive
producer and so is Blake Lively. Did you have any
say in the casting because as a writer, you know,
you allow your readers to really get their own head
around what the character would look like. So to then
have to put someone up on screen, everyone's going to
have an opinion.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
Oh yeah, No, it was really difficult for me, just
in the sense that I see more of a personality
when I write, Like usually when I turn in my
books for edit, the editors come back and say, we
need a description, Like, you didn't describe this character at all.
So when when readers and even in this process just
seeing who they you know, envisioned for the role, it

(02:25):
was all extremely you know, interesting to me. But then
when they told me that Blake was going to play Lily,
I was I was so excited, Like, I think she
did such a phenomenal job, and I think she's such
a good actress, and I've been a huge fan of
her work. So yeah, I feel like, you know, there
were a lot of opinions about, you know, the cast,
but also to me, that's just a testament of how

(02:47):
passionate readers are for the books that they love, and
it was a compliment to me.

Speaker 4 (02:53):
So it as you said, this is a very personal
book to you. It's based on a lot of it
is based on your own personal experience. So did Blake
spend a life of time trying to get into your head?

Speaker 3 (03:02):
No? Actually, Blake and I didn't really start interacting and
working on this together until most of the filming was done.
But man, she understood the role. She knew exactly what
she needed to bring to it. She's so talented, Like
I would have felt awkward, you know, even trying to
give her advice because she's so good at what she does.
I wouldn't have changed a thing even if I had

(03:23):
the opportunity. Like I was blown away by her performance.

Speaker 4 (03:28):
The big difference, I guess too, is that she's thirteen
years older than Lily was in the book that is
quite a significant change in the film. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:38):
When I wrote the book, a genre called new adult
was really popular, and that was what I was contracted
to write with my publishers.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
And they were all like.

Speaker 3 (03:46):
Characters in their formative years, their college years, early twenties,
and so most of my books around those years all dealt.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
With twenty year olds, and.

Speaker 3 (03:55):
And I always, you know, even writing a book, wanted
to age her up, especially Ryle, I think between twenty
nine and thirty one when the story took place, so
his character not so much. But yeah, definitely with Lily,
especially on film, seeing you have the young teenage years
as opposed to the more mature years, Like I felt
there needed to be more of a gap between you know,

(04:17):
the past and the present ages, and there wasn't that
gap in the book. So I almost felt like it
was a way to correct what I felt like I
had done differently when writing the book, which is, you know,
kind of a fun thing to be able to do
so many years later with the film is go back
and change a few things that you wish could be different,
and that was one of them. So I personally was

(04:38):
so happy with that change.

Speaker 4 (04:40):
Can I ask you you have three sons. I'm a
single mother of three sons and their dad suicided and
I am very, very grateful that he didn't take us
with him, so I had my own experiences. What do
you tell your sons about domestic violence?

Speaker 2 (04:57):
You know, We've always.

Speaker 3 (04:58):
Been just a very open family. I've always had such
upfront and open conversations with them and their whole lives.
The number one thing that I instilled in them, more
than education or you know, goals or anything, was kindness.
Like I was like, I don't care what you grow
up to be, I just need.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
You to be a kind human.

Speaker 3 (05:19):
That, to me, is the most important thing that you
can teach young men is.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
How to treat people well.

Speaker 3 (05:27):
And I feel like we did a good job with that,
and I'm very proud of him. And it was really, really,
you know, kind of a heartwarming, full circle moment to
be able to watch this film with.

Speaker 4 (05:36):
Them, Colleen, I know this is a tough question, but
how do you think we can stop domestic violence?

Speaker 3 (05:43):
You know, I really don't know that the answer to
that question. I wish I could ask my dad about it.
You know, he passed away about eighteen years ago, and
he was actually you know, very open about the experience
he had with my mother. I actually learned about the
domestic violence, not from her, but from him when he

(06:03):
would talk to me about the regrets he had in life.

Speaker 2 (06:06):
So I like to believe that people are capable of changing,
and men can learn from other men in.

Speaker 3 (06:12):
A perfect world, that is true, and that you know,
maybe this book and this film can help be a
part of that.

Speaker 2 (06:20):
You know, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (06:21):
Take take your men to see it, and hopefully it
will have a positive impact on how they treat the
people in their lives.

Speaker 4 (06:28):
That's what I hope. I hope that men it may
not on paper be a film that they would want
to see, but they should go with their partners. You
leave it so that it begins with us. Just feels
like I want to click on that movie. Has that
been signed off on? Are we going to see that?

Speaker 2 (06:44):
I hope?

Speaker 3 (06:44):
So, I mean we you know, we've been so focused
on this one. We have it taken that next step
to talk about what comes next. But I would be
absolutely on board if the cast wanted to, you know,
meet again and do this all over again.

Speaker 2 (06:57):
So I think that's a decison they have to make.

Speaker 3 (07:01):
You know, as the author I'd be like, of course,
let's do it, but just depend on their schedules and
if everything can align perfectly, that would be great.

Speaker 4 (07:10):
Well, it's a wonderful movie. I'm being wound up. Colleen.
Thank you so much for your time, and thank you
so much for your words. They are life changing.

Speaker 2 (07:19):
Thank you so much. I was good talking to you.

Speaker 4 (07:21):
Bye.