Blake Lively is starring as Lily Bloom in the adaptation of Collen Hoover's novel, 'It Ends With Us.'
Blake Lively is speaking directly to fans of It Ends With Us. ET's Denny Directo exclusively spoke with the actress on Friday, and she revealed why fans of Collen Hoover's beloved book should be eager for, not nervous about, the upcoming film adaptation she stars in alongside Justin Baldoni.
"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 told ET at Book Bonanza, the book convention Hoover started with her sisters, Lin and Murphy.
"If you don't know the book, the movie works. 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."
Hoover agreed, telling ET, "Readers tend to always want to read the book first. I completely understand that, but I feel like this adaptation has stayed so true to the book that it's actually either or, whatever you prefer. I think that you'll be happy if you watch the movie and then go into the book or vice versa."
The movie and the book follow Lily Bloom's (Lively) volatile relationship with Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni) amid the reappearance of her first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), in her life. The story is based on Hoover's parents' relationship.
"This is the book that means the most with me. I've tried to have other books adapted and it didn't quite go to fruition. I've been praying this would happen for four or five years now, so it just means so much to me," Hoover said. "This book is the one that's personal to me, so to get to see it on screen [is meaningful]. I watched it for the first time with my mother, who inspired the story, so words can't express how amazing this whole experience is."
Knowing that, and knowing the support readers have given Hoover for telling the personal story, Lively said that connecting with fans is "the most important part" of the film.
"Colleen, she has such a dedicated fan base. [She was] self-published initially, so this is somebody who the fans really authored the success of your stories," Lively said. "She wrote stories that resonated with people and didn't go to all the traditional means that people go to. She went directly to the people she was speaking to and they came forward in masses."
Of This Ends With Us specifically, Lively added, "This story resonated with so many people, so there's a great responsibility that comes with that."
"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," she said. "It's a lot of different things that you want to accomplish in this story."
"I'm just so proud of this film," Lively 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."
It Ends With Us will hit theaters Aug. 9.
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