14 Days of Swooon
Julia Stiles & Her ‘Wish You Were Here’ Cast Take Us From Page to Screen (VIDEO)
An entire generation grew up watching Julia Stiles as the romantic lead in classic teen movies. Now, she’s stepping behind the camera. Stiles makes her directorial debut with Wish You Were Here, a film adaptation of Renée Carlino’s bestselling novel.
For Day 7 of our 14 Days of Swooon, we’re putting the spotlight on the adaptation and how Stiles and stars Isabelle Fuhrman and Mena Massoud brought Carlino’s words to life — from the page to the big screen.
“I picked it up and fell in love with it and had a huge visceral reaction to it and could so see it as a movie,” Stiles said of Wish You Were Here. She had been looking for something to direct, and the book gave her the “confidence to say, OK, this is the story to tell.”
Lionsgate / Everett Collection
The story follows Charlotte when she meets the intriguing Adam. They have a magical night together, and Charlotte believes this is the beginning of a life-altering romance. When Adam’s tune changes the next morning, Charlotte is left confused and hurt.
However, Charlotte soon learns that Adam has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Charlotte refuses to walk away from Adam. She recognizes this connection is once in a lifetime. Their love story blooms despite the challenges.
Stiles began working on Wish You Were Here while filming Orphan: First Kill, which also starred Fuhrman. That’s when they first crossed paths. Stiles praised Fuhrman’s performance in the film and knew she’d make a great Charlotte. “I could also see that she was an incredible workhorse, very dedicated in every single scene every day and had such stamina, which I needed for Wish You Were Here. So I was very excited when she read the script and and jumped on board.”
Fuhrman added, “I felt really grateful that you thought of me because it’s just not the kind of role that I had ever done before. You said to me on the phone, ‘I would really love for people to see you in a movie like this.’ I think that’s because you understand as an actress that it’s very easy to get kind of stuck in a lane in this industry where people see you as one thing.”
Lionsgate / Everett Collection
Fuhrman “grew up” watching Stiles “in these kinds of films” and “felt so excited to be a part of it and also to tell the story of choosing love and choosing to be with someone in their hardest time and and also making the most of the time that you have with somebody that you love.”
Massoud read Carlino’s book in two days when he learned about the project. “When I read the script, I loved it, and I wanted to go on that journey that Adam goes on,” he continued. “I think it was challenging as an actor to do that, and I always like to be challenged.”
Stiles consulted Carlino about the adaptation of her novel. “She was really, really trusting of me and generous with her book,” Stiles revealed. Carlino had written a screenplay when she signed on, but Stiles also took a pass at the script.
The movie soon “took on a life of its own,” Stiles said, and there were “departures from the book that I had to make for the sake of our film.” Carlino trusted Stiles with her work. “She said you have to make it your own, and I’m grateful to her for that,” Stiles revealed. After seeing a director’s cut of the film, Carlino gave Stiles her blessing.
While there are changes from book to screen, Stiles kept a lot of Carlino’s dialogue in the film, especially Seth’s touching line about soulmates: “I think we have soulmates, but I think we can have more than one.”
When working on the screenplay, Stiles would go back to Carlino’s book for inspiration. “I always had that as a template,” she explained. “There were things that had grabbed me initially that I just had to mine and pull out.”
Stiles also brought up a specific moment in the book — Charlotte and Adam’s first night together — that was almost word-for-word in the film. “Renee is so good at writing these moments and lines that meditate on love and life and death in such a poetic way, so that was what I wanted to preserve,” Stiles said.
The 10 Things I Hate About You alum’s favorite line comes at the very end through Adam’s letter to Seth, Charlotte’s new husband.
“‘I hope you know how lucky you are’ kills me, and it is literally my favorite line. Obviously, I ended the movie with it, but to me, it is like a love letter to women everywhere and something that young women need to hear.”
Wish You Were Here, Available VOD Now
