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‘Every Year After’ Cast Defends Twist on Percy & Charlie’s Book Secret (VIDEO)
What To Know
- The series adaptation of Every Year After changes a key plot point between Percy, Sam, and Charlie.
- The cast sat down with Swooon to reveal how they feel about the change.
- As Michael Bradway put it, the twist makes the series more rewatchable.
Since Every Year After premiered on June 10, one major twist at the end of the season has been the subject of intense debate amongst readers of Carley Fortune‘s original novel. By this, of course, we are talking about the fact that Charlie had already told Sam about his and Percy’s teenage hookup in the book, but in the series, Sam learns about it for the first time from Percy a decade later.
Ahead of the premiere, Swooon sat down with Sadie Soverall, Matt Cornett, and Michael Bradway to discuss this major shift between the book and the adaptation. Cornett, who plays Sam in the series, immediately chimed in, “Hot take: I like it.”
Cornett explained, “I think that, obviously, for the book, it’s great that Carly wrote it the way she did. What’s so fun about the show, having Sam not knowing, is [that] it creates an explosion that we get to see happen in real time, and we get to see Sam go off the deep end, rather than hearing about it and hearing about him going through his kind of spiral.”
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As the series’ Charlie, Michael Bradway said the twist to the original narrative makes the series more rewatchable. “Now, Percy and [Charlie] and Chantal have this secret that you get to watch. Every time I have a conversation with [Sam], you know that there’s this secret, especially when you watch it back the second time… It’s a very rewatchable type of show, and I think that’s another big reason for that.”
When it comes to Charlie deciding not to tell Sam, Cornett admitted, “I also think that inherently it hurts him a little bit more… It feels like more of a betrayal from Charlie, because Charlie’s the only family he’s really had. Charlie knows more than anybody what Percy means to Sam, and how hard it has been for Sam to not be able to be with Percy and talk to Percy, and how much hurt that’s caused Sam. So, the fact that Charlie’s had 10 years to tell him, and he never did. I think, really, just makes Sam feel like he doesn’t even know his own brother.”
As for Soverall, she said, “I thought it was really interesting. I think it gives Percy more pressure and higher stakes for coming back because there’s this big secret people do not know. And when that gets revealed, it’s like incredibly explosive and heartbreaking, and explodes her world.”
Watch Swooon‘s full interview with the cast of Every Year After above and let us know your take on this major twist in the comments below!
Every Year After, Season 1, Streaming Now, Prime Video
