Book To Screen
‘Great Big Beautiful Life’ Dream Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Will Harrison & More Picks
[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Emily Henry‘s novel Great Big Beautiful Life.]
THEIR VERSION: Great Big Beautiful Life is Emily Henry’s sixth adult fiction novel.
OUR VERSION: Great Big Beautiful Life is a modern classic in the making.
For lovers of Beach Read‘s heart and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo‘s glamour, Emily Henry’s Great Big Beautiful Life (GBBL) perfectly balances a butterfly-inducing modern love story with decades of Hollywood intrigue, tragedy, and mystery.
Joining Henry’s legion of distinctly realistic leads, Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson are in the running to write a biography about Margaret Ives, a “tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.” On an East Coast island with a small surface area and an even smaller population, the writers theorize that the elusive heiress may be withholding more than she is willing to share.
With People We Meet on Vacation headed to Netflix this year and four other EmHen adaptations on the way, Henry is well on her way to becoming the rom-com book-to-screen queen. We’re certain that Henry’s newest novel is not far behind, so we’ve put together a cast of actors and actresses we’d love to see portray Alice, Hayden, Margaret, and more!
Who’s on your Great Big Beautiful Life dream cast? Comment below with your top picks!
Hailee Steinfeld as Alice Scott
According to those who love her, eternal optimist Alice Scott lives “in a world that’s more interesting than the one most people live in.” EmHen’s newest FMC is effervescent, passionate, and full of spunk. To serve as the beating heart of Great Big Beautiful Life, we’d love to see Hailee Steinfeld (Sinners, Pitch Perfect 2). It’s been a hot second since Steinfeld lived in the rom-com world, and we need to see her make her triumphant return as a member of the EmHen universe.
Will Harrison as Hayden Anderson
While Hayden Anderson may be the grumpy to Alice Scott’s sunshine, she makes it clear that he’s the kind of guy who is “afraid of snakes but not so scared he wouldn’t protect you from one if it came to it.” We would love to see Will Harrison step into the EmHen universe as her newest MMC. We haven’t been able to stop thinking about Harrison since we fell in love with him as Graham Dunne in Daisy Jones & The Six. However, if you ask us what our favorite Will Harrison role is a few years down the line, we hope we’ll get to say “Hayden, Hayden all the time.”
Susan Lucci as Margaret Ives
The subject of Alice and Hayden’s potential biographies is “once-glamorous, nearly legendary” Margaret Ives, the lone heiress of the House of Ives. Formerly known as the Tabloid Princess, Ives has been hiding from the spotlight for years on Little Crescent Island. The second we met Margaret, we knew that All My Children actress and soap icon Susan Lucci was born to play her. The kicker? Lucci has her own biography, La Lucci, on its way!
Gracie Lawrence as Young Margaret Ives
Any form of a Great Big Beautiful Life adaptation would be full of flashbacks, bringing to life Margaret’s depiction of the House of Ives. (Check out our guide to their lineage here!) As a young adult, Margaret was “silly, irreverent, and clumsy,” with a knack for getting attention. To portray young Margaret, The Sex Lives of College Girls actress Gracie Lawrence is our pick. Anyone who’s seen clips of Lawrence’s performance in Just in Time knows she can pull off old Hollywood glamour like no one’s business. Don’t see our vision? Take a look at Susan Lucci and Gracie Lawrence side by side and tell us you don’t see a resemblance.
Joe Keery as Cosmo Sinclair
We couldn’t help but feel inspired by the recent announcement that Stranger Things actress Maya Hawke will be joining the The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping cast, so we’re tapping another Hawkins resident to join our Great Big Beautiful Life dream cast as Cosmo Sinclair. To take on the part of “The Boy Wonder of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” our choice is Joe Keery, a.k.a. “End of the Beginning” singer Djo. We’re certain that, as a duo, Keery and Lawrence would give us a perfect rendition of the couple’s sweeping Hollywood romance and the heartbreaking tragedy that befalls them.
Cailee Spaeny as Laura Ives
Speaking of tragedy, enter Margaret’s “shy and bookish” sister, Laura Ives. While Laura is content reading at home with their grandfather, Margaret convinces her to sneak out for “one perfect night,” leading to the unfortunate headline “Socialite Sisters Cavort at Cosmo’s ‘Rock ‘n’ Brawl’ as Grandfather Dies.” From her hermit days to getting wrapped up in a cult, it’s safe to say Laura and Margaret are not cut from the same cloth. To portray Laura in all her tragic glory, we’re championing Priscilla star Cailee Spaeny, who is certainly no stranger to the age of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Chad Michael Murray as Frederick "Freddy" Ives
Is it really a love story without Chad Michael Murray? Going further back in time, Margaret’s father, Freddy Ives, “was a jealous man” who proposed to his best friend, a female director named Bernie, before they ever kissed. To play the handsome playboy, we’ve gone back to our teen drama days to dream cast Freaky Friday and One Tree Hill star Chad Michael Murray, whose unique brand of charisma is perfect for Freddy Ives.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Doris “Bernie” Bernhardt
The other half of “the derelict playboy and the shrewd lady director” is Doris “Bernie” Bernhardt, a discontented mother who had complicated opinions about cut flowers. We can’t imagine anyone better suited to capture Bernie’s incomparable essence than Fleabag‘s Phoebe Waller-Bridge. If you ask us, Chad Michael Murray and Phoebe Waller-Bridge would be the most perfect dynamic duo no one (besides us) saw coming.
Tramell Tillman as Roy
Consider this our humble plea to get Tramell Tillman in a rom-com ASAP. Ultimately, Freddy and Bernie get a divorce, leading to Bernie’s eventual marriage to Margaret’s stepfather, Roy. While he isn’t an official Ives, Margaret expresses that Roy is what brought their family together. If anyone could bring a family of messy socialites together, it’s everyone’s favorite severed floor manager Tramell Tillman (Severance).
Laura Linney as Jodi
When Alice first meets Jodi and Margaret, she can’t figure out if “the two women are friends, romantic partners, an employer and employee, or mortal enemies who happen to be roommates.” However, over time, we learn that Margaret’s sarcastic housemate Jodi is her niece. As our final addition to the House of Ives, we have Laura Linney, who is best known for her roles in The Big C and Ozark. But Linney doesn’t just look the part, she has the comedic timing and unshakeable confidence needed to bring the role to life.
John Slattery as Captain Cecil Wainwright
Perhaps the most significant piece to the puzzle of the House of Ives is cocktail-toting, bucket hat-wearing Cecil Wainwright. While Alice knows him as the captain of the restaurant Fish Bowl, it turns out Cecil is actually Dr. Cecil Willoughby, the Ives family doctor. To portray Mr. Not-Birthday Party, we’ve tapped John Slattery, best known for his roles in Mad Men and Ted 2
