'If I Stay' author Gayle Forman discusses the movie adaptation of her YA book
'Stay' follows a teenage cellist, Mia, who must decide whether to die or move forward with life after becoming injured in a car accident.
'Stay' follows a teenage cellist, Mia, who must decide whether to die or move forward with life after becoming injured in a car accident.
The movie adaptation of Gayle Forman鈥檚 young adult bestseller 鈥淚f I Stay鈥� will be released on Aug. 15.
鈥淪tay鈥� was originally published in 2009 and centers on teenager Mia, who is a cellist and in a relationship with rebellious musician Adam. When she and her family are in a car accident, Mia must decide whether to die or make the choice to continue living. Forman released a sequel, 鈥淲here She Went,鈥� in 2011.
The movie adaptation stars 鈥淐arrie鈥� actress Chloe Grace Moretz as Mia, Jamie Blackley of 鈥淭he Fifth Estate鈥� as Adam, actress Mireille Enos of 鈥淭he Killing鈥� as Mia鈥檚 mother Kat, and actor Stacy Keach, who has appeared in such projects as 鈥淣ebraska鈥� and 鈥淧lanes,鈥� as Mia鈥檚 grandfather.
Forman, who is an executive producer for the movie, recently told the website SheKnows that she believes authors are getting more and more involved in the film adaptations of their books.
鈥淚t seems like the day of giving a writer a check and saying, 'See you at the premiere,' is over," she said. "I think increasingly producers and directors are understanding that there's value in having the writer involved.鈥�
She said bringing the actors that are involved with the movie on board was when she knew the film was headed in the direction she wanted.聽
鈥淚t was really the casting that was the moment of, 'Oh wow, they really get it,'鈥� Forman said.聽
The author said that one particular theme in the book is expressed even better through a film.
鈥淵ou can't write a cello sonata on the page,鈥� Forman said. 鈥淵ou can't write the energy of a rock show on the page, the same way and with the same kind of visceral, sensory, all-encompassing feeling that you can when you see it on the screen and you can, sort of, see it and hear it. It's so different because music is such a huge part of this book that I think that that really is kind of a game changer in terms of how the film elevates the book.鈥�
Meanwhile, Moretz herself recently shared some of her favorite books with USA Today.
鈥淚 love聽鈥榃uthering Heights,鈥� 鈥楾he Bell Jar,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚 prefer paperback.鈥澛�