Bestselling novel 'It Ends With Us' comes to life in highly anticipated film starring Blake Lively
NEW YORK (WABC) -- A beloved bestseller is coming to life with the help of Blake Lively who is back on the big screen and starring in "It Ends With Us."
The movie is the highly anticipated adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel.
In a summer dominated by blockbusters and franchise films, "It Ends With Us" offers a refreshing change of pace -- with this adaptation bringing a deeply personal story to theaters.
Die-hard fans of the book are going to be pleased -- and if you haven't read it, get ready for an emotional ride.
When a book is as beloved as this one is, bringing it to the big screen isn't exactly an easy task.
"It Ends With Us" isn't just any story, it's the sensation that has sold over 8 million copies and spent some 140 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list.
The movie stars Lively as Lily Bloom, a woman navigating a love triangle between her first love and her current.
Lively spoke about the challenge of walking away from this character.
"I mean, I think this one will be hard," she said. "Because I really fell in love with her and I love the people in her life. I love all of them and I think I'm going to have a little bit of sadness when they're gone. They mean so much to me."
The story goes deep as Lily faces the harsh realities of domestic violence, something that Hoover based on her personal life.
"Honestly, the very beginning when I decided to write this book, I did it as a way to step into my mother's shoes and understand her and her journey more," Hoover said. "And so the writing of the book was very cathartic and healing for us. But then the movie has been nothing but a fun experience for us together."
The film also features comedians Jenny Slate and Hasan Minhaj who described the comedians that have inspired them.
Slate spoke of being inspired by Madeline Kahn, as well as Whoopi Goldberg in the 1990 movie "Ghost."
"It was like, OK, she's really funny," Slate said. "She just blew the roof off that role and I just remember watching it being like, what is this? What's that job?"
Minhaj's said he admires Chris Rock and he also sang praises for Slate, who portrays his fiancée in the film.
"The reason why growing up, me and my dad loved watching Lucille Ball was...this idea in comedy that you can't combine elegance and style with comedy, but Ball was all of those things," Minhaj said. "She was glamorous, funny, and could do silly pratfalls and be emotional. And Jenny has that."
Brandon Sklenar appears in the film as Atlas, a flame from Lily's past who reconnects with her and shared why he loved working with Lively.
"She just radiates such warmth and grace and the fact that she's on set, her children are running around. She's literally just gave birth four months before. She's breastfeeding, she's making cookies, she's producing the movie. Her husband's away working. It's the first time they'd been away from each other that long forever," Sklenar. "So I showed up and just saw a woman dealing with all these things. That's awesome. And the fact that she was dealing with all these things and then still just such a beautiful smile every day. So present, so warm. And then as a scene partner, so giving and so present and so connected and just like a ball of light all the time."
"We're just so excited for people to see it," Lively said.
As summer blockbusters fade, "It Ends With Us" is a steamy, thought-provoking standout with the potential to resonate with audiences long after the credits roll.
The movie hits theaters on Friday.
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