Casting the Movie Version of “Beautiful & Terrible Things”

Happy October! In New England, this is a very special month with warm sun, crisp breezes that leave your cheeks tingling, and of course the start of foliage season. I have two announcements and then will get right into this month’s main topic.

A street near my homeWin Bestsellers

AuthorsXP, a no-frills site that makes it super easy to win free books and access discounted titles, is holding a one-week Bestsellers Giveaway. You might win one free book or if you’re extra lucky, the grand prize of 21 free books! My Beautiful and Terrible Things is one of the prizes, along with Malibu Rising from bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid and Regretting You from Colleen Hoover. Entry is free; you do consent to be added to participating authors’ newsletter lists, but can of course unsubscribe at any time.

The Bestsellers Giveaway ends Monday, Oct. 6, so check it out soon if you’re interested: https://authorsxp.com/giveaway

DARE Giveaway Winner

Speaking of free books, congrats to Rebecca, who won a copy of Mimi Wahlfeldt’s awesome thriller DARE in my recent giveaway. And thanks to all who entered. If you’d like to know more about Mimi’s books, click here.

Casting the Movie Version of “Beautiful & Terrible Things”

I am often asked in interviews who I would cast in a movie version of my contemporary friendship / social justice novel Beautiful and Terrible Things. (Or a limited TV series. Are you listening, Netflix?)

The very diverse group of friends at the heart of the award-winning novel would demand careful casting. So just as I tried to make my characters as authentic as possible through research and help from sensitivity readers, I tried to pick my actors with care too.

Here are the movie stars I would cast for each of the 29-to-31-year-old friends, and why, presented in their order of appearance in the novel as I try not to play favorites…

After each photo, I’m putting a link to their Character Profiles, which reveal details about each character’s personality, hopes and dreams, and role in the novel. The profiles also include an excerpt from the novel so you can get to know the character better.

My Dream Cast of Actors

Charley is a fair-skinned, introverted and superstitious woman with long brown hair. She would be played by Elle Fanning (with her hair dyed brunette), who has the right fragile, ivory-skinned look and even, like Charley, some Irish heritage.

Elle Fanning (Photo: Cosmopolitan)

Read Charley’s character profile here.

Xander is a tousle-haired White guy with a short beard and a slightly long nose. He would be played by a scruffed-up Tom Holland, seen here with a beard. Of course, to play Xander, he’d need longer hair with blonde bits, a shorter beard, and definitely no suit! (Xander lives in jeans and T-shirts.)

Tom Holland

Read Xander’s character profile here.

Terrance is a tall, kind, analytical Black man with a touch of baby face. Actor Michael B. Jordan is a tad older than my Terrance, but he’s got the perfect baby face for the role – just add heavy black-framed glasses and dye his hair blonde. Earrings? Check!

Michael B. Jordan (Photo: Wikipedia)

Read Terrance’s character profile here.

Sunny is a biracial (half-Black, half-Indian), nonbinary character. Actor Amandla Stenberg from The Hate U Give isn’t half-Indian, but she has Sunny’s coloring and almond-shaped eyes and the perfect mix of girlish and gorgeous.

Amandla Stenberg (Photo: Elle)

Read Sunny’s character profile here.

Jessica is a pretty, ambitious CPA with an asymmetrical haircut and olive skin. It’s almost scary how much actor Rachel Zegler from Snow White and the Hunger Games prequel matches my image of Jess, right down to the strong eyebrows and subtle cleft in her chin! Making this assignment even better, Rachel is also of Colombian descent. Cut her hair asymmetrically, add some some subtle highlights and voila – you have Jess!

Rachel Zegler (Photo: NBC News)

Read Jessica’s character profile here.

Buwan, the oldest of the group at 31, is a Filipino-American artist with no day job. He has bronze skin, twinkling eyes and an impish grin. Although a bit tall at 5’11”, Filipino actor Benjamin Alves would be ideal to play Buwan.

Benjamin Alves (Photo: My Drama List)

Read Buwan’s character profile here.

What do you think of my choices? Do you have someone else in mind for my dream cast in a movie? An actor you think would be even better? Let me know in the comments!

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