Many issues have risen about the casting in Hollywood. From casting directors putting actors and actresses in roles racially not suited for them to the huge age gaps in some of the leading romances. Well, we’ve come here to say, not all book-to-film adaptations have to be horrible.
We always have to remember what goes on behind the scenes (i.e. contracts between agents and production companies). What we do know is a couple of films have released recently where casting was great and changes were obviously made to make the film adaptation to fit the two hour mark and not six hours and thirty-two minutes. We have yet to see Crazy Rich Asians (which has dominated the rom-com category opening weekend) but in the meantime, let’s discuss the other East-meets-West, Netflix production: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han.
Now, you’ll never find an adaptation that will include every detail of the book’s original content. And of course, this novel-based film won’t be excluded from that category. One of the biggest issues in casting that has been obvious for many years (yeah, we aren’t talking just in the last decade, we’re talking since the Golden Age of Hollywood) has been casting the wrong race. Authors, if you’re trying to sell the film rights to your book (as a literary agency, we know how it can be), we know you want the best of the best for your book baby. Don’t forget to bring up your stipulations with your agent. Draw the line with production because if they can’t properly cast YOUR characters, they don’t need your idea on their list of things ‘to-do.’ We know; we want our authors’ work to be best represented by whoever chooses to publish the work.
Shout out to Jenny Han for standing up for her main character being cast as an Asian-American actress and staying true to the main plot of the story. 👍