We Were Liars Author E. Lockhart, Cast Tease Book-to-Screen Changes
Originally appeared on E! Online
We Were Liars author E. Lockhart is sharing the truth about her new show.
Indeed, as the novelist serves as an executive producer on the new Prime Video series starring Emily Alyn Lind, Shubham Maheshwari, Esther McGregor and Joseph Zada, she was directly involved in adapting the BookTok sensation for TV. For her, that meant guiding creators Julie Plec and Carina Adly Mackenzie towards the moments big and small that she knew would matter most to fans.
'One thing I did was tell them what I knew was most important to my readers,' Lockhart explained to E! News' Francesca Amiker in an exclusive interview. 'For example, Cadence and Gat writing on each other's hands is really important. My readers often come to events with things written on their hands, like the characters in the book.'
After all, while such details aren't critical to the plot—which follows 17-year-old Cadence's return to her family island for the summer years after a mysterious accident—they're crucial to building the world.
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'There were other moments that gave my readers big feelings,' she continued. ' Gat wears an olive hunting jacket that kind of threads through the book. We made sure that he wears that jacket in the show.'
And as the Family of Liars writer—who wrote the show's finale—revealed: one major element hasn't changed from the book.
'The twist is the same,' Lockhart confirmed. 'I can't wait for fans to see this.'
That said, the adaptation does take some creative liberties. The biggest way is in fleshing out the roles of sisters Carrie, Penny, and Bess, the mothers of three of the titular Liars, who are side characters in the novel.
'Each of them has their own storyline,' Lockhart teased, alluding to the elements from her, Family of Liars, added to the script. 'All kinds of sisterly conflict and drama going on.'
And Candice King, who plays Bess, gave a glimpse at what's to come from aspects not borrowed from We Were Liars. 'Bess' motivation comes from this belief that if she can just curate her life perfectly on the outside, then she'll find peace and joy on the inside,' The Vampire Diaries alum noted. 'We really start to see Bess unravel and begin to question the way she's been operating.'
As for the Liars? Well, they are busy navigating their increasingly complicated position within the affluent Sinclair family.
McGregor and Zada—who play cousins Mirren and Johnny—highlighted how the family drama led to some difficult days on set. In fact, Zada, who is set to portray young Haymitch in the upcoming Hunger Games film Sunrise on the Reaping, teased that 'lots of scenes' ended up being emotional to film, especially as they 'fight with their mothers a little bit.'
Echoing his sentiment, McGregor shared, 'Those were some heavy ones.'
'I think it's stuff that a lot of people can relate to,' she continued. 'I definitely related to my character, maybe not necessarily in a relationship with her mother, but just in general. That vulnerability as a 16-year-old and the hurt you feel a lot of the time."
We Were Liars will release June 18 on Prime Video. Lockhart isn't the only novelist whose work is getting the onscreen treatment. Keep reading for more books being turned into movies and TV shows this year and beyond…
Season 3I Know What You Did Last Summer My Oxford YearThe Thursday Murder Club Season 5Regretting YouWicked: For GoodHamnetThe HousemaidReminders of HimSeason 4The HusbandsFive-Star Weekend
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