Why playing lead roles in adaptation of ‘unfilmable’ novel was not enough for Felicity Jones and Shailene Woodley
It’s a book that the author felt was “unfilmable” due to its different time strands.
But both Shailene Woodley and Felicity Jones were so taken with the adaptation of The Last Letter From Your Lover that they chose not just to star in the film, but to work on it as executive producers as well.
Now Jojo Moyes’ story of two love affairs, decades apart, is being released in cinemas and its stars have told Sky News why they wanted to get so involved on the project.
UK actress Felicity Jones (L) also executive produces her latest film. Pic: Studio Canal
“Any producer role, I think the main job – take out the day-to-day bits – is to protect the integrity of the story that you’re telling and to protect the creative people involved and to make sure that it doesn’t go off the rails any which way,” explained Woodley.
“For me, it has felt very important to be involved in that way, because as much as we as actors care about our characters, we really care about the stories that we’re telling and we care about the entire plot line as a whole.
“So it feels really like an honour to be a producer in a way, because you are there making sure that everything is protected – and it also feels a lot more fun because there’s other creative elements that you get to bring into the project.”
US star Shailene Woodley (L) also served as an executive producer on The Last Letter From Your Lover. Pic: Studio Canal
Felicity Jones, who plays a journalist in the modern-day strand of the movie, said while it was a natural transition to become a producer, it’s a role she’s really valued.
“When you’re playing leads, you do tend to get more involved in the development side of things and you have a lot more input in the script and tend to get a little bit more involved in the behind the scenes stuff, so it did feel like quite a natural evolution to formalise what had been happening already,” she said.
“It’s a really special experience when you’re with a team where you feel listened to – we were both able to see the edit of the film and have an opinion on that, and were really listened to in the making of this film, which you sort of get used to and want that to continue on everything that you do.”
Woodley plays Jennifer Stirling. Pic: Studio Canal
The book the story is based on first came out in 2008, and like so many of Moyes’ novels it won a legion of fans.
The best-selling author also worked on the movie, which should bring comfort to those concerned about seeing how the characters they love on the page have been brought to life on the screen.
Jones said she is all too aware of the weight of expectation from those who love the book.
“I have such empathy when you read something and then you see it and you think, ‘Oh, no, that’s so disappointing’,” she said.
“But Jojo Moyes was so closely involved in this film throughout its entirety, so it felt like we had her blessing, and what you seek to do is capture the essence of those characters and the book.
“There are definitely some changes that have happened, but essentially you want to get ‘what did Jojo want by writing that book?’ And it does feel, hopefully, that the film has achieved that.”
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While Jones’ character is set in modern-day London, Woodley’s narrative plays out in the 1960s.
The separate timelines meant Jones and Woodley – who are promoting the film together – didn’t actually spend much time with one another during production.
“It is funny, we would see each other very rarely on set, there would be a little bit of crossover or maybe we’d be leaving and entering a costume fitting at around the same time, and in a sense it was a bummer because I’ve wanted to work with Felicity for a really long time and I hope one day we have the opportunity to do that,” Woodley said.
“And at any given moment, it’s left a lot of mystery to this project because I myself have been excited to see what Felicity and Nabhaan [Rizwan who plays Jones’ character’s love interest] brought to their storyline and how they created that dynamic.
“And it’s funny when that happens in films, I think there’s an assumption if any given actors are in a project together that they got to spend a lot of time together, but I mean, we maybe had a few days at most when we saw each other.”
But despite not filming together, there does seem to be a genuine affection between the pair as Jones chips in with “It wasn’t enough, it wasn’t enough – there’s more to come!”
The Last Letter From Your Lover is out in cinemas on 6 August.
A judge has warned Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s lawyers to stop publicly discussing their competing lawsuits.
Both actors – who co-starred in 2024’s It Ends With Us – have filed lawsuits against each other following an initial legal complaint from Lively.
The 37-year-old accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of the film – and an alleged subsequent plan to damage her reputation.
Baldoni then sued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of hijacking both the production and marketing of the film, as well as allegedly attempting to smear him and others who worked on the production through false allegations.
New York district court judge Lewis J Liman has scheduled a trial date combining the two claims for March 2026 – but warned both parties on Monday that their comments to the media could impact their cases.
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Why is Blake Lively suing Justin Baldoni?
Lively’s lawyer Michael Gottlieb complained that Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman violated professional ethics rules for lawyers by accusing the actress of “bullying” in People magazine.
He told a hearing at Manhattan federal court that “it’s very hard to un-ring the bell” and argued such statements could taint a jury pool.
But Mr Freedman complained “this has not been a one-way street”, and claimed his comments to the magazine and on a podcast were a response to a New York Times article from 21 December that “completely devastated” Baldoni.
Judge Liman has now adopted a state rule barring most out-of-court statements that could affect a case’s outcome – with an exception to protect clients from prejudicial adverse publicity. Neither lawyer objected.
Lively’s legal team have previously accused Mr Freedman in a court filing of trying to influence potential jurors by creating a website to release selected documents and communications between her and Baldoni.
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In late December, Lively sued Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios and others in New York for sexual harassment and attacks on her reputation, asking for unspecified damages.
Baldoni then filed his lawsuit in January, accusing Lively and her husband, Deadpool star and Wrexham FC co-owner Reynolds, of defamation and extortion. He is seeking at least $400m (£321m) in damages.
The actor also sued The New York Times newspaper for libel after it published allegations about him.
Lively starred in the 2005 film The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants before rising to fame in the TV series Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2012. She is also known for films including The Town and The Shallows.
Baldoni is known for the TV comedy series Jane The Virgin and for directing the 2019 film Five Feet Apart. He also wrote Man Enough – a book pushing back against traditional notions of masculinity.
Actor and comedian Brian Murphy has died aged 92.
Best known for his role in the 1970s sitcoms Man About The House and George And Mildred, news of his passing was shared by his wife Hi-de-Hi! actress Linda Regan.
Posting a picture of her kissing her husband, she said: “My love for you will never die. RIP sweetheart.”
Brian Murphy. Pic:Jonathan Hordle/Shutterstock
Murphy first came to prominence playing landlord George Roper in Man About The House, starring alongside the late Yootha Joyce.
The show began in 1973 and was considered controversial for the time because it featured two single women living with a man.
When it ended in 1976, Murphy and Joyce starred in the spin-off, George And Mildred, which ran for five series until 1979.
He also starred as Alvin Smedley in Last Of The Summer Wine.
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Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce at Heathrow Airport leaving for New Zealand for a ten-week tour of the stage version of their show.
Pic: PA
Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce in George And Mildred.
Pic: ITV/Shutterstock
Born on the Isle of Wight, Murphy was a member of the Theatre Workshop, founded by Joan Littlewood, and was a jobbing actor before appearing in TV shows including Z-Cars.
In 1993, he starred in the first major stage version of the HG Wells science fiction classic The Invisible Man.
More recently, Murphy appeared in TV shows including the BBC’s Holby City and ITV’s Benidorm.
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