Audiences could also be used to seeing Angourie Rice on the large and small display in tasks such because the 2023 reboot movie of Imply Women, Mare of Easttown and Apple TV+’s The Final Factor He Instructed Me. However the actress is able to add creator to her resume together with her debut novel, Caught Up and Silly, printed by Candlewick Press.
Co-writing the e-book alongside her mom, award profitable playwright Kate Rice, the mother-daughter authors provide a contemporary retelling of Delight and Prejudice. The story facilities on protagonist Lily, the novel’s Elizabeth Bennett, whose plans to have a enjoyable summer season on the seaside get derailed when Hollywood actor Dorian Khan (their Mr. Darcy) involves city, alongside together with his entourage of film star pals.
“We needed to discover the thought of why has this story caught round? Why can we frequently reference Elizabeth and Darcy as this form of unique enemies-to-lovers couple? Why can we hold telling this story? And in our e-book, we needed to replicate the timelessness of the story as properly, and form of carry within the components that Jane Austen picked up on in her society which can be nonetheless so related to the way in which that we work together at the moment,” Angourie Rice tells The Hollywood Reporter.
“There’s this explicit male character in Delight and Prejudice known as Mr. Wickham, who lately, could be in jail. He principally seduces and runs away with underage women, which is against the law and in Jane Austen’s time, he completely will get away with that,” Kate Rice provides. “We didn’t need to replicate a world the place males get away with stuff like that. We needed to replicate a world the place the place you get held accountable for that habits.”
Following its Could 6 launch, the e-book was not too long ago chosen as Reese’s Book Club summer YA pick. “We have been so overjoyed,” Angourie says of receiving the information of their e-book being chosen.
Amid the e-book’s launch and choice as a Reese’s Guide Membership choose, Angourie and Kate Rice chat with THR about modernizing the Jane Austen basic, adaptation hopes and Angourie teases a “very thrilling” second season of The Final Factor He Instructed Me.
When did the thought to even write a e-book occur and so that you can each staff as much as write one?
ANGOURIE RICE This actually started for the each of us throughout COVID in 2020. I used to be re-watching and rereading all of my favourite issues, and it was Delight and Prejudice, Clueless and Bridget Jones’s Diary. And I went to Kate, and I mentioned, “Are you able to write a up to date model of Delight and Prejudice? I actually need to learn it.” And he or she mentioned, “Let’s do it collectively.” And also you’d [looks to Kate] been fascinated with doing one thing like this for a very long time.
KATE RICE I needed to write down concerning the daughters of the unique sisters in Delight and Prejudice, as a result of I used to be all the time intrigued to consider what occurs subsequent with these sisters. I needed to essentially discover what’s it about this story, why can we hold coming again to it? What’s it that we’ve inherited culturally and thru our households that makes us nonetheless need to come again to this story. So I had an thought to do one thing with that, and I had the title Caught Up and Silly, and nothing occurred. Simply went nowhere. And so I simply left it. And when Angourie got here to me, I used to be like, hmm, she needs to do it. Let’s do it collectively!
This e-book is a younger grownup style. Why did you determine to write down a YA story versus grownup?
KATE Really, that’s an attention-grabbing query, as a result of we didn’t significantly write it for the style. We wrote it the way in which we needed to write down it and I’ve had this expertise earlier than, writing for youngsters, or older, however actually the work tells you who the work needs to go to, slightly than us beginning and going, “We need to write for this viewers.” I don’t actually see it as a piece only for younger folks, and I actually hope that their dad and mom get to learn it as properly.
ANGOURIE I used to be pondering rather a lot concerning the viewers whereas writing it. Like what are the conventions of this age group or for this viewers. Kate would remind me, “Simply write it for us and we’re simply going to place it on the market and see who’s .” And clearly it’s a story about younger folks, so we needed the story to attraction to younger folks. It’s additionally a narrative about younger folks and their dad and mom and that’s us. However I do love the YA literary age vary, and I believe it’s additionally such a brand new factor that form of began within the ‘60s, this form of style of novels for youngsters.
This e-book was additionally impressed by Delight and Prejudice and a contemporary retelling of that basic. What was it about that one which impressed you and made you need to write your personal fashionable take? What did you need to implement from the basic into this and what have been stuff you needed to possibly change in your story? What was your collective imaginative and prescient for this?
KATE I believe there have been two issues we actually needed to ensure have been in there. One is that there’s this explicit male character in Delight and Prejudice known as Mr. Wickham, who lately, could be in jail. He principally seduces and runs away with underage women, which is against the law and in Jane Austen’s time, he completely will get away with that. He will get off scot free. In actual fact, he’s in a reasonably good place by the top of the novel in comparison with the place he’s in the beginning. We didn’t need that to occur. We didn’t need to replicate a world the place males get away with stuff like that. We needed to replicate a world the place the place you get held accountable for that habits and that girls don’t. Ladies don’t get the message continuously that that is one thing that simply occurs. This can be a pressure of nature. It’s one thing that we will all collectively as a society say that’s not okay.
ANGOURIE We needed to discover the thought of why has this story caught round? Why can we frequently reference Elizabeth and Darcy as this form of unique enemies to lovers couple? Why can we hold telling this story, and in our e-book, we needed to replicate the timelessness of the story as properly, and form of carry within the components that Jane Austen picked up on in her society which can be nonetheless so related to the way in which that we work together at the moment; These emotions of embarrassment and awkwardness and cringiness and being embarrassed by your dad and mom and feeling uncomfortable when somebody asks you out and also you don’t need to say sure, all of those. I believe she [Austen] actually picked up on these emotions and feelings which can be so timeless, and we needed to replicate that in our e-book as properly.
One of many novel’s most important characters is a Hollywood actor. Given you each have expertise within the leisure business, how did that affect the story and character? Was there something you particularly needed to include out of your experiences or get throughout to readers?
ANGOURIE Our model of Mr. Darcy is a Hollywood actor, and that felt like a really pure adaptation for 2 causes. One is that Mr. Darcy in Delight and Prejudice is younger and rich and well-known, and the equal of that at the moment is celebrities. And likewise as a result of we’ve got that have of being in Hollywood and observing that and being part of it, I believe what we needed to usher in to that dialog was concepts of labor and success and what which means, and this concept that pure expertise will all the time rise to the highest. We’d like to imagine that’s true on a regular basis, however actually it’s a mixture of laborious work, luck, being in the appropriate place on the proper time, [and] privilege performs into it as properly. The character Darian, he form of has a really particular thought of his place and energy and privateness. And Lily is available in and may be very discerning, and she or he actually needs to know him for who he’s, and she or he challenges him as properly on what he believes is necessary and proper.
KATE As a author, I imagine it’s not simply write what you recognize. It’s write about one thing that you may carry all of your self to. There’s a cause we inform tales. We have now one thing to say about them, and this can be a story that we might carry our expertise to. We selected to very intentionally discern it in worlds that we knew intimately. The world the place a lot of the e-book is ready is predicated on the seaside neighborhood that we go to each summer season after which the Hollywood stuff is predicated on our experiences that we’ve had. Angourie in the midst of it, and me as a spy (Laughs.)
Writing a e-book generally is a dedication and a problem in itself however given you might be each used to telling a narrative by means of one other artwork type, on this case with performing and being a playwright, what was it like now having to craft a narrative in e-book type? How did you’re feeling your common strategies of storytelling helped with writing a e-book for the primary time? How was it completely different for you?
KATE I believe we each have good, robust understanding of story and character. The place we could have struggled a bit extra was with craft prose as a result of we have been each way more snug with dialog. We fortunately had the genius of Jane Austen to information us. So each time we have been in hassle, we’re like, what did Jane do? And he or she is aware of what she’s doing.
Would you ever need to have this e-book be tailored for display?
ANGOURIE I imply, it might be great if that occurred. Fingers crossed!
Angourie, would you need to star within the adaptation?
ANGOURIE Yeah! I like Lily as a personality. We began the novel in 2020, after I was 19. So I used to be principally the identical age as Lily after I was writing her. So that may be an incredible alternative.
Angourie, you hose a podcast known as The Community Library, which presents literary dialogue and evaluation. Given you discuss tales, now having written a e-book does it offer you a brand new perspective and alter the way in which you consider them or the books you’re studying that you simply wouldn’t have thought earlier than?
ANGOURIE For certain! I believe the primary factor that I discovered whereas writing, particularly with writing an adaptation with something, is it’s about drawback fixing. You may have an thought, and also you need to see that concept by means of and you then simply come up towards all of those questions of, does this make sense? If this occurs, then this must occur. It’s form of determining an equation in a method. And now, after I learn books, I do form of have that perspective of what are the issues that I might see arising with this concept, and the way did the creator deal with these issues? I believe actually good writers discover methods the place their story, nevertheless unbelievable or unrealistic it might appear, simply reads as if it might occur to anybody. There’s an actual artwork to that.
I think about scripting this collectively was a bonding expertise on your each. What did you each take away out of your expertise of working collectively on this? Something you possibly need to take with you and apply to your different artwork whether or not it’s performing or writing performs?
KATE It has been such a optimistic expertise. Angourie actually helped me keep optimistic and centered and assured. I spent many, a few years being a author to a really, very tiny viewers, and feeling unhappy about it, and pondering, “Oh, my work’s not that nice.” So it’s been great to work with Angourie and have the encouragement to maintain going and be assured within the work that we’ve produced.
ANGOURIE I’ve had a lot enjoyable having one thing collectively as grown ups and inventive folks. Clearly, our complete lives are spent as mom and daughter, and we additionally spent a very good portion of my life being like youngster actor and chaperone. To come back collectively as equals to do one thing is actually great, and it’s very nice to share that.
Do you propose on writing extra books whether or not it’s collectively or individually?
KATE Sure to each! Clearly, I’ve received different stuff happening as properly, and so does Angourie. So yeah, we’re going to proceed to work collectively and aside.
ANGOURIE I believe we’re exploring extra tales to inform for younger audiences. Though, as we mentioned earlier than, we need to write for everybody, however we’re positively exploring tales with most important characters who’re in that form of 17, 18, 19-year previous area. In order that’s what we’re taking a look at. We simply hope if folks love Caught Up and Silly, then we’ve got extra tales to inform that they’ll hopefully take pleasure in as properly.
This e-book was not too long ago chosen because the YA choose for Reese Witherspoon’s e-book membership. Congrats! What was it like receiving that information?
ANGOURIE Big!
KATE Wonderful! It was delivered to us as a shock.
ANGOURIE We have been so overjoyed.
KATE What’s superb is that Reese has arrange this whole firm that’s about elevating girls and ladies’s voices, and it’s simply thrilling to be a part of that.
Now Angourie you will have had roles in massive tasks with one being The Final Factor He Instructed Me. I, in fact, should ask you concerning the second season. Is there something you’ll be able to tease on what followers can count on for the second season and what’s to come back on your character?
ANGOURIE Season two may be very thrilling. We’ve received some nice new forged members who’ve been added to season two, together with Judy Greer. I’m excited for audiences to see our characters come again and see acquainted faces however there are some incredible new storylines in there, new characters. I had a very nice time. What I’ll say is really one of many best issues about engaged on that present is the folks, not simply our forged, but in addition the artistic staff, the manufacturing staff, the crew. I’ve had members of the crew come to our e-book occasions in L.A. and it means the world to me. And I actually do love all of these folks a lot. So I’m excited for folks to see all of the laborious work that everybody put into making season two.
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Caught Up and Silly is on the market now.