About a Boy author Nick Hornby penned the screenplay for Brooklyn, starring Saoirse Ronan. Here, he speaks to Hypable about adapting another writer’s novel, and how he changed Colm Toíbín’s story.
Brooklyn, originally a novel by Colm Toíbín, is set in the 1950s New York. It follows a young Irish girl named Eilis (Saoirse Ronan) who journeys to America to find work, and finds herself swept up in a new, foreign culture. She finds comfort with Toby (Emory Cohen), but when an unexpected tragedy brings her back to Ireland, she is torn between her new and her old life. The film also stars Domhnall Gleeson, Julie Walters, Emily Bett Rickards and Eileen O’Higgins.
Related: Brooklyn movie review: Saoirse Ronan shines in coming-of-age drama
At the European premiere of Brooklyn in October, we caught up with screenwriter Nick Hornby and picked his brain about the process of taking another author’s work and adapting it for the big screen.
If you’ve seen the film, you’ll know what he’s talking about — but if you haven’t, don’t worry, because there are no spoilers in this part of the interview:
Speaking about ending the movie at a different point than where Colm Toíbín ended the original story, Hornby says, “In novels you can end on that still-ambiguous moment, but in a movie you need something a little bit more to leave the cinema with.”
On whether main character Eilis (Saoirse Ronan) was ever in control of her own life, he says, “I think that it was very difficult for young women in the 1950s to take control in the way that we expect young women to do now. What the film is about is her finding her own agency.”
Finally, Hornby talks a little bit about his approach to life, and how he strives for reality in all the work that he does.
We also asked for a bit of writing advice, just in time for NaNoWriMo:
“You’ve got to have several things on the go at once,” says Hornby. “It’s no good pinning all your hopes on one and kind of pursuing that into the ground; you’ve got to write one, chuck it out, get on with the next one, and work every day, that’s all.”
Related: Saoirse Ronan reveals dream musical role, talks Brooklyn
If you’ve read Brooklyn, and/or watched the movie, you might also be curious about what Eilis did next.
Don’t worry, because author Colm Toíbín doesn’t just know the answer, he’s also entertaining the idea of writing an epilogue!
(Beware of spoilers for the book and the movie below!)
You can also check out our interview with male lead Emory Cohen, where he talks about his character’s relationship with Eilis, and (briefly) talks about Smash.
‘Brooklyn’ hits select theaters today, November 4!
Brooklyn was directed by John Crowley. Check out a trailer below:
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