Taylor Jenkins Reid&#39;s &quot;Forever, Interrupted&quot;

Taylor Jenkins Reid is from Acton, Massachusetts. She graduated from Emerson College in Boston in 2005. She worked in entertainment and education before becoming a writer, and now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Alex, and their dog, Rabbit.

Here Reid dreamcasts an adaptation of her first novel, Forever, Interrupted:

I worked in feature film casting before becoming a writer and while I realize that the jump from “casting assistant” to “novelist” doesn’t seem entirely linear, I think they have a lot of the same elements. Both of the jobs are about creating characters and making them come to life. So the question of who to cast as the characters in my own book is, perhaps, a question I was born to answer.

My main character Elsie was not, in any way, written with Emma Stone in mind but I’m thoroughly convinced that she’d be great. Elsie is funny, thoughtful, and perhaps a bit of a wallflower before Ben comes along. But Ben brings out her confidence and her joie de vivre. We all know Emma Stone is hilarious and down-to-earth but I think Emma has depth we haven’t seen yet. So to me, it would be great casting.

The character of Susan, however, was 100 percent written with Susan Sarandon in mind. First of all, I love Susan Sarandon and could watch her read the newspaper. But also, to me, she is a woman who can play strength and vulnerability like no one else. Even at her most broken, she’s a force to be reckoned with. So for me, Susan = Susan Sarandon.

Eva Mendes would be great as Ana. She has the confidence and the kindness that is necessary.

Mr. Callahan, in my mind, is Hal Holbrook.

And lastly, Ben.

He’s so many men at once but if I had to go with one I’d say James McAvoy. He’s handsome and confident with the ability to be honest, sweet, and silly.

If I learned anything in the casting world, though, it’s that someone with an outside perspective can often see pieces of a character that the writer can’t see. Sometimes, a person who you might never think of for a role is able to bring an extra element to the character that you never knew was there.

So I’m positive there is someone absolutely perfect for each of these roles that I would have never imagined.