Colleen Hoover addresses backlash about ‘It Ends With Us’ casting: ‘I messed up’

Colleen Hoover is "extremely happy" with the movie adaptation of "It Ends With Us," and hopes her fans will be, too.

In conversation with Jenna Bush Hager at Book Bonanza, Hoover's annual book festival held in Grapevine, Texas, on June 23, the author shared details about her anticipated book-to-screen adaptation in front of a live audience.

"It Ends With Us" is one of Hoover's many chart-topping books. Dealing with domestic abuse and the cycle of violence, Hoover has said the book was inspired by her mom.

Lily is a florist who grew up with an abusive father and is drawn to an abusive relationship with Ryle Kincaid, a surgeon. Atlas Corrigan, her childhood love, offers her an alternative and a potential escape.

Hoover says she went into the movie process "a little blind" and was delayed arriving at the set in New Jersey.

"I got a stomach virus the day I was supposed to have a cameo, so that was fun," she tells Jenna.

She described herself as a "realist" and not an optimist, and said her expectation was that the movie would be a "failure" as a result. By then, Hoover had also already seen the initial online backlash (“people upset about outfits, and what not,” she summarized).

Instead, she was "blown away" by what she saw on set: "I got to see the footage they filmed thus far. I'm not a crier. I know that I write emotional books but I'm not an emotional person. And I cried so much on set."

For anyone worried about what's to come, Hoover reassured fans that the movie they want is the movie they'll be getting.

"You guys are going to be so happy. I'm extremely happy and now my expectations are up and I'm going to keep them there," she said.

Below, she addressed a few of the other controversies surrounding the upcoming film adaptation.

Hoover says Lily and Ryle's ages in the movie are 'her fault'

The casting of Blake Lively as Lily Bloom, the 23-year-old redhead protagonist, generated conversation among fans — some who supported the decision, some who believed she, at 35, was too old to play the part.

Similarly, Ryle is 30 in the book; Justin Baldoni, who plays him, is 39.

Hoover explained why Lily is so young in the books — and why she insisted on aging the characters up for the movie.

"Back when I wrote 'It Ends With Us,' the new adult (genre) was very popular. You were writing college-age characters. That's what I was contracted to do. I made Lily very young. I didn't now that neurosurgeons went to school for 50 years. There's not a 20-something neurosurgeon," she says.

Making the movie provided an opportunity to correct her mistake.

"As I started making this movie, I'm like, we need to age them out, because I messed up," she said. "So that's my fault."

Hoover's reaction to Lively's casting

Despite some fan backlash, Hoover is "extremely happy with the casting" of Lively and Baldoni.

Hoover said she's been "obsessed" with Lively since her "Gossip Girl" days. At first, she said she "didn't believe" Lively had said yes to the part after Baldoni, who is also directing and producing the film, told her the news.

"I was like, ''Yeah, okay, that'd be great.' I think (Baldoni) expected (me) to just scream into the phone. But he doesn't realize ... I have not allowed myself to get truly excited because I'm like, something could happen. It's not done filming. Anything could go wrong," she said, laughingly describing herself as a "pessimist."

While writing, she said she rarely visualizes characters, let along casts them as celebrities.

"I don’t really picture characters in my head as I write. It's more of a personality thing. I picture like borders and then who they are inside," she said.

And about those costumes ...

Lively’s outfits as Lily have been lightly, and not so lightly, roasted by fans online.

Lily's style can best be described as disheveled and frankly impossible to predict, wearing camouflage one day, and peekaboo blue boxers layered under patterned brown slouchy pants another. Not to mention all the multi-colored baggy sweaters.

“This feels like a prank,” one TikTok commenter wrote of one of Lively's costumes.

Hoover said she "loves" the conversation the photos generated because it means that everyone "cares." But as a writer, she said her emphasis is never on sartorial choices, only on life choices.

" I don't remember describing outfits at all. I don't care what they have on. In my head, it's about the conversation they're having and the story. It's the same way in the movie," she said.

Hoover also asked her fans to have patience — all will be revealed.

"You've seen a couple of outfits that are completely out of context. I'm not worried about it," she said.

The legacy of 'It Ends With Us'

"It Ends With Us" has made an imprint on the publishing landscape, both from fans and from critics who say the book glorifies abusive relationships.

"I don’t write to educate. I write to entertain," she said.

Hoover said instead of the criticism, she focuses on the impact the book has made on fans' lives, evidenced by the emails she said she continues to receive about it.

"I put my mother's courage and strength into this book. Everything it has inspired people to leave abusive situations is due to her," she said.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com