We chat with best-selling author Jennifer E. Smith about her novel, Love At First Sight, being adapted into a Netflix movie!
Hi, Jennifer! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m the author of many books for all different kinds of readers – adults, young adults, and children. Being a writer is something I’ve dreamed about ever since I was a kid, so I feel incredibly lucky to be doing it now. And even luckier that this book in particular – The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight – has now been turned into a film. It was first optioned all the way back in 2010, so I’ve been waiting a very long time for this moment, and couldn’t be more excited about it.
Your novel has been adapted into a film and it’s releasing September 15th on Netflix! If you could only describe Love At First Sight in five words, what would they be?
Dreamy. Romantic. Emotional. Lovely. Hopeful.
What can viewers expect?
My hope is that viewers will fall in love with Hadley and Oliver; that they’ll potentially laugh and almost certainly cry; that this story will make them think about the ways we move through the world, and how we connect with each other, and that it will leave them feeling hopeful about things like love and fate and timing and serendipity.
Where did the inspiration for the novel, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, come from?
Many years ago now, on a flight from Chicago to Dublin, I was seated next to a man from Ireland. He was reading a book that I loved, and we started chatting, and ended up talking for much of the flight. He was older, and there was nothing romantic about it, but it was nice to meet a kindred spirit, someone who loved books the way I do, and it made the hours pass quickly. When we arrived in Dublin, we walked off the plane together, but we ended up in separate lines for customs, since he was an Irish citizen. We didn’t exactly say goodbye; I think we both thought we’d see each other on the other side, but my line ended up being really slow, and when I finally made it through, he was gone. Afterwards, I just kept thinking how strange it is that you could spend all those hours sitting next to someone, and have this very real connection, and then just never see them again – and that became the spark of inspiration for the book.
The film stars Haley Lu Richardson, Ben Hardy, Jameela Jamil, Rob Delaney, and Sally Phillips. Were you excited to see your characters brought to life?
Absolutely! I still can’t get over how amazing this cast is. I was a fan of each of them before this, so it’s a dream to see them in these roles. The odd thing about having your book turned into a film is that by the time it happens, you’ve spent years walking around with the characters in your head, and then suddenly these incredible actors step in to play them and you can’t remember ever picturing them any other way. That’s what happened with Haley and Ben in particular. They’re both so brilliant and warm and lovely in these roles, and I truly can’t imagine a better Hadley and Oliver. I feel like I won the lottery with this entire cast!
This is your second book to be adapted! What’s the process like and how do you feel about your words heading to the screen?
I still can’t believe this has happened twice, honestly, and I feel so fortunate that I’ve truly loved both adaptations. This one – Love at First Sight – has been especially fun because it feels so close to the book, so I’m hoping readers really love it too. The whole thing was such a wonderful experience, and I’m really grateful to everyone involved. As a novelist, most of your job is sitting alone in a room and making stuff up, so it’s surreal to see how many people it takes, and how much hard work and talent and passion goes into making it all come alive, and I just feel incredibly lucky about all of it.
Do you have a favourite scene that we should keep an eye out for?
It’s so hard to pick just one, because there are so many I love, but there’s a moment between Hadley and Oliver outside the bathrooms on the plane that feels just how I pictured it when I wrote the book, and as many times as I’ve watched it, it still takes my breath away.
What’s next for you?
I’m just finishing up my next novel for adults, which will be out in 2025, and I have a couple more picture books in the pipeline too, including a sequel to my last one, The Creature of Habit.
Lastly, do you have any book, TV, or film recommendations for our readers?
I’m always reading and watching a variety of things at any given moment! Lately, I’ve loved The Summer I Turned Pretty and Never Have I Ever and Daisy Jones and The Bear and Shrinking. And for books, I’m currently reading Rebecca Serle’s newest novel, Expiration Dates, which keeps making me cry, and I also just finished Happy Place by Emily Henry and Yellowface by R.F Kuang, which are two very different kinds of reads, but both very hard to put down. And since he’s in the film, and I admire him so much, I wanted to mention Rob Delaney’s wonderful book, A Heart That Works, which is a memoir about the death of his young son. It is, as you can imagine, completely wrenching, but it’s also profound and tender and moving and funny and vulnerable. It was a privilege to read.
