An Oscar nominee for writing “The Fisher King,” Richard LaGravenese has cultivated an ongoing reputation as a go-to source for cultivated adaptations of that the uncultivated might call “chick-lit,” ranging from “The Horse Whisperer” to “The Bridges of Madison County” to “Water for Elephants.” [We would never put LaGravenese in a “chick lit” corner, since “Beloved” and “The Little Princess” are clearly much more than that.]
With the new teen supernatural romance “Beautiful Creatures,” LaGravenese is working with material which might — again, this would only be a gross generalization — be thought to skew more toward female viewers, but Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s novel stands out in the genre because not only does it have a male protagonist (Alden Ehrenreich’s Ethan), but the story is told from his point of view.
In our conversation a couple weeks back, LaGravenese talked about the difference that comes from a male hero and, in specific, a mortal male hero. LaGravenese, who wrote and directed “Beautiful Creatures,” also discusses his approach to the magical subject matter, which involved keeping even the most unreal of elements somewhat grounded.
Based on the early box office for “Beautiful Creatures,” a sequel doesn’t immediately seem to be in the offing, but LaGravenese sounded eager to stick with the franchise for potential adaptations of Garcia and Stohl’s later novels.
Check out the full interview above…
You can also check out my interviews with “Beautiful Creatures” co-stars Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis and Emmy Rossum and stars Alice Englert & Alden Ehrenreich.
“Beautiful Creatures” is now in theaters.