Book-to-screen adaptations, especially YA love stories, are gaining more attention these days. And we understand why. They are stories filled with angst, drama, and all the romance we crave. While it can be exciting to see some of our favorites get the big-screen treatment, we have no illusion that it’s also quite daunting for the actors who will portray the characters we’ve grown to love on those pages. For Maia Reficco and Fernando Lindez, stars of The Last Sunrise, this seemed to be quite the opposite.
Based on the book of the same name by Anna Todd, The Last Sunrise is a story about a young American woman living with a chronic illness. She finds unexpected romance with a charismatic local during her summer in Majorca. Forcing her to weigh her heart’s desires against family obligations and her planned return home.
Fangirlish had the opportunity to sit down with Reficco and Lindez. We talk about what it was like stepping into the shoes of characters fans of Todd’s book have grown to love. As soon as Maia began to give us her answer, we could see how much she loved working on this project and how much she cares about the character of Oriah “Ry,” who she plays in the film.
More: Anna Todd Has A New Book And TV Series In The Works
“I found it very exciting and honestly, to be completely fair, I think it’s always so rich as an actor to have more subject matter to pull from. And I think that was my biggest thing. Obviously, you always want to honor the book and the fans of the book. So there is that added pressure. But sometimes it’s better to not even think about it because when you operate from a place of fear, it usually doesn’t really translate into the best of outcomes.”
We understand exactly what Maia is saying. The thing is, you cannot please everyone; you can only do the best you can at bringing a character to life. All the outside noise has to be shut out in some ways because if the pressure from the fans seeps in, then that can ultimately make it harder to deliver the story in a real and meaningful way.
Fernando also seemed to agree when he shared his take on bringing Julian to life.
“Since the very first day, everything came in a very natural way. We didn’t think that much of being super loyal to the book. There are some similarities, there are some differences…but we tried our best.”
More: Is Anna Todd’s ‘The Last Sunrise’ Film Getting A Sequel?
And that is all we can ask for as fans. And we know the fans are going to fall in love with both because they did do an amazing job. During our chat, we also asked how Maia prepared to play a character dealing with a chronic illness and the importance of her doing it with care, as it is something close to Anna Todd’s heart. To hear her answer, check out the rest of our interview below.
This seems to be a powerful and sexy story that is about courage, several challenges that exist today that are personal, social and political in nature and include or touch on topics like about personal development and finding meaning and reasons to live, a reckoning on human vulnerability as well economic inequality/corruption/land and commercial development and econological and cultural preservation.
As in much GOOD storytelling content, also woven in is the human need to risk sharing our personal (health, economic) challenges with each other. And the look at the elements that make up a respectful, yet playful and sexy romantic relationship and the fun, honest, young and sexy dialogue amongst admirable, open and beautifully human and courageous people of all ages — as they explore their personal path and learn to live courageous while facing health, economic, and even spiritual/emotional or livelihood challenges.
The words ‘respect, honesty, courage and Truth’ keep coming up for me after watching this film – amidst this obviously sexy and appealing group of young and experienced actors — and the stunning location of Majorca. There is a competent creative team: with strong and appealing direction, music, casting, and cinematography, too.
Bravo all around! :))
Looking forward to part 2 and possibly 3. Congratulations –& thank you for the humanity, artistic expression, and social values woven throughout here.