Which Brings Me to You Stars Lucy Hale and Nat Wolff Open Up About the Self-Reflecting Rom-Com
The movie lands in theaters on January 19th.
One of the more enjoyable elements of a romantic comedy is that, while main characters might suffer through conflicts that are hard for them to overcome, audiences can understand both perspectives, as viewers get unique insight into each character's history that these couples are denied. This means that Which Brings Me to You has an unconventional take on the genre, as a key component of the experience is that both lead characters bond by specifically looking back at their old relationships, admitting their own issues and baggage to one another, with this vulnerability bringing them closer. Which Brings Me to You lands in theaters on January 19th.
Which Brings Me to You is described, "Jane (Lucy Hale), a freelance journalist, and Will (Nat Wolff), a photographer, are immediately drawn to each other at a mutual friend's wedding. After the pair sneak off to hook up in the coat room, all signs point to an empty one-night stand. Instead, over the next 24 hours, they share stories of their most embarrassing sexual encounters, first loves, heartbreak, and whirlwind romances, discovering each other through heartwarming, hilarious, and sometimes tragic tales."
"With any project I'm a part of, whatever you're filming, of course you have to relate it to your own life or what you're going through," Hale shared with ComicBook.com about the impact her character's journey had on her. "I think there's so many great messages within this movie, which is that you have to take a look at your past. If you want something in the future, if you want something healthy, sustainable, if you want love, we have to look back at your past and see what your part was in it."
She continued, "And so, of course, that got me thinking about my real life. I've avoided some of it, but I think that we're in such a time in the world where people are going to therapy and having these conversations. I think that this movie is in alignment with where people are at in the world. I think it's so healthy to have these conversations, whether you're in a relationship, in friendships, if you want a relationship, if you're in a new relationship."
Wolff added, "I saw a couple at the end of the SAG screening a couple of nights ago, who said, 'We're going to have some conversations after this movie,' in a way that felt like it was going to be really, maybe, difficult for them, but also healing. I felt, through this process, especially when we brought the script closer to ourselves and made it more personal, I really related to a lot of Will's stories. I related to a lot of Jane's stories, and we've all had different versions of these relationships. I do think, in order to be fully present and mature in your new relationship, you've got to look at your past relationships and the mistakes you made there so you don't make them again."
The film might tonally fall in line with other entries in the genre, but by avoiding the initial love connection, it pivots into some unexpected territory, with Hale reflecting on what made the project so appealing.
"I've read a lot of these scripts and been a part of quite a few of them, and there is a really familiar formula to what makes these movies work, which is why I think people love them and keep going back to them, because you're going to get that happy ending," the actor detailed. "You're going to feel good watching the movie. I think there is something really timeless about this movie, which was something that was very intentional, and so it was definitely that nostalgic feel of When Harry Met Sally and You've Got Mail, all of the Sleepless in Seattle [kinds of movies]. I feel like those movies lean more into the romance element, and I think that this movie has more of that. There is a groundedness to it. There is a humanness to these characters."
She continued, "So I am reading the script and I'm thinking, 'Oh, my God, it's like page seven and they're already together. Where's this going?' And then we get to relive their whole past with them, which is, you don't always get that in a movie like this. We got to play ages 16 to 30. And then it was Nat's idea, when we were discussing the script, to have our characters be a part of the flashbacks, which keeps their love story alive. So I was just like, 'Oh wow. What a fun, unique, fresh way to tell this type of story.'"
Having starred in projects like The Stand and Mortal in recent years, both of which embrace heightened genre elements, Wolff expressed the challenges of such productions as compared to the more grounded nature of Which Brings Me to You.
"I think it's more challenging to do the superhero world because, a lot of times, you're acting with green screen and acting to a tennis ball, and I think people don't get enough credit for that because it is really, really tricky," the actor admitted. "There's something about working with an actress as brilliant as Lucy, where, honestly, it's pretty effortless and it's a dream because my favorite kind of acting is interacting, listening, and playing. It's hard on those bigger movies."
He pointed out, "Talking to actors, a lot of times, they do the bigger movies and they go, 'I can't wait to do a smaller movie.' And then they do it for their soul. It's nice to do a movie like this that felt soul-enriching, but then also it can reach an audience because it is accessible and it is romantic and it does hit a lot of the beats of romantic comedy. But, for some reason, it felt deeper in the script and in our process felt deeper and more true than a lot of the romantic comedies that I've read."
Which Brings Me to You lands in theaters on January 19th.
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