Mila Kunis has explained why the ending of her new Netflix film Luckiest Girl Alive has been changed from what happened in the original book. You can see the trailer for the new film below:
The novel was written by Jessica Knoll, who has also been involved with the making of the new film as well.
It tells the story of Ani – played by Kunis – who is attempting to put her life back together after a number of traumatising events in her adolescent years.
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Most of that hasn’t changed at all, but there is a bit at the end that has been tweaked slightly.
You see, in the book things just sort of end in a fairly understated fashion, but in the retold screen version Ani’s character ends up writing for the New York Times Magazine, telling others about the problems of her past.
It’s not that far from the truth, too.
After writing the book, Knoll did actually write a piece about how the book was a bit more revealing and autobiographical than she would have originally liked.
So, the ending has been altered slightly, but Kunis and Knoll had to work hard to keep their changes in after a number of test audiences didn’t react well to it.
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Knoll explained: "When Mila came on, there were several conversations about how the ending wasn't quite landing.
"At some point I do remember saying how when I wrote my essay for [Lena Dunham’s publication] Lenny Letter that I was just inundated with messages from women sharing their stories, and that unlocked something in us where we were like, maybe there's a way to use that to shape our ending."
She added: "It's very meta that it's a fictional story, a fictional character, but there are even more elements that are inspired by my real life.
“I like that we looked at the year that followed me writing the book and writing my essay, and the reaction to it and going on a TV show to talk about it.
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“I liked that we embedded that into the movie because I think it makes for a more epic journey that Ani goes on."
Even though some audiences and screenings were wowed by what they’d come up with in the end, both women were determined to keep the changes as they believe it is an important part of the narrative arc.
Kunis said: "I know the ending is polarising, which is what I think makes this movie so interesting. It's not cookie-cutter, and not everybody experiences this movie the same way.
"So many people had such a different experience while watching the same piece of content, including the ending.
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“A lot of people didn't like it, but I fought so hard for it to stay in.
“I'm really glad that we won this fight because it's so powerful."
Luckiest Girl Alive is available to watch on Netflix now.
Topics: Celebrity, TV and Film, Netflix
Tom Wood