Regretting You stars preview the film's surprising levity, tears, and shocking secrets in first l...

The cast and crew take EW behind the scenes on the set of the romantic drama based on the Colleen Hoover bestseller, which is set for release Oct. 24. Regrettin

The cast and crew take EW behind the scenes on the set of the romantic drama based on the Colleen Hoover bestseller, which is set for release Oct. 24.

Regretting You stars preview the film's surprising levity, tears, and shocking secrets in first look (exclusive)

The cast and crew take EW behind the scenes on the set of the romantic drama based on the Colleen Hoover bestseller, which is set for release Oct. 24.

By Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff is a writer at with over a decade of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry. After graduating with honors from the University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em, Horns!), Lauren wrote about film, television, awards season, music, and more for the likes of The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood, Us Weekly, Awards Circuit, and others before landing at EW in May 2019.

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Published on July 31, 2025 11:00AM EDT

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Mckenna Grace as Clara, Dave Franco as Jonah, and Allison Williams as Morgan in 'Regretting You'. Credit:

Jessica Miglio/Paramount

- Stars Allison Williams, Dave Franco, Scott Eastwood, and Willa Fitzgerald, director Josh Boone, and producers Brunson Green and Flavia Viotti take EW behind the scenes on the set of the romantic drama, set for release on Oct. 24.

- See exclusive first look images of the cast, including Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames, in pivotal moments from the film, which is based on the novel by Colleen Hoover.

- Plus, the stars and creatives tease surprising improv moments, changes from book to screen, and Easter eggs to the Hoover-verse in the movie.

On an overcast day in April, Allison Williams, Dave Franco, Scott Eastwood, and Willa Fitzgerald are shuffling in and out of a kitchen, preparing to film a scene for their new movie *Regretting You*, the latest big-screen adaptation of a Colleen Hoover bestseller.

They're gathered to celebrate the birthday of Morgan Grant (Williams) at her family home, a red brick house on a lake in Atlanta, Ga.. Out back, there's a swing set, dock, and charming gazebo — the picture of suburban bliss. But as fans of the novel will know, chaos is just around the corner.

In attendance are Morgan's sister, Jenny (Fitzgerald); Jenny's boyfriend, Jonah (Franco); and Morgan's husband, Chris (Eastwood). Morgan and Chris' daughter, Clara (Mckenna Grace), is running late from rehearsal, which might be code for spending time with her crush, Miller (Mason Thames).

Having grown up together, the group has a long history that is explored via flashbacks (of which Franco jokes to EW: "We are letting our hair do a lot of the heavy lifting, but we're also definitely going to lean a bit on CGI to get rid of some wrinkles.") But this scene is one of the first times we see the four together as adults.

It's also one of the last — a fatal car crash is about to end the lives of two family members, unlocking a series of shocking secrets, lies, and regrets.

Allison Williams and Scott Eastwood play married couple Morgan and Chris Grant in 'Regretting You'.

Jessica Miglio/Paramount

The scene, which * *is on set to observe, doesn't involve a ton of dialogue, besides Jenny revealing to Morgan that she and Jonah plan to marry. But the party is practically dripping with the unsaid, rife with tiny, furtive glances and pregnant pauses.

Fitzgerald says this is precisely the "golden egg" they're going for. She hopes it's a moment fans will revisit to pick up breadcrumbs they might've missed the first time. "I think that's always the hope in a scene, that there's a ton of stuff going on that's not being said, that you're just living and experiencing and hopefully revealing to the audience," she says.

Franco, meanwhile, is thrilled to be playing a character he describes as "pretty pure-hearted and to a fault sometimes — he is always trying to do the right thing, even if it goes against what his heart is telling him."

Allison Williams' Morgan and Dave Franco's Jonah share a moment in 'Regretting You'.

Jessica Miglio/Paramount

The actor, who can currently be seen in the body horror film *Together*, adds with a laugh, "I usually play either villains or very morally corrupt characters, which is also very fun, but it's nice to play a character that is hopefully a little bit closer to who I am in real life. That's been really, really fun to not start in a place where I feel like I've dug a hole for myself, and I'm trying to plead and beg audiences to relate to me and understand where I'm coming from. I can now start in a good place where audiences will hopefully be on board with me from the get-go."

Eastwood is similarly pleased to play a character close to his own heart. Oblivious to the silent conversation going on between the sisters, Chris pops into the scene to offer everyone a beer. Eastwood jokes that his character "is kind of just like a beer-drinking dude, which I like because I can relate to, because I *am* a beer-drinking dude. So that part is the most fun for me."

Still, he was drawn to the project for its exploration of life's gray areas. "I think it's an interesting examination of what would happen if you ended up with the person you were with from high school, and maybe that isn't exactly who you're supposed to end up with, if you're kind of stuck to make that work by proxy of a child," he says.

"We as humans grow so much between high school, and I'm 40 now, so it's like, okay, if I were to think about the person I was with in high school, that would be crazy," adds the actor. "Maybe it would be amazing, but most likely probably not. So I think that is an interesting examination."

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Despite the tension bubbling beneath the surface, Williams couldn't resist bringing some of her improv background to bear. The *Girls* alum admits she's dying to make a comedy after the *M3GAN* movies and now this. "My whole nervous system and my tear ducts really need the levity," she says.

"But as you may see in this scene, in every scene, I cannot resist the urge to punctuate these scenes with improv that can never end up in the movie because it's a PG-13 movie and I swear like a sailor," she adds. "But given that my only formal training is improv comedy, it's just sort of the crutch I rely on every once in a while, and when a scene has just kind of reached its end and we're all just standing there, I can't help myself."

Producers Brunson Green and Flavia Viotti reveal that, unbeknownst to them during the casting process, Williams was actually Hoover's first choice to play Morgan. While they admit her improv surprised them, they now say it fits perfectly with the vibe of the film they're going for.

"One of the things that I like to do in my films, and [*Regretting You* director] Josh Boone likes to do also, is that it's just like real life where you have drama, but also there's comedy," Green says. "There's laughs, right? When something bad happens, five seconds later, something funny in life happens. And I think that Josh has done such a great job of finding that balance."

Mason Thames' Miller and Mckenna Grace's Clara cuddle up on a movie date in 'Regretting You'.

Jessica Miglio/Paramount

While Colleen Hoover is known for her dramatic — sometimes traumatic — romances, Green says this adaptation will take a slightly different approach. "We've sprinkled in a lot more humor in this," he explains. "I think it's a lot more accessible to wider audiences than just your typical Hoover-verse."

This revelation may come as a surprise to fans of Hoover's 2019 book, which is firmly in the romantic drama category. But don't worry, CoHorts hive, Green and Viotti promise the heart of the novel remains intact in the film, which Susan McMartin adapted. "I think we try to keep as close to the book as possible," Viotti says. "We know Colleen Hoover has a strong fan base, and we don't want to disappoint them. But I don't think fans will be disappointed."

Viotti also teases that the central, budding romance between Miller and Clara will blow audiences away. "I think one interesting thing that we've been seeing in the film is how the love story between Clara and Miller flourishes — maybe even more than in the book. It's been interesting to see how Mckenna and Mason brought life to these characters. And I think the romance fans are going to *love* this couple."**

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For eagle-eyed fans, the producers promise there are also several Easter eggs to the bestselling author and her work. "There are little things sprinkled in there," Green says. "She does have her own cult following in a way that you want to make a nod and a wink to say that you appreciate that they're checking out the film."

Boone, who cites Cameron Crowe as one of his inspirations, says he tried to make a "more condensed" version of the novel without making any massive changes. The director, who previously helmed *The Fault in Our Stars*, likens the process to his first film, 2012's *Stuck in Love*, in that it "bounces between the adult story and the coming-of-age kid story."

Dave Franco as Jonah, Allison Williams as Morgan, and McKenna Grace as Clara in 'Regretting You'.

Jessica Miglio/Paramount

"I'd say it's a romantic drama, one that has levity and humor," he says. "You'll laugh the whole time as well as cry, hopefully, all that. But it's in the same ballpark as *Stuck in Love* and *The Fault in Our Stars*, very much in my wheelhouse."

He's also thrilled to be bringing that wheelhouse to theaters in an age of streaming. "There are so few movies that come out in theaters nowadays that aren't big spectacle movies, and it seems really special to get a grounded human drama in a movie theater that's great for moms and daughters to go see together," Boone says.

Williams, an avid reader who immediately "loved" and "identified with" Morgan, says she understands fans who might be protective of the story and its characters, but promises, "Josh's track record with book adaptations is such that people can feel pretty confident that this is in good hands. This is in the hands of someone who really understands what it means to, I think, successfully adapt a book that's beloved with characters that feel really specific and that people felt really, really connected to."

Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald) at a birthday party in 'Regretting You'.

Jessica Miglio/Paramount

Like her director, Williams also has specific hopes for the audience when they see the film. "I hope [it] will remind people of what they loved about the book. And I hope it'll do the thing that has happened to me when I see book adaptations of books that I love, which is that after I see the movie, I would reread the book. I want to stay in that world a little bit longer."

*Regretting You* hits theaters Oct. 24.**

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