Harry Styles, Anne Hathaway's Collarbones, and Me
Updates on my Harry Styles investigation and thoughts from a screening of The Idea of You movie
Hello fellow sleuths and The Idea of You fanatics,
You may recall that last week I announced my investigation into one of the great pop culture mysteries of our time: Is Harry Styles aware of The Idea of You book and/or movie? I wrote a newsletter, posted to my stories asking you to sleuth with me, and then… I DM’ed Robinne Lee, the book’s author, and ultimately solved the case in a single afternoon. (As a cusp-y Leo and a 3w4 enneagram, I have some dramatic, self-aggrandizing tendencies, so this really tracks.)
But the findings of my investigation are more complex than I thought. If you’ll recall, this whole *thing* started because of a call-in to the podcast Who? Weekly where a caller claimed to be a friend of the book’s author and smugly assured us that Harry DEFINITELY knew about the book/movie, implying there was a juicy story there.
But when I asked Robinne, she said, “I don't know who it was that called into the podcast claiming to be my friend, but I can assure you I have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHETHER HARRY STYLES IS AWARE OF MY BOOK OR NOT. I'm not in touch with Harry. I'm not in touch with anyone who is friends with Harry. No one has ever shared any information with me that would lead me to believe such. So in the words of the great Joe Biden, I'm going to say that's hogwash.”
What?! The plot thickens… now we have a second mystery on our hands: Who was the anon caller? Honestly, this is not my mystery to solve, but I feel like the Wholigans—the podcast’s online fan community—are deeply capable, and I’d love to be made aware if this gets solved.
BUT Robinne had more to say:
“Furthermore, this book wasn't written for Harry. And it wasn't written about Harry. So putting all of that on him feels a little odd, if I'm being honest. And if I were Harry, and someone delivered that information to me, I'd be slightly perturbed. I think the general public tends to forget that celebrities are real people, with real feelings and insecurities and anxieties. And that is a lot of what I tried to convey in this story. And I assume one of those anxieties would be the discomfort of people imagining and re-imagining you in a variety of ways that are not you. That may have nothing to do with you. That may just be their idea of you. Hence, the title.
Was Hayes inspired IN PART by Harry Styles? Yes. But also, roughly two dozen other people. Some from past relationships, some present, some celebrities I've known but not dated, some I've dated, and some public personalities I've just admired from a far. Some as an adolescent. Some as an adult. Some newly discovered while doing research. There was a lot that went into creating a fictional character who feels familiar and real and perfect and unique all at once. My agent called Hayes a "unicorn." My husband accused me of stealing all his lines. One ex-boyfriend reached out to tell me he'd read an excerpt, and it brought back a ton of memories. He's right. They're all right. I used all of that stuff. This is what writers do. We hold on to everything that has ever happened to us, every conversation, and feeling we have ever had. We lock it away, for months, years, decades. Often in journals. Sometimes in our heads. And then we whip it out and use it to give our characters shape and form and substance.
I wrote about a guy in a boyband because I had experiences working with a boyband. I wrote about a twenty-year-old, because I went through a series of years when I was only dating 20-year-olds, and I got to know them very well. (Although, I was not 40 at the time)...I threw dimples and a good head of hair on him, because who doesn't find that attractive? I also made him 6'2", with flawless (un-tattooed skin), an incredibly posh upbringing and accent to match, a natural athlete, a saxophone player, the only child of a very successful Queen's Counsel barrister, and a horsewoman, a would-be fifth generation Cambridge legacy, and the wunderkind mastermind who started a band with his mates from the choir at his tony private school in London. None of that is Harry Styles. And yet, I keep seeing this talk of Harry Styles fanfic and it makes me want to scream. I think the British, who pay far more attention to class and status, get the differences immediately and appreciate that this character I created is a very different person than any of the guys in One Direction. Or any other popular British boyband that I'm aware of. But those who don't know better are quick to assume it's Harry which is both dismissive and unsettling.”
Oof, I’m feeling a bit chastened. Maybe you are, too. In fact, I’m thinking a lot about this exact topic as I’m currently writing a book that is loosely based on a Taylor Swift song with a main character that has some snippets of Taylor Swift, but by and large is fully made up. The commentary I’m trying to make with it is on fame, gossip culture, ambition, and power dynamics in relationships, but I know “the Taylor of it all” will also be discussed at length. The book hasn’t even published, and I already fear the discourse coming my way.
But maybe, you’re still wondering… sure, but DOES Harry Styles know? (I get it, me too…).
Before we get into the gossip portion of this newsletter, a disclaimer. You know those Richard Osman mysteries about old people solving murders in their retirement village? That’s me. Outside of having a DM friendship with the book’s author, I have no investigation chops. I have an iPhone note labeled “Case Notes: Harry Styles” and some friends who wish to remain anonymous who know people who also wish to remain anonymous. Which is to say… take all this with a huge grain of salt.
So, a friend reached out to someone who works 1:1 with Harry who says that YES, Harry does know about the book. In fact, she herself mentioned it to him when my friend told her to read the book.
But has he read it? That part, we don’t know. We very well may never know Harry’s opinions on The Idea of You book/movie, but I got to see an advanced screening and have enough thoughts for the both of us! BUCKLE UP!
Overall
If you’re wanting a faithful scene-by-scene adaptation, this is not it. The movie is more like the idea of the book, than the book itself (see what I did there). I recognized very little of the dialog, and a lot of key scenes are changed in some way (for example, they meet at Coachella instead of Vegas; their first lunch date is at her house rather than in a swanky hotel). But, the high-level premise is there: a 40-year-old divorced mom falls for a much younger boybander. So are the key themes. The movie still deals with the push and pull between prioritizing your own happiness versus that of your child, the price of fame, and the judgement of women’s choices and the double standard of how we judge those same choices when men make them, as exemplified by Solène’s relationship with her ex-husband who is absent from the trailer, but very much a presence in the film.
And yet, despite these changes to what I view as a perfect book, I really loved the movie. A solid A in my book. It easily exceeded all my expectations. I’ll save my nitty-gritty commentary until it’s out on May 2 and we can all discuss.
Anne as Solène
This casting created heaps of controversy, but I’m here to say I think Anne pulled it off. She’s certainly a different type of chic gallerist than we meet in the book (more Silverlake boho than New York ripped-from-the-runways), but it still plays. She has a lot of fantastic outfits, extremely enviable mermaid hair, and the sophisticated art-loving spirit of the character is still there.
I’m also here to tell you, she’s sexy. Sure, the film is less sexy than the book (I mean… it’s not soft core porn if that’s what you were hoping for), but you can really feel the chemistry between her and her Hayes. At no point was I cringing (which was a major fear). She was also funny! There was a steady stream of chuckling at the 10 a.m. screening I attended, and trust me we were not predisposed to cheer after a disgusting rainy/windy commute.
Nick as Hayes
While most of the Idea of You-loving internet was up in arms about Anne’s casting, I was more concerned about Nicholas Galatzine as Hayes. Nothing against him, per se, but his casting as Hayes was announced in quick succession with another announcement of his casting as Prince Henry in the book-to-screen adaptation of Red, White, and Royal Blue. And those characters are NOTHING alike. I remember thinking “Either this man is the greatest actor of our time, or he’s going to ruin one of both of these movies.” BUT HE DIDN’T. At no point was I like, “What is this kind of snivel-y British prince doing up there?” In fact, I lost myself in his performance entirely. I was completely convinced he was Hayes.
And, what’s more, he (and the broader cast) really pulled off the boyband stuff. We mostly see them in concert scenes where the songs are catchy and the choreo is convincing. Everyone has generically good voices that pass the test. But what I found most convincing was one tiny silver of a scene where Solène watches a prep-school-themed August Moon music video on YouTube, and you can totally see it. He’s young, and the boyband schtick is corny, but MAN, there’s something really compelling about Hayes.
An obsession is brewing…
After my friend Hannah saw the movie, she said she couldn’t wait for the August Moon album to drop (rumor is this is happening, similar to how there was an accompanying album for Daisy Jones and the Six). But my hyper-fixation was with the delicate necklace Anne wears through most of the film. It’s a gossamer-thin gold chain with a shallow crescent of diamonds that sits “just so” in the hollow of her neck (this is the closest thing I can find, but it’s not quite right. But, fear not, I have an email into the film’s publicist to see if she has an exact source). In fact, it inspired me to tighten the chain on my own everyday gold solitaire necklace in hopes someone would objectify my collarbones (no word on if it’s working, I haven’t left my house since and am also wearing a mock-turtleneck sweater). No, seriously, mark my word, this necklace (and Anne’s collarbones generally) is featured so heavily, it’s going to start a trend.
So, that’s what I have for you. But I can’t wait to dive deeper after the film’s release on Amazon Prime Video on May 2 (mark your calendars!).
Until next time,
Becca
The investigative journalism and movie review we’ve all been waiting for. Thank you for your service
This is my Roman Empire. Excited for May 2nd!