Julia Roberts ThoughtLeave the World BehindWas 'Too Scary,' Recalls Author Rumaan Alam

Mar. 15, 2025

Julia Roberts; Ruuman Alam.Photo:Getty(2)

Getty(2)

Julia Robertshad a timid initial reaction toLeave the World Behind.

During the panel, he revealed that Roberts’ first impression of his work was that it was “scary.”

Julia Roberts in ‘Leave the World Behind’.Courtesy NETFLIX

Courtesy NETFLIX

Alam noted that Esmail had previously worked with Roberts on the psychological television seriesHomecoming, so “they were good friends.” That meant the Oscar winner was on the top of his mind when it came to adapting Alam’s novel.

Ecco

“So, he sent [the book] to her and she said, ‘it’s too scary,’ " the author said.

Amid the movie’s streaming release, Roberts said in aCBSinterview that the story’s versatility drew her to the project. “Sam [Esmail] calls it a disaster movie. Ethan [Hawke] calls it a thriller. It’s both those things,” she said. “But to me, it’s a story about this family, this husband and wife, who are kind of opposites.”

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Speaking to PEOPLE exclusively at the book festival, Alam says having his work adapted for the screen posed some unique challenges.

“I think it’s a very complicated balance from my perspective,” he says. “My territory is the book. And the director’s territory is the film. So the film ends up being a sort of concrete interpretation of the text that may depart from what I intended, but that’s what happens with every reader.”

Rumaan Alam attends the ‘Leave The World Behind’ NYC Special Screening on Dec. 4, 2023.Kevin Mazur/Getty

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Alam adds, “But ultimately you have control over that reading experience. It behooves the novelist to sort of be clear-eyed about that. And if you feel too possessive of your work, then don’t do it. The truth is that it can be lucrative. And that’s a significant incentive for a lot of writers.”

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He also acknowledges that screen adaptations have the potential to introduce books to a “whole new readership who may not even have been aware that the thing existed as a book.”

The author says, “I think that’s not a bad thing. It’s such a gift as a writer to have any readers. And so whatever’s bringing them to you is a gift.”

source: people.com