It's a common tale in Hollywood, where book authors are met with disappointment when the pages of their novel are torn, turned or twisted in a way that's unrecognizable to them by the time it hits the big screen.
But for Nicolas Sparks, the man behind the novels-turned-hit films in "A Walk to Remember," "Message in a Bottle," and "The Notebook," the movie adaptations of his work always yield happy endings for the author -- even if his books (known
not to have happy endings) don't.
Recently, Sparks screened his latest book-gone-Hollywood, "Nights in Rodanthe." And like before, he entered the theater with the comfort of knowing that he wouldn't have to brace himself for disappointment.
"I go into these projects with a pretty positive feeling about it," Sparks said in a recent @ The Movies interview. "With this particular film -- and with all of my films for that matter -- I've really liked the people who have put them together. With 'Nights in Rodanthe,' it's the third time I've worked with producer Denise Di Novi, so I know she's going to take good care of me."
That's because Di Novi, whom Sparks calls one of his "best friends in the world," actively collaborates with the author. So for "Nights in Rodanthe," it wasn't lights-out for Sparks once the 2002 best-seller was optioned to become a film.
"I see the script, she asks me stuff and tells me why she's making the moves she is, and I never question them because she understands my work probably better than any other producer. We've been down this road many times," Sparks said. "She knows what I'm trying to do. She really likes to read my books, even if she knows she can't make some of them into movies."
The bonus for "Nights in Rodanthe" is that Di Novi surrounded herself once again with great talent, including stars Richard Gere and Diane Lane, and a Tony-Award winning director George C. Wolfe ("Angels in America") at the helm.
"George is a genius, and Richard and Diane have chemistry," Sparks said. "How can you mess something like that up?"
Lane stars as Adrienne, a woman betrayed by her husband who retreats to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a weekend to tend to a friend's inn. Besieged by a storm, the inn is barren with the exception of one guest, Paul (Gere), a doctor facing a crisis of conscience after the loss of a patient. Turning to each other for comfort, a romance blooms between Adrienne and Paul that will change their lives forever.
As evidenced by the favorable response to "The Notebook," Sparks is often hailed by his critics for including strong male characters in his romances. In other words, men expecting to be drug by the wives or girlfriends to "Nights in Rodanthe" shouldn't expect the film to be "just another chick flick."
"Quality will cross gender lines and certainly some films will cross more than others, just like books do," said the 40-year-old writer. "But in no way is this a movie just for females. Richard Gere plays a very strong character and he's got a very major role. This is not a wishy-washy goofball romantic comedy-type 'guy' role."
Of course, it's of great benefit when part of the story's inspiration is based on the writer's life. And while the Adrienne and Paul's circumstances of "Nights in Rodanthe" aren't based on Sparks and his wife, Cathy, the idea of knowing true love when you find it, is.
"People ask me, 'Can really fall in love that quickly? Can you know that it's correct?' Well, I met my wife on a Monday night and Tuesday night, I told her we'd get married one day," Sparks recalled. "I was in college and we were on spring break in Florida. Who's looking for marriage? But I knew right then that I could look the rest of my life and might find, if I'm lucky, the same. But I'd never find someone better."
Ultimately, Sparks said, "Nights in Rodanthe" is his "attempt to say, 'Yeah, it can happen this quick.'"
"It doesn't always, but it can," Sparks added. "And don't dismiss it just because it happens fast. It can be just as real as a relationship that takes time to develop. My wife and I have been married for 19 years. So this is true."
