Behind the Deep, Dark Meaning of ‘We Were Liars’ — from Author E. Lockhart Herself

[Editor’s Note: This communicative contains spoilers for nan ending of “We Were Liars.”]

There are 2 kinds of group successful this world: Those who publication E. Lockhart’s “We Were Liars” and ne'er recovered, and those who haven’t.

This writer is among nan former, having devoured nan 2014 caller erstwhile it first released, rereading it a time later because I couldn’t extremity reasoning astir it, and past putting it backmost connected nan support and shuddering each clip I looked astatine it for nan decade-and-change that followed until nan Amazon Prime Video bid premiere connected June 18. (The show world-premiered astatine Tribeca Festival successful New York earlier this month.)

“We Were Liars” published during a veritable YA roar successful books and Hollywood; it was nan aforesaid twelvemonth that “The Fault successful Our Stars” deed theaters and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1″ dominated nan container office, an era erstwhile “Divergent” and “The Maze Runner” were besides connected nan large screen. After “We Were Liars” debuted arsenic a New York Times bestseller (and won aggregate awards), it seemed destined for nan aforesaid destiny arsenic those different juggernauts — but successful Hollywood, arsenic successful nan novel, reality is simply a small much complicated.

After “five different writers and 2 different directors,” arsenic Lockhart explained successful an IndieWire interview, for a imaginable characteristic and past a “whole saga” pinch a imaginable show, nan book’s authorities ended up backmost pinch Lockhart, who optioned it to showrunners Julie Plec and Carina Adly MacKenzie.

“I was optioning it to them specifically arsenic showrunners, alternatively of to a accumulation institution aliases a streamer,” Lockhart said. “That’s each nan quality successful nan world, if you tin action it straight to personification who’s going to beryllium creatively progressive connected a penning and showrunning level. That intends that you, nan novelist, are successful speech instantly pinch nan imaginative person, and that nan imaginative personification respects and is willing successful nan emotion that your book evokes.”

The feelings successful mobility screen a batch of crushed successful this series, from nan teen Liars (Emily Alyn Lind, Shubham Maheshwari, Esther McGregor, and Joseph Zada) to nan bickering adults (Caitlin Fitzgerald, Mamie Gummer, Candice King, Rahul Kohli) to their growling patriarch (David Morse). There’s nan emotion and jealousy, betrayal and heartbreak, that you expect from a bully YA show — particularly connected nan streamer that adapted “The Summer I Turned Pretty” — and much, overmuch more.

“I’m ace biased, but I deliberation we connection much feelings than you get pinch your mean show,” Lockhart said. “That is simply a operation of our taxable matter, but besides our attack to cinematography and nan intimacy pinch which you get to cognize these characters complete 8 episodes, and besides nan measurement that our ending functions. The truth of nan enigma is an affectional truth, and that’s not ever existent pinch thrillers.”

That affectional truth is still protected until group scope it themselves (publisher Delacorte’s original run told readers to dishonesty astir nan ending), but it reveals a batch astir Lockhart’s thrust arsenic a storyteller and her ongoing quest to stock nan wrong of her mind.

This question and reply has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

IndieWire: It speaks to really nan ambiance of adjustment has changed that this could person been a movie, and now it’s a show. What makes it activity good for TV?

E. Lockhart: It’s a thriller. Thrillers activity good connected TV because episodic tv has cliffhangers and pauses built into its building that really escalate aliases elevate nan enigma constituent of a story. That’s surely nan lawsuit pinch “We Were Liars.” Julie and Carina are known for “Roswell, New Mexico,” and “Vampire Diaries,” and “Legacies”; those shows each halfway nan young big assemblage and nan young big characters, and worth what those fandoms crave and nan experiences of nan young women astatine nan halfway of nan communicative and their perspectives. So it was fortunate for maine to beryllium giving my book to group who cared astir young big storytelling.

How was nan acquisition arsenic an executive producer?

I was amazed to find that post-production was my favourite [part]. In retrospect, that makes sense, because editing a novel, you do that aforesaid thing. You spell complete each conception pinch a fine-tooth comb. You deliberation very cautiously astir pacing down to nan condemnation level, astir wherever section breaks are and wherever you want nan assemblage to return a activity and calm down for a small spot and past ramp up again. It’s really very akin connected a TV show, truthful I felt for illustration I had bully skills and was getting to usage them successful a caller medium, deliberation astir images and sound and euphony and each of that — arsenic good arsenic nan communicative elements that I’m much utilized to reasoning about.

The formed and imaginative squad of ‘We Were Liars’ astatine nan Tribeca Festival world premiereValerie Terranova/Getty Images for Prime Video

What were you looking for erstwhile you sewage into casting?

We saw a batch of very beautiful actors. We besides saw a batch of very funny actors. We saw a batch of intelligent and nuanced actors. We had a wealthiness of possibility, and I deliberation we were looking for group who had a batch of depth. We had seen truthful galore guys who were snarky and funny and entitled and gorgeous, and they were great. But erstwhile we saw [Joseph Zada], he was heartbreaking astatine nan aforesaid clip arsenic he was each those different things. We saw, “Oh, this kid who’s being benignant of a small dick is successful pain.” He’s ashamed of himself. He’s successful nan closet — he’s not ashamed because he’s successful nan closet; he’s ashamed of thing other — he’s struggling, and you could spot it connected Joe’s face. We were like, “That’s our guy.”

Talk astir expanding into 8 episodes and adding caller material. What was your engagement successful penning and breaking that and building retired nan story?

Because nan caller is first personification from Cadence’s [Emily Alyn Lind] constituent of view, it’s very overmuch nan wrong of Cadence’s caput and her perspective. The TV show really does broaden it out. We had 4 writers of Indian descent who had each kinds of skills arsenic storytellers — drama and thriller and family play — but they besides were very unfastened [to] sharing their lived acquisition and their perspectives, which weren’t each nan aforesaid arsenic each other.

That fleshed retired Gat (Maheshwari) and his Uncle Ed (Kohli), who are some characters of Indian descent, while each nan different characters are white, old-money Democrats successful nan aforesaid family. That was breathtaking to me. That’s not thing I could do successful nan caller pinch nan aforesaid level of authenticity and extent and nuance astatine all. I deliberation that’s thing that my readers are going to beryllium very psyched to see. People person a batch of emotion for Gat arsenic a romanticist hero, and I deliberation they’re going to study much astir him successful a fuller, deeper measurement than was imaginable successful my imagination.

It’s tempting to beryllium precious astir nan worldly arsenic a writer.

At immoderate point, Carina said to me, “Oh, you must consciousness for illustration we’re taking your babe and putting it connected nan array and cutting it open,” and I said, “It’s a very aged baby. Go ahead.”

Did you person a pinch-me infinitesimal during this process?

I deliberation astir apt nan first clip I saw Emily Alyn Lind successful costume. I’d seen them do a array read, and I had met her and talked to her — and moreover seeing costume fittings wherever she was trying things connected and having them fitted, but possibly she didn’t person her shoes on, she didn’t person nan makeup, she didn’t person nan hair. The first clip I saw her successful nan afloat Cadence costume, that was a existent moment. I felt for illustration this characteristic had travel correct retired of my brain, and location she was successful beforehand of me.

After that, though, I was astatine work. If group don’t know, erstwhile you’re shooting connected location, it seems really beautiful and beautiful — but wherever you are for a batch of your activity day, if you are a producer, you’re successful a achromatic tent. Whenever I would measurement out, I would beryllium like, “Oh, it’s nan sea, it’s nan beautiful houses!” but I’ve been successful this shelter watching monitors. Then I would benignant of drawback my breath… but a batch of nan clip you’re successful this shelter watching monitors, truthful you consciousness for illustration nan astonishing point is connected nan monitor, not really correct adjacent to you.

You wrote nan finale. What was it for illustration adapting your ain material?

I deliberation because nan book is old, I felt loose and fresh to conscionable effort it retired successful a caller medium. I went to nan writers room for 2 weeks, and [we] collapsed nan section together, and past I went to script. It was conscionable a caller playground for nan aforesaid story, aliases an description — a chance to agelong my wings. Filming it was really, really fun. I was connected group for each of Episodes 7 and 8, and they were some directed by Erica Dunton, who is simply a favourite of Julie’s, and I really saw why. She runs a very beautiful, very imaginative set. She’s very funny, she’s very authoritative, she’s very, very visual. Some of my favourite times were first point successful nan greeting erstwhile Erica would beryllium stepping done pinch nan DP and talking astir why we’re shooting it from this angle, what’s important, what does she want it to look like, and knowing nan measurement her ocular imagination was taking clasp of nan words that were connected nan page.

E. Lockhart attends nan Prime Video We Were Liars Tribeca Festival world premiereValerie Terranova/Getty Images for Prime Video

The finale features one-on-one scenes that Cadence has pinch everybody. In nan book, she addresses nan 3 of them together, and it is arsenic emotionally gut-wrenching, but talk astir separating these.

That thought decidedly came from nan room. One of nan things nan TV show is capable to do is to springiness Gat, Johnny, and Mirren (McGregor) each a very different arc wrong nan location during nan large point that they’re each doing. Each of them has a very intelligibly articulated logic for making nan choices that they do, and a very different communicative of what happens, and past a different goodbye pinch different concerns. Mirren is reasoning astir being seen, and Johnny is reasoning astir damnation, and Gat is reasoning astir about Cadence and her travel and really he tin emotion her from wherever he is now and springiness her nan champion future. And of course, we had to get nan Scrabble successful there.

I’d emotion to spell deeper, if you’re unfastened to that.

One of nan questions that “We Were Liars” arsenic a caller asks, and that a batch of my books ask, is asked by Johnny successful that goodbye scene, which is, “What do you do pinch yourself if you person done thing terrible?” Something that you deeply, profoundly regret; thing that you don’t cognize really to forgive yourself for. Can you find a measurement to forgive yourself aliases not? What do you do pinch yourself? He says to Cadence, “You tin consciousness guilty, but you are besides going to spell connected and unrecorded a life and do a cardinal bully things,” and that is redemption. It doesn’t erase nan truth that you person done what you’ve done, but nan bully things will count.

When group say, “What do you want group to return distant from nan book aliases from nan series?” That’s nan point that I americium astir willing successful arsenic a takeaway, that nary matter really severely you’ve screwed up, you tin spell connected and do bully things. You tin spell connected and do things that you are proud of. And that doesn’t erase nan past, but it tin still beryllium a life very worthy living.

That reminds maine of what you said astir nan large emotions — that is very aggravated moreover for adults.

Oh yeah. I’m still wrestling pinch each of that. And Mirren wants to beryllium seen. For truthful galore young people, nan mobility is not only “Does anyone spot me?” But also, “Can I spot myself? Who americium I? Can I tin I moreover spot nan personification that I want to be, aliases nan personification that I americium fully? Will others spot me? Will they admit me?” If that’s really you feel, you’re not alone. I conscionable support penning novels, trying to get group to spot nan wrong of my head, because it doesn’t lucifer nan assemblage that I’m in. I deliberation Mirren is having that struggle, and Esther McGregor’s capacity successful that segment is truthful beautiful and truthful heartfelt. She says astatine immoderate point, “I consciousness for illustration cipher saw me.” And Cadence says, “I do. I do spot you. I spot you. I spot you. I spot you.” That’s a infinitesimal of bid betwixt them, and that’s my jam.

Looking back, reflecting connected this full process truthful far, I would conscionable emotion to perceive your thoughts and takeaways from nan experience.

Writing a caller is simply a solo endeavor. Making a TV show is really not. There are hundreds of group employed by this show. Plec and MacKenzie are 1 100 percent nan showrunners of it, and I was location arsenic a personnel of their squad to lend to them going down nan runway. All nan champion moments were nan moments erstwhile I accepted that and sewage connected committee their train and helped them recognize this caller type of nan story, alternatively than trying to clutch it to my chest.

“We Were Liars” is now streaming connected Prime Video.