John's LA Times Interview on the TFIOS Set

While on the TFIOS set, John Green talked with the LA Times about all things The Fault in Our Stars.

Photo credit: The LA Times, James Bridges, 20th Century Fox

You can read the whole interview with the LA Times writer, Nicole Sperling, here at the source.

Here are some of our favorite parts of the piece:

There was originally a drastically different ending to the TFIOS book, involving "a road trip to Mexico and a battle with narco-terrorists."

TFIOS producer, Wyck Godfrey on John: 

"I think he has a real drive as not only an author but as a businessman and as a brand manager. He understands now that he's in a position to influence culture and he's going to use every avenue he can take to do that. It's not only smart as a businessman, but it's admirable in that the message he's putting out there is so positive."

John on Hazel and Esther: 

"Hazel and Esther are very different people, but I could never have written Hazel had I never been friends with Esther. My friendship with Esther taught me two things: how empathetic and outwardly focused teenagers can be, and that Esther's life was still a good life and she was glad to have lived it."

John's enthusiastic reaction to Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustadter's TFIOS script:

"When I saw their draft, I liked the ending better than I liked the ending of my book. That was a good feeling — and a little bit annoying."

John's thoughts about being on set: 

"I felt like being here was helpful, and they felt that way too. I realized on the second day that it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

Shailene on John's presence on set: 

"It definitely made a difference having him here. Everyone kept talking about him coming back when he was gone." 

Be sure to check out the rest of the interview here at The LA Times.