Beach Read’s Director Is Aware Of The Fancasting, And Told Me Why She Had Her Assistant Make A PowerPoint About It

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Fans have been excitedly discussing who should play the characters in movies based on Emily Henry’s books for a long time. Now that People We Meet On Vacation is coming to Netflix in 2026, anticipation for her other books, like Beach Read, is even greater. When I spoke with Yulin Kuang, the screenwriter of People We Meet On Vacation, I asked her about Beach Read and the actors fans have suggested, since she’ll also be directing that film.

She understands what fans are hoping for in the Beach Read adaptation. In fact, she asked her assistant to put together a presentation detailing fan choices for who could play January and Gus. Kuang explained to TopMob that she had her assistant, Sophia Chu, handle the task because…

I definitely care about what people think, so I asked an assistant to research social media – TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter – for me. I don’t have time to look at all that myself! She then summarized what fans are asking for in a PowerPoint presentation.

Kuang didn’t mention specific actors, but fans have been enthusiastically suggesting Logan Lerman to play Augustus Everett. Paul Mescal and Ayo Edebiri were also popular choices for the roles of Gus and January. The director, Henry, even acknowledged this fan casting in 2024 (according to Variety). Basically, people are excited about who could play the two authors falling in love in Beach Read, and the director was curious to hear their ideas.

She admitted that fan expectations don’t heavily influence her decisions, but she still values their opinions. That’s why she prepared a presentation to address what they’ve been saying, as she explained to me.

As someone deeply involved in fandom, this was really important to me. I grew up loving books and always watched adaptations with a bit of longing, thinking ‘I wish I could be part of bringing these stories to life!’ It’s always been a dream of mine to have a hand in shaping the things I love, so I really wanted to make sure this presentation reflected that – that feeling of finally getting to influence the stories you’re passionate about.

I really loved that, and I appreciate how much the writer and director consider what fans want. Kuang mentioned the feedback was helpful, but it won’t be the deciding factor in who gets cast. She went on to say:

She shared this presentation with me, and I found it helpful. However, I realized I couldn’t let it dictate my vision. I needed to tune out external influences and focus on the film I wanted to create.

I was really fascinated to hear the director talk about why our dream casting choices often don’t happen. As a writer herself, she explained it’s not always about who we think would be perfect. Things like actors’ availability, scheduling conflicts, and even whether they simply want to take on the project play a huge role. It’s a lot more complicated than just picking our favorites, she said.

Movies made with too many people involved often feel disjointed. It really needs a clear, unified vision. Plus, filmmaking is practical – you have to work around actors’ availability and schedules. Ultimately, it comes down to the director and the star working together.

Yulin Kuang explained that the recent casting of Tom Blyth and Emily Bader as Alex and Poppy in the upcoming movie People We Meet On Vacation (available on Netflix) has made her rethink how she approaches casting. She’s now prioritizing finding actors with strong chemistry as a pair, rather than focusing on individual talent. As she put it, it’s all about “focusing in on that chemistry.”

They’re currently casting for Beach Read, and I’m really excited to find out who gets the roles! That presentation we saw might actually lead to real casting decisions, but according to the author, it’s not the only factor. So, let’s stay optimistic and continue to imagine our dream cast, because the director is definitely listening to fan feedback.

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2026-01-16 20:41