Beach Read, by author Emily Henry, was one of the most popular romance books in 2020 and quickly turned many readers into lifelong Emily Henry fans. It follows January Andrews, an author who moves into her late father’s beach house while she struggles to find inspiration to write. Little does she know that next door is her long-time rival, Augustus Everett, who is struggling with the same problem, only he writes literary fiction. The pair makes a deal to swap genres and write in the opposite genre from what they’re used to, to break out of their writer’s block. Included in this is both characters working to get over their troubles: January coping with the loss of her father and Gus working on his commitment issues. The book ends when they both become confident about their issues, finish their books, and eventually fall in love.
After this book took the reading community by storm, it was picked up by 20th Century Studios for adaptation into a movie directed by Yulin Kuang, who is also the author of the bestseller How to End a Love Story. Fans have been ecstatic for this movie, with fan casting January Andrews as Phoebe Tonkin, Ayo Edebri, and Victoria Pedretti. Fans have been adamant that Gus be played by Logan Lerman, with a few people also suggesting Paul Mescal.
While all of these fancasts are a dream scenario, they rarely come true. A few months ago, it was announced that Phoebe Dynevor would be portraying January in this movie. Fans were ecstatic with this choice, with user @tourturedfilm saying, “I MANIFESTED PHOEBE DYNEVOR AS JANUARY ANDREWS LIKE I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS MY LIFE IM LIT IN TEARS THIS IS SO FUCKING SERIOUS TO ME.” Even author Emily Henry was excited about this casting choice.
After casting for January was announced, fans continued to speculate who would play Gus. A few weeks ago, it was announced that actor Patrick Schwarzenegger would be playing Gus. He is best known for his role in the latest season of White Lotus as Saxon Ratliff. Fans were not happy with this casting, not just because it meant their fan castings weren’t coming true, but because of his nepo baby status. Fans believe he only got the role because he is the son of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Additionally, fans don’t believe that his past roles reflect the emotional depth needed for this role. His past roles are goofy and air headed, and they find it hard to believe his acting is mature enough to portray the difficult moments January and Gus go through together. He also does not resemble the physical description that Henry wrote about in her book, describing Gus as “brooding and rugged,” which Schwarzenegger is the direct opposite of.
Yulin Kuang addressed this, noting that she prioritized the chemistry between Dynevor and whoever Gus was meant to be, with looks taking a back seat. This became an issue for fans when they spent years picturing someone in their head for a role, only to have the casting change. Not to mention Schwarzenegger’s political views, as a Trump supporter and Zionist, have him catching additional heat over this casting choice.
Another surprising reaction to Patrick Schwarzenegger’s casting as Gus was Emily Henry’s lack of openness. Although she is involved with this project, she had nothing to do with casting decisions. When Phoebe Dynevor was cast for this project, she posted an entire Instagram post congratulating herself and talking about how excited she was to see January come to life on screen. Her silence on Patrick Schwarzenegger makes her thoughts seem pretty clear.
The internet’s response to this casting choice says more about how readers connect when reading romance novels. By the time an adaptation is announced for a book with an existing large fanbase, fans are loyal to the character they have in their heads and become frustrated when the portrayal doesn’t live up to the book or even to their own idea of the character.