Is ‘The Idea Of You’ Inspired By Harry Styles? Robin Lee Opens Up On Why She’s Sick Of ‘Watermelon Sugar’ Singer (Photo Credit – IMDb)
Advertisement
The highly anticipated new rom-com The Idea of You, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, has stirred up quite a frenzy since its theatrical release last month. However, the fervour around the movie has intensified since it recently dropped on the streaming service, triggering a wave of curiosity around the film, which explores a complicated love affair between a 40-year-old single mother played by Anne Hathaway and the lead singer of the popular boy band August Moon, named Hayes Campbell portrayed by Nicholas Galitzine.
The popularity has impelled fans to delve deep into the story of the film’s main characters based on Robinne Lee’s 2017 bestselling novel of the same name. The curiosity seemingly stemmed from the eerie familiarity between the fictional pop group in The Idea Of You and the real-life biggest boy band in the world, One Direction.
Fans weren’t remiss with their speculation as some publications, including GQ, suggested the film is essentially based on Harry Styles fanfiction. The GQ article published last month seemingly stemmed from a 2020 Vogue interview where author Robinne Lee, 47, confirmed the Watermelon Sugar singer inspired the book.
In a 2017 interview, she explained the origins of the story to blogger Deborah Kalb saying she came up with the idea for August Moon’s character when her husband Eric was away on business. Lee continued she had just turned 40 and was “up late surfing music videos on YouTube” when she “came across the face of a boy I’d never seen in a band I’d never paid attention to. … It was like…art.” She recalled crushing on the boyband and imagining what her life would be like if she ended up running away with him on tour
Shortly after googling the singer’s identity, who turned out to be Harry Styles, Lee discovered “he often dated older women, and so the seed was planted.”
While The Idea of You’s author confessed the inspiration behind the character, in a recent interview with the Independent, the actor-turned-novelist said she’s sick of people frequently invoking Harry Styles’s name while discussing her book. She continued, “In the beginning, I thought it was interesting, but it’s taken on a life of its own. I’m like, come on, guys! What happened to the 22 other men I used to make this character? It feels very reductive.”
Lee clarified that while the musician slightly inspired the character, the essence of the story is celebrating a 40-year-old single mother rediscovering herself in a world that seemingly writes of women of a certain age. She added, “Just as most of us are coming into our own. But we’re on the downslope because so much of our power is supposedly connected to our youth. Whereas when men turn 40, they continue to gain prestige and power. So, I really wanted to turn that on its head.”
Meanwhile, Anne Hathaway was praised for her performance in the film, with the Guardian describing her charming lead.
