Nicholas Sparks Discusses Safe Haven

by Helen Earnshaw | 5 July 2013

Nicholas Sparks is one of the most adapted novelists of recent years with a whole host of his books being snapped up and made into movies.

Safe Haven is the latest of his novels to be made into a movie as Josh Duhamel teams up with Julianne Hough, while Lasse Hallström is in the director's chair.

- Safe Haven is about to be released on DVD so can you tell me just a little bit about the film?

Safe Haven tells the story about a young, mysterious woman named Katie who suddenly appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport.

Though she’s reticent about her past, she begins to appreciate small-town life, and she’s drawn into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbour, Jo.

Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard and she becomes increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that little by little begins to close in.

Safe Haven, in other words, begins as a love story before becoming an edge-of-your-seat thriller, one that I’m hopeful that audiences will enjoy.

- We have seen a lot of your novels adapted onto the big screen in recent years but how did Safe Haven come about?

Like all my novels, whenever I set out to write, I do my best to create an interesting and compelling story that feels fresh and original as well.

For this novel, I wanted to introduce the theme of danger and a growing sense of intensity that rises - and surprises - until the very end, and little by little, the story came to life.

- Are you always quite happy for your books to be adapted into films or are there certain assurances that you need before you let the project go ahead?

It’s important to understand that films and novels are different mediums and tell stories in different ways.

I tend to look for the following when working with the producers and the studio: Will the film follow the basic outline of the novel? Will the film capture the major themes in the novel? Will the characters be consistent with those described in the novel? Will the film satisfying when compared to other films?

To this point, I’ve been pleased with all the adaptations, and everyone associated the films has been terrific.

- Lasse Hallström is in the director's chair for the film so how well you feel that he has captured the spirit of the book?

Lasse is terrific. He’s been nominated for the Academy Awards, not only because of his overall vision, but because he’s an actors’ director.

He works so well with the cast, allowing them to bring the characters to life and he’s amazing at finding those little moments that add humanity to the characters or the characters lives.

- You do serve as producer on this film for the first time so how did you find that experience? Is this something you can yourself do more of going forward?

For the most part, I’ve been actively involved with every film when it comes to the screenplay, choosing the director, and casting, so there actually wasn’t much of a difference except that I got a producer’s credit.

But yes; I can see myself producing more films. It’s a medium a very much enjoy.

- As the film is in the pre-production, filming and post-production stages how much input do you usually have? Do you like being on set and seeing your characters brought to life?

Quite a bit actually, but you have to realize that all films are essentially a collaborative process.

I work with the studio, producers, and a director as well as the cast, and all of them have input as well. I’ve been fortunate in that everyone has worked well together to make wonderful films.

As for being on set, it’s always interesting. Producing is a job like many others: there are great moments and harder moments, but I do enjoy it.

- Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel are the two central characters so what did you make of the casting?

For the most part, the cast in any of my films have essentially chosen themselves for the roles.

We look for great performance ability, but also chemistry, and Josh and Julianne had amazing chemistry from the beginning. I thought they both did a terrific job.

- Can you talk a bit about the two central characters of Katie and Alex and how we see them develop throughout the film?

When you meet Katie and Alex on screen, they’re both struggling a bit, and both of them want to start over. And yet, there’s a struggle there - for both of them - to move beyond the past.

That’s why they feel so real from the beginning and little by little, they begin to heal each other.

And then, of course, the film begins to shift, adding thriller elements, and you learn how they react under stress - and how much love can really heal them both.

- How have you found the response to the film so far?

Audiences have loved it. Not only was it a big box office success, but the DVDs are flying off the shelves.

It’s the kind of film that gets people talking, and I’ve seen an amazing amount of discussions in social media.

- You had a hand in adapting your own novel The Last Song into a screenplay so how did you find that process?

It was fun. I actually wrote the screenplay for The Last Song before I wrote the novel. Screenplays are different than novels, but I find them enjoyable to do.

- Would you ever consider moving into screen-writing?

Not full time. I’m a novelist at heart.

- You are one of the most distinguished authors so how and why did you set out on a writing career?

I always enjoyed reading and I think that was a big part of it - I loved the idea of creating a story.

In the end, I simply gave it a try to see if I could do it. I wrote a couple of unpublished novels - one at 19 and the other at 22, and at 28, I wrote The Notebook.

Since then, I’ve just done my best to write novels that are both compelling and original.

- What was your reaction when Hollywood came knocking on your door for the first time?

It was exciting! I got the call that The Notebook was picked up and sold, which was crazy, since I didn’t even realize that Hollywood knew about the novel even existed.

- You will be returning later this year with The Longest Ride so what can fans expect from the new book?

It’s a dual love story: Ira and Ruth; Sophia and Luke. One love story spans decades; the other tells of two young adults.

The couples have little in common - until their lives suddenly converge, changing everything. But of course, I don’t want to give too much away.

As to what fans can expect: I’m hopeful that they’ll adore The Longest Ride. It’s a novel I’m proud to have written.

- The film rights have already been snapped up and we are also going to be seeing a film version of The Best Of Me so you must be thrilled with the ways that your films are being received around the world?

It’s been an exciting ride, that’s for sure, and I’m the first to admit I’ve been lucky. Nor can I take all the credit - I’ve worked with amazing people on all my films.

- Finally what is next for you?