Fans are enjoying the Netflix adaptation of beloved YA author Sarah Dessen’s novel Along For The Ride, and Belmont Cameli and Emma Pasarow are the perfect actors to bring Eli and Auden’s sweet love story to life. Audiences are enjoying watching the teenager characters spend the summer together in the charming beach town Colby as Auden makes peace with her divorced parents and Eli works through a tragedy.
From favorite scenes to shoot to a fun Easter egg, there are several fun facts that Sarah Dessen fans will want to know about this charming teen movie.
There’s An Easter Egg For Dessen’s Lock And Key Novel
Fans of Sarah Dessen’s young adult novels were thrilled to watch Auden and Eli onscreen, and there are several elements from the books to make readers happy, from the beach prom to the bike shop that Eli works at. According to Insider, there is an Easter egg that refers to another story by Dessen that fans have picked up on.
Heidi owns a boutique called Clementine’s and she has a new item that she is really excited about: necklaces in the shape of a lock and key. Fans knew that this was referring to Dessen’s book Lock And Key, which was published in 2008.
Emma Pasarow Taught Hebrew While Working On Her Acting
Auden is one of the most likable characters in Along For The Ride and fans watch Auden learn more about her parents’ divorce and find some peace and acceptance while getting to know Eli and making new friends.
Emma Pasarow was teaching Hebrew when she discovered that she would be playing Auden. The actor told Elite Daily about the experience of being hired: “It was really surreal. The fanfare and the excitement of it all paralleled how much I wanted this for so long.”
A Stunt Double Performs Eli’s BMX Rides
Belmont Cameli’s character Eli is distraught over the death of his best friend Abe and since the two of them raced BMX bikes, Eli has been hesitant about getting back to this passion.
In one memorable scene near the end of the movie, Eli gets back on the bike and performs some incredible stunts. This is a significant part of Eli’s character development as he’s able to work up the courage and confidence to fall for Auden for real. According to The List, Cameli shared that Rob Armour, a BMX expert living in North Carolina, was his stunt double. Cameli said, “I wiped out plenty of times in the training that I did.”
That Food Fight Moment Was Filmed Quickly
One of the movie’s best moments is when Auden and her new friends attend a hot dog party and Eli shows up. This is a huge deal since he has been avoiding his friend group while grieving Abe, and when there’s an awkward silence when Eli arrives, Auden throws food at Eli to lighten the moment.
There is a hilarious shot when Eli dumps beans on Auden’s head and according to The Wrap, it was filmed in a single take. This fact makes watching the scene even more entertaining and it’s nice seeing Auden be whimsical and playful.
Cameli Loved Shooting The Scene In The Pie Shop
Many movies like Netflix’s Along For The Ride have some adorable and heartwarming scenes, from the first meet cute to when the characters learn more details about one another and begin to fall in love.
In Dessen’s novel, Auden and Eli begin spending time together in the middle of the night, chatting over pie and coffee, and the characters hang out at a cafe in one memorable scene. Cameli liked this scene the most and told Digital Trends, “We started in rehearsals and auditions with the pie shop scene, but we didn’t film it until the end.”
Writer/Director Sofia Alvarez And Sarah Dessen Had A Great Conversation
It’s always exciting for fans when an author is creatively involved with a TV or movie adaptation because it can be nice when the writer has some say about what will happen.
Sofia Alvarez shared in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that she and Sarah Dessen talked for three hours about adapting the book. Dessen said “the book is not going away” and Dessen trusted Alvarez to make the decisions that felt right.
Sofia Alvarez Didn’t Want A Famous Actor To Portray Auden
Auden is one of the best characters from a movie or TV show about teenagers as she knows who she is yet has moments of sadness and insecurity that are relatable.
Alvarez told The Wrap that since Sarah Dessen’s books are so popular and beloved, she wanted to make sure that someone was cast in this role who wasn’t famous. Alvarez explained, “I wanted them to feel like this character they love has sort of come to life out of the book and not to think ‘Oh, this actor I know is playing Auden.”
A Character From The Novel Didn’t Make It Into The Movie
It’s never possible to include every single detail from a book into its film adaptation, and many fans of Sarah Dessen’s novel are glad with the parts that have been included. There is one character who is featured in the novel but isn’t in the movie.
According to Buzzfeed, Auden has a brother named Hollis in the book and he’s a big contrast to Auden as he’s more free spirited and chill than she is. Buzzfeed noted that the movie does include a fun detail for book fans: the final scene in Auden’s college dorm room features a picture frame that says “the best of times” and in the novel, Hollis gives this to Auden as a present.
Sarah Dessen Visited The Set In The Spring Of 2021
Sometimes a movie is better than the book it’s adapted from, but other times, it feels just right. Along For The Ride has the same sweet and heartfelt tone that the novel does and Sarah Dessen has shared what it has been like for her to watch her story be adapted for Netflix.
Sarah Dessen shared on her website that she visited the movie’s set in 2021 and felt emotional. Dessen wrote about a sweet moment: Dessen teared up at watching her work come to life and Alyssa Rodrigues, the film’s producer, started crying as well.
Emma Pasarow Loved Working With Andie Macdowell And Kate Bosworth
As Auden’s strict academic mother Victoria and fun-loving stepmother Heidi, Andie Macdowell and Kate Bosworth played two very different characters.
When asked what it was like working with them, Emma Pasarow told Coming Soon that she loved it and that she would sometimes be starstuck. Emma said, “I would forget a line because they’re just so good and so kind.” Victoria and Heidi both teach Auden crucial lessons about love, family, compassion and letting go.
