The Last Letter From Your Lover celebrates love across times in a testament to the most romantic expression of it: the art of letter-writing. Based on the historical fiction novel by best-selling author Jojo Moyes (Me Before You), the upcoming Netflix romance premieres on July 23. The story depicts two women’s lives in parallel, in the 1960s and the present.
In the process of searching for her next story, journalist Ellie Haworth (Felicity Jones, On the Basis of Sex) uncovers a passionate love letter written to Jennifer Stirling (Shailene Woodley, The Mauritanian) decades before. As she follows the curious tale of love and loss, she grows closer to uncovering her own romance with the kind Rory (Nabhaan Rizwan, 1917).
Jones and Rizwan spoke to Screen Rant about their characters, chemistry, and the lessons learned from the film.
Screen Rant: Felicity, I know you said you’ve been wanting to work on a project of Jojo’s for a while. What is it about her writing or her stories that inspire you?
Felicity Jones: I think she writes such accessible characters. I think she taps into a modernity, and they are just brilliant feel-good films.
I remember meeting Augustine [Frizzell] quite early on, and she said she wanted to do something cozy. I was in a similar place; we’d both done projects before that had been quite tough, so we both wanted to do something that was a little bit more warmhearted. And so, Last Letter was perfect.
Speaking of cozy, Nabhaan: the moment that we meet Rory, he’s just so sweet and soft that I was like, “Please do not hurt him, Ellie.” Can you talk about what he sees in her and what draws him to her?
Nabhaan Rizwan: I think Ellie slightly startles Rory at first. There’s something about that – when you meet someone and you’re moved by them in a way that you don’t expect to be, it can be quite flirtatious. You have a natural curiosity towards that person. I think that’s what happens to Rory.
And it’s just about him keeping a lid on his feelings and not getting too overwhelmed by Ellie’s undying need to break the rules for no reason.
It’s interesting that Ellie is both quite romantic in how she is drawn into the story of these letters, and yet she is very afraid of taking the first step towards a new romance and finding happiness in their own life. Can you talk about what’s holding her back?
Felicity Jones: Well, she’s become a little bit jaded. It is quite an interesting combination; that she’s actually she’s both romantic but very cynical at the same time. Maybe the two come together eventually when you’ve had enough knockbacks.
I think she’s felt like she’s had a bit of a rough time romantically. So when she meets Rory, she’s doing everything to not connect. Even though there is blatantly and obviously a connection, she’s just pushing it away. Because that means that she’s gonna have to be vulnerable and, at this point in her life, that’s a bit scary for her.
Ellie and Jennifer learn different lessons in the film. Nabhaan, is there anything that you learned from Rory or from the story of Jennifer and Anthony?
Nabhaan Rizwan: Yeah, completely. Love can be hard; it can be painful. But ultimately, if you really have that feeling, it’s worth enduring because it makes life richer and more worthwhile.
But yeah, losing someone can be really painful. And if you can help it, try and patch things up and move on. That’s what I took away from it.
Finally, what is your favorite method of staying in touch with loved ones – if not handwritten letters?
Felicity Jones: I think you’ve always got to make the phone call. I think when you realize, with close friends or family, that you’ve been texting each other for months and haven’t actually spoken on the phone, then it’s always good just to pick up the phone and hear their voice. I think that’s the next best thing after actually seeing people in person, isn’t it?
Nabhaan Rizwan: I’m a terrible texter; always have been. So, phone calls always.
The Last Letter From Your Lover drops July 23 on Netflix.
Key Release Dates
The Last Letter From Your Lover
Release Date:2021-07-23
