Allison Williams on Colleen Hoover's best-selling book-to-movie adaptation 'Regretting You': 'Grief is messy'

I loved everything about the movie — the cast, Josh [Boone, director], the whole crew, the Colleen Hoover book — but I also loved the idea of playing Morgan and being part of this story. Like you said, it’s hard to pinpoint the genre because it’s a mix: there’s romance, drama, family dynamics, and even some big laughs. It feels like a nice emotional ride. From the moment it begins, you feel 'I’m in good hands'. I’ll just let go and go on this journey. I’ll probably cry, but not all the tears will be sad — it’ll be a mix.

I’ve never been part of a movie where I wasn’t bloody by the end, so this felt like a nice change from horror films that I have been a part of! (laughs) We all have horror backgrounds — all four of the main cast have recently done horror movies. Dave had just finished one, and Mason, McKenna, and I have mostly worked in that genre. So this felt like, “Let’s do the romantic, dramatic, tragic, comedic version of horror.”

About halfway through the shoot, we were filming a scene where Dave [Franco], McKenna [Grace], and I were all weeping over devastating news, and when we finished, we were all like, “I miss horror.”

Oh, yes. Our eyes hurt — our whole faces hurt from crying. We were like, “Okay, next movie, we’re doing a comedy.”

That’s the truth — she’s robbed of the ability to kill him because the world already did that. Watching her process this grief was really interesting, because I would have made some different choices from Morgan. There’s something she does at the end — I won’t spoil it — that I wouldn’t have done in a million years. Part of that is because I’m the child of journalists, so my instinct is to keep everything, to archive it. There’s also a choice she makes about not telling her daughter Clara something — I think I would’ve decided differently. But I’ve never been in her situation, so I don’t actually know. That’s what makes watching the movie so satisfying — you’re constantly wondering how you would handle these situations. Grief is messy, non-linear, and it follows no rulebook. No two people’s grief looks the same. Morgan’s grief isn’t clean or simple — it’s complicated, painful, and confusing, and that’s what we tried to capture in the movie.

The film shows how differently people view infidelity. There’s one character whose feelings about it are so strong that he makes huge life choices to avoid ever being part of it. And then there are characters who see it differently. We also get to watch Miller navigate his feelings for Clara while he still has a girlfriend. The movie definitely explores that — how people deal with deception, temptation, and loyalty in different ways.

Oh, I read the book — twice! And I listened to it too. I know some actors prefer not to read the source material, but not me. I had to read it — partly because, as an executive producer, I wanted to make sure we were adapting it faithfully. It’s a lot of source material, all from Morgan and Clara’s points of view. From a character-prep standpoint, that’s a goldmine. Colleen’s books are incredibly readable — she has this knack for knowing exactly when to reveal something. We tried to preserve that pacing and sense of discovery in the film.

Thank God my son isn’t even four yet! (laughs) You have three kids — you should be telling me how to do it.

I think you’re right — kids are incredibly perceptive. Even at a young age, they can pick up on any kind of tension or energy between people. They might not have the language for it, but they can feel it. So, yes, I think Morgan’s journey shows that. Her daughter is now the same age Morgan was when she made huge life choices — and that’s a shock for her. Luckily, I’m still in the dinosaur and Lego phase with my son. So, yes, parenting is hard enough. I can’t imagine navigating something like Morgan’s situation.

(laughs) The unholy and very unobvious union between The Notebook and Gone Girl! Those movies are so different I could write a thesis trying to combine them. I love both. In fact, I rewatched The Notebook before making Regretting You — I did not re-watch Gone Girl! (laughs) But this movie feels like a mix — a little Crazy, Stupid, Love, a little Little Miss Sunshine, a bit of The Fault in Our Stars. It’s a big emotional cocktail. Audiences who’ve seen it so far have been amazing — gasping, laughing, clapping, even talking to the screen. I love that. That’s the best way to watch a movie — when a stranger next to you grabs your hand and you’re like, “We’re getting through this together.”

Honestly, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are just not interested. Maybe the betas will bring it back.