Interview: Book Club: The Next Chapter Filmmakers and Actress

The sequel to the hit Book Club is arriving this Mother’s Day weekend, Book Club: The Next Chapter. The film returns top stars Mary Steenburgen, Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda and Candice Bergen. This time the ladies take their adventures to Italy on one unforgettable trip.

I had a chance to speak with the writers and director Erin Simms and Bill Holderman, as well as actress Grace Truly who appears in the film. Grace spoke about her casting and on-set experiences. Bill and Erin spoke about how the sequel came to be and what characters have spin-off potential, among other things.

BILL HOLDERMAN & ERIN SIMMS:

Bill and Erin are a lot of fun. Had a chance to meet them in-person in Chicago when they were promoting the first film a few years back. They have great repertoire with each other. Their writing is clever and witty and fairly raunchy. We spoke about that. They seemed to get a kick out of it. I threw out an idea for some spin-offs for the new characters introduced. They were on board with that and even made some suggestions. Erin shared the story how a flight with the four main ladies lead to a sequel and that happened a while back. So this sequel has been in the works for years. Erin and Bill are a great time and happy for their success.

GRACE TRULY:

Grace is so damn sweet. What a lovely individual. Honestly one of the most interesting, accomplished and talented individuals I’ve come across. She’s just on another level as to what she’s done and capable of. I was blown away. She did an excellent job in her role and scene. Who knew she had troubles with her lines? Great to hear Bill was so comforting and kind to her and helped her get her through it. She had glowing things to say about the ladies. Jane is a pros pro and Mary was kind to her when she was having troubles with the lines. That’s nice to hear.

I really enjoyed Book Club: The Next Chapter. It was impressed with the sequel. I found it to be better than the original and I liked the original. This one was just funnier and more entertaining all around with more things happening in the story.

BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER in theaters nationwide on Friday, May 12th, 2023

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