The latest novel by Nicholas Sparks that was turned into a big screen flick, The Longest Ride, will hit the theaters on April 10, 2015. To give the audience a bit of a background on how the romantic film was made and the challenges the project entailed, the famed author discussed various aspects of the movie, according to Screen Rant.
The Longest Ride focuses on the story between Luke Collins, played by Scott Eastwood, and Sophia Danko, portrayed by Britt Robertson. The former is a cowboy who incurred an injury while riding a bull, whereas the latter is an art enthusiast. Needless to say, the duo have nothing much in common except for their mutual attraction and passion to be together. However, their differences begin to reveal cracks in their relationship and as they struggle to make things work, they meet Ira Levinson, played by Alan Alda.
Ira is involved in a car accident when Luke and Sophia meet him. While the old man attempts to fight for his life, the scenes where he appears to be suffering too much are interspersed with memories of himself and his wife in their younger years. Accompanying him in his recovery is Sophia, who takes a page from the book of the older couple and becomes even more inspired to make her relationship with the bull rider last.
One of the most astonishing portions of the film is the interaction of the characters with the animals, especially the bulls. Sparks, who also served as the producer, shared that filming with the creatures was not an easy feat.
"Unlike most Hollywood films, these are not tame animals. These are not trained animals. You don't know where they're going to go when they come out of the shoot," Sparks said. "So where do you place the cameras when you're hoping to get the shots you need?" he added.
Another notable thing Sparks took away from the entire filming process was the realization of the importance of Black Mountain College in the world of art and how this particular field grew to what it is today. "Black Mountain College is just this extraordinary place," the renowned author described. "It was really the place in which the American Modern Art movement grew and it expanded," he stated.
Sparks melted the hearts of both viewers and readers when he released Message In A Bottle, which was later turned into a blockbuster film starring Kevin Costner and Robin Wright in 1999. However, his novel A Walk To Remember, which also became a hit in the big screen and featured heartbreaking performances by Mandy Moore and Shane West, catapulted his career as a romance writer not only among the adult members of the audience but also the younger generation.
It was in 2004, however, when Sparks finally cemented his reputation as the king of love stories when his bestselling novel, The Notebook, was transformed into one of the most popular films in this genre. With the stellar acting performances from both Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, the title easily became Sparks' most awarded work thus far.
