Original-Cin Q&A: Big Bang Theory's Kunal Nayyar & The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry Co-Star Lucy Hale Talk Books
By Bonnie Laufer
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is based on the beloved New York Times best-selling novel by Gabrielle Zevin about the title character, a bookstore owner (The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar) who struggles both emotionally and financially.
After his wife’s tragic death, he feels lost and left behind in a rapidly evolving world. As he tries to keep his store afloat, he begins to drink his sorrows away, ultimately hitting rock bottom when his most prized possession, a series of Edgar Allen Poe poems, are stolen.
But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, the unexpected arrival gives Fikry a new lease on life, and love.
Kunal Nayyar and Lucy Hale in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
The film also stars Lucy Hale, Christina Hendricks, Scott Foley, and David Arquette.
Our Bonnie Laufer spoke with stars Kunal Nayaar and Lucy Hale about their love for books.
CLICK HERE for Bonnie’s video interview with stars David Arquette and Christina Hendricks:
The Stories Life of A.J. Fikry is in theatres Friday, Oct. 7.
ORIGINAL-CIN The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is such a beloved novel. And clearly you both fell in love with it, because not only are you starring in the film, but you are both producers. Kunal, what connected you to A.J. and I hope not his curmudgeon side?
KUNAL NAYAAR: I hope I don’t come off as a curmudgeon in my real life!! (Laughs).
I think all of us know what it feels like to lose someone. All of us know what it feels like to be in a place in our lives where we're not close to our true nature and we're far away from it. And we've hopefully overcome some of those times in our life.
So this book, and this character, allowed me to be in a position to explore that on film, which we don't get to do that much anymore in film and television.
It was a great opportunity also to play a character who doesn't necessarily have to answer the question of why he's Indian. He's just a bookstore owner in a small town in America, and it was really a dream that fell into my lap in this way.
O-C: When I was a young girl, I could not get enough books to read. I joined the Scholastic Book Club and always ordered as many books as I was allowed. Lucy, what kind of reader were you or maybe still are?
LUCY HALE: I was the exact same way! I could hardly wait for the Scholastic Book Fair. I was a girl who lived in my imagination.
No wonder I became an actor because it's all about escapism through books or movies or film or whatever. That's always been my coping mechanism and has always been my creative outlet. I was an avid reader and I still go through phases because time is so limited as you get older.
What I read now are very easy reads because I feel like life can be hectic, so I tend to look for books that are simple, fun and light and airy. I'm kind of in a chick lit phase of my life right now. .
O-C: Kunal, when you were younger was there a book that you read that changed your life?
NAYAAR: Absolutely. There were two that really stand out. The first was The Alchemist. Second, there's a great book by Kahlil Gibran called The Prophet that will always stay with me.
When I left home from India when I was 18 years old my father gave me that book at the airport and he said, ”I won’t be around to give you the answers of life. So if you ever need them, they will be in this book.” So that book really changed my life because it did and still does to this day act as a guiding light sometimes through dark times.
O-C: Lucy, how about for you?
HALE: I had a few for sure, but I remember reading all of Judy Blume’s books. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret was a staple!
I just vividly remember reading The Catcher in the Rye, and The Kite Runner was a big one for me. Weirdly enough, The Lovely Bones still haunts me and The Glass Castle. They are books I found a little later in life. They were very dark, but they still stay with me. I still think about The Lovely Bones.
If I had to pick my favorite book, it would be, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Luis.
I try to live my life by it and I like to give it as a gift to everyone in my life for Christmas.
O-C: What also makes this story so special is that A.J. adopts a young girl left at his bookstore when she was a baby. He doesn’t even hesitate, and loves her unconditionally.
We get to experience her love for books through her eyes because she's brought up in a bookstore. What was it like to work with these young actresses?
NAYAAR: There were four actresses who played Maya with the youngest being two years old. So, while outside of the interactions with a two year old, the other girls were incredible.
You could tell immediately upon meeting these young girls, they're going to grow up to change the world. They're intelligent, sensitive, aware and so thoughtful at a very young age. So it was really inspirational to look at these kids and be like, wow, okay, there's hope for the future.