“Orange Is The New Black: star Uzo Aduba is the host of Netflix’s new social series, “But Have You Read the Book?,” a partnership with coffee giants, Starbucks.
In the series, the stars and storytellers discuss a few of the latest book-to-screen adaptations, diving into the intricacies of the viewer’s favorite characters and how and why they were brought to life in such a way on the streaming platform’s site.
The first adaptation to go under the microscope is Nella Larsen’s “Passing.” The movie adaptation starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga was released earlier this month.
“I was really surprised by how personal this particular story was for some of the people we talked to. I thought that was incredibly powerful and such an incredible way to really underline how storytelling can affect life and people in their own personal stories and journeys, and why art sometimes gets made,” Aduba tells The Hollywood Reporter.
The movie proved to be quite the subject of debate in social media. Aduda says her own conversation with the creators was eye-opening.
“The conversation was really beautiful because we had an array of points of view, both from behind the camera and in front of with regards to the characters and their journey,” she continued. “Having read the book, it was really interesting to listen to those stories captured, especially when you have your own version of it in your own imagination of what those characters might be experiencing. It was a wonderful, wonderful conversation.”
Aduba is hoping her new series will encourage viewers to read more.
“I found the conversations so interesting that [I hope] people who haven’t read the book but who have seen the on-screen version will be so excited by the discussions that it’ll make some of them want to read the book,’ she says. “They’re going to learn a lot of different intricacies about the characters, the atmosphere [and] the scenes. I think people are really engaged right now with stories. We’ve seen stories expand so much beyond the way they had traditionally been told, just as recent as 10 years ago. I think that is a part of why we’re seeing this resurgence, not only in adaptations, but also hopefully in people wanting to read.”
