‘The Idea of You’ Author Robinne Lee on Anne Hathaway’s ‘Rocky’ Moment and How She Aims to Inspire Black Women Authors

variety.com:

Robinne Lee dropped by a local L.A. news station for an interview promoting her role in “Fifty Shades Darker,” the second film in the steamy series based on books by E.L.

James. “You’re venturing out a little bit now with a new novel…” the KCAL anchor said to Lee, whose filmography already included “Deliver Us From Eva,” “Hitch” and “13 Going on 30,” teeing the actor up to mention her career pivot. “I have a novel coming out this spring called ‘The Idea of You,’” Lee replied, grinning.

The premise was unique: A divorced mother and art gallery owner, living in L.A. on the precipice of turning 40, takes her daughter to a concert meet-and-greet and the 20-year-old lead singer of the band falls in love with her.

The story, Lee explained, was “as much about a love story complicated by celebrity and the underbelly of fame” as it was an exploration of what it’s like to be a woman facing middle age and challenging society’s problematic notions that you’re no longer “sexually viable” or “multilayered” past that point. “Might we see it on a big screen?” the reporter then prompted. “I hope so!” Lee replied. “I feel like it could play really well in a theater.” Well, fast forward to 2024: “The Idea of You” has become a massive bestseller (surging in popularity amid the pandemic in 2020) and now, it’s been adapted into a movie starring Oscar winner Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine. “It’s been a long journey, so there hasn’t been on moment of ‘Ah, this is wonderful!’” Lee says, chatting with Variety over Zoom in the days leading up to the film’s release on Prime Video.