Stay With Me On This One, But No One Compares To Eliza Taylor When It Comes To Playing Piper Bellinger

#ElizaTaylorForPiperBellinger.

Since its 2021 release, Tessa Bailey's novel It Happened One Summer hit instant success. It ranked on the New York Times bestsellers list and gained popularity on BookTok.

With talks of the book being adapting into a film, I must voice my top casting choice for the main character, Piper, who I just couldn't imagine as anyone besides Eliza Taylor. And why, you ask? Here's the top five reasons:

1. She's got the looks.

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Eliza Taylor is blonde, blue-eyed, and beautiful — which is how Piper Bellinger is described in the book. You can scroll through her Instagram and see how beautiful she is in every situation. She even modeled for Glaudi Collections. From a designer dress to a casual tee and jeans, she can rock any look with how stunning she is. It doesn't get more Piper than that!

2. She's got the talent.

The CW

Eliza Taylor is not just a pretty face, she is also a talented actor. We all saw her carry The 100, her biggest project to date, for seven seasons. She not only used an accent that isn't hers (she's Australian), but also played two characters — Clarke Griffin and Josephine Lightbourne. They both were as different as can be! She made us laugh. She made us cry. She made us feel a lot more. She proved to us what she can do as an actor, which is everything. She even won an "E! Top Leading Lady" after her performance. Name someone who wouldn't want that kind of talent in their book adaptation. I'll wait.

3. She's got the charm.

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More than just talent and beauty, Eliza Taylor has an effortless charm. Sweet and rather funny, she's well known for her Vines and her TikToks. Her Instagram is filled with witty and delightful captions, and she's done Cameos that highlight her charisma. Her adorable antics she's shared with the world demonstrate how utterly endearing she is in real life.

4. She's got the genre experience.

Netflix

Eliza Taylor has worked as an actor for awhile, starting her career in a kids show in Australia. She followed it up with long-running soaps and then The 100. She's been in action movies like The November Man to dramatic films like Thumper. Most importantly, she's done romantic comedies like Christmas Inheritance for Netflix. She played Ellen, a rich woman with a heart of gold. Sound familiar? Eliza would be no stranger at all to a character like Piper. She's already got practice on top of her looks and natural charm. One could argue she's rather perfect for this role!

5. And she's got the right level of fame.

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If the rest of it can't convince you, let me say that Eliza Taylor has the right amount of traction. While she's no newbie, she's not an A-lister just yet. She does sell out conventions with people from all over the world lining up to meet her. She even started her own convention which just had its third successful run in August 2022, after years of delay because of the pandemic. With people tattooing her face on their bodies and over three million followers on Instagram, she brings a legion of dedicated fans who are ready to watch whatever she is in. She does this without the constraints of someone attached to a heftier price tag.

If you agree with my list or think of another reason why Eliza should be Piper Bellinger, please leave a comment below!

This post is an entry in BuzzFeed’s 2nd Annual Community Summer Writers’ Challenge, where you can earn $$$ for creating your own lists and quizzes published through September 15, 2022! Check out alllll the details here.