14 Things You May Not Know About "The Fault In Our Stars"

Interesting facts about the best selling novel by John Green and the recent film adaptation. (There's one or two minor spoilers here so be warned!)

1. The title comes from a reference to Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar .

Via whataboutshakespeare.com

Author, John Green chose the title as a way of saying that "there is plenty of fault in our stars. The world is a profoundly unjust place in which suffering is unfairly distributed..."

2. Green signed every single copy of the first printing of the novel.

Via danuscript.wordpress.com

Yes, every one. That's 150,000 books total, and he still regularly signs books for independent book stores so that they're available for anyone to purchase.

You may contact The Book Cellar in Chicago if you're looking for a copy!

3. Green’s inspiration for the story came from his work as a chaplain at a children’s hospital nearly a decade ago.

Via survivingcollege.com

The story was with him for over a decade as he struggled with how to write it without feeling angry about the injustices of the world. By which I mean kids dying from cancer, amongst other things.

4. Actress Shailene Woodley, who plays Hazel, sought out Green to express her love of the story before she was cast.

Via au.ibtimes.com

Before production or casting on the movie began, Woodley sent a letter to Green which he felt showed the passion she would bring to being true to the role.

5. Nat Wolff, who plays Isaac, wore special contacts to block his vision in scenes where Isaac was blind.

Via thehollywoodnews.com

He also watched videos online for the movements, and his glasses shielded vision as well. Watch him talk about the preparation here (it's worth your time too taking into consideration how adorable Nat Wolff is).

6. The original idea for the story was about a group of kids with cancer who sneaked out of the hospital regularly to meet in a cave.

Via tfios-movie.blogspot.com

Green's first idea revolved around a group of about a dozen kids with cancer who formed a club called "The Dead Person's Society" and visited a cave near the hospital for meetings.

7. Green thought about having the story narrated by Isaac rather than Hazel.

Via foreveryoungadult.com

As Green wanted The Fault in Our Stars to be a bit of a romantic epic, he thought having the narrator be blind would be a nice touch as it's a traditional feature of epics. In the end, he felt Hazel deserved to have her own voice in her story.

8. Actor Ansel Elgort, who plays Augustus, received the news that he got the role via a package containing a rotten Dutch cheese and tomato sandwich.

Via flicksided.com

I'll let him tell you about it (Skip to 1:24 for his adorable account).

9. The support group in the film is played by real teen cancer survivors.

Via fangirlish.com

This casting choice was one of John's favorite decisions that the production made, and how awesome would it be to have the chance to meet and hear the stories of these young survivors. Good on you, casting director.

10. Green had a cameo appearance in the film but the scene was cut in the final version.

Via fishingboatproceeds.tumblr.com

To the dismay of many fans, John Green's cameo appearance was cut in the final film, but you can take a look at it here!

11. Writing team Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Webber who wrote the screenplay, also wrote indie films (500) Days of Summer and The Spectacular Now.

Via tfios-movie.blogspot.com

And it looks like plans to continue their work on fresh and real love stories is moving forward. The development of a film adaptation of Green's fourth novel, Paper Towns has been announced.

12. The prop copy of An Imperial Affliction that appears in the film is comprised of the same four pages repeated over and over.

Via weheartit.com

Apparently, Green wrote four pages of the fictional novel, An Imperial Affliction, which were made into props for the film with a book cover and the same four pages printed repeatedly.

13. The story was largely inspired by Green’s friend Esther Earl who died of cancer in 2010 at age 15.

Via wellesleybooksmith-shop.com

Although much of the story was inspired by Esther, Green has been clear that the novel is not about her. Her story is not his to tell. However, her recently published book (pictured above) contains stories by her, journal entries, pieces by family members, and an introduction by John Green himself.

14. There's going to be a lot of crying happening.

Via crushable.com

Whether you've seen/read it or not...

Via alicemarvels.com

But honestly, you probably already knew that.

Via tfios-movie.blogspot.com

DFTBA