EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING author Nicola Yoon talks about being on set of the film adaptation and the new movie tie-in cover.

If you haven’t seen the first trailer for Everything, Everything, then you really should go check it out now. It’s amazing to see Nick Robinson (Olly) and Amandla Stenberg (Maddy) portray the main characters. This latest photo of them, which will be the movie tie-in cover for the book it was adapted from, seems to show how flawless their chemistry was with each other.

As a side note, there’s a note on the bottom corner stating that this version of the book will have photo stills from the movie included.

Further down, we’ve included some of author Nicola Yoon‘s interview with Entertainment Weekly, in which she talks about her reaction when she went on set for the first time and how she feels about the two young stars.

What was it like to actually be there [on set] after having seen it in your head for so long?
It was really surreal. The first time I actually made it to set, I was with my husband and daughter and I went to the director’s tent, and this director lent me headphones so I could hear what the actors were saying…. They just started saying the words from the book, and I just started bawling my eyes out. And my little girl is 4, and she was there and like, “Mama Mama. Why is Mama crying?” And then my husband said, “It’s tears of joy, honey.” It was just one of those moments that it was insane that this is happening. But it’s been great.

Did you talk to Amandla and Nick about playing their characters? Did they ask for any notes?
They did not ask for notes. I was on set a couple of times and sort of chatted with them about it. But they got this! They knew what they were doing.

Was there anything they added in their performances that you hadn’t considered about their characters before?
Yeah. Maddy’s pretty funny but I think Amandla plays her a little bit funnier, which I really love. I think one of the things that was surprising was when I read some versions of the script, and there were parts in there when I would go, “Oh my God. That’s way better than in the book!” Which is kind of a weird thing to think. But I was excited at the thought of that. So at first, it’s weird, but really, it’s nice because it’s a different piece of art. That’s really nice.

How does it feel to have Amandla play Maddy?
She’s so perfect. She’s totally who I wanted the whole time. And as I say, I’ve been very lucky. She’s a rockstar. She does Maddie so well. She’s innocent and quirky, brave and smart. Amandla just manages to portray all of that. I couldn’t do it. I would be the worst!

Have you had a chance to see the new cover yet?
I have! It’s beautiful! I couldn’t be happier. It’s so strange to see a different cover, but it’s like the book lives on. A new piece of art.

What is the most exciting thing about seeing this movie actually happen?
When I wrote this book, Maddy looks the way she does because my little girl looks like that. Maddy the character is half Japanese, half African-American and my little girl is Jamaican like me and Korean American like my husband. And one of the things I really wanted to do was have my little girl be able to see herself in a book when she grew up. Because I didn’t see myself that much in books. And when we first got to the set, my little girl was with us, and she met Amandla and the first thing she said was, “She looks just like me!” And that really just killed me. I was like, “Okay. This is good.” It was really one of those moments.

You can read the complete interview right here.

Everything, Everything opens in theaters May 19th.