When producer John Wells received an early copy of Janet Fitch’s novel, White Oleander, he read it in one night and immediately optioned the film rights. "The characters were beautifully drawn," comments Wells, a renowned writer and director as well as a producer and one of the creative forces behind ER, The West Wing and Third Watch. "It’s an extraordinarily well-written book with indelible characters and a very uplifting message. I found myself fully involved in Astrid’s journey."
Wells was impressed by how the story illustrates a universal theme about growing up, weathering the myriad experiences that help define us as individuals and establish an identity apart from our parents. "Whether or not we experience the kind of adversity that Astrid encounters, one way or another this is a passage we must all navigate as adolescents," says Wells. "Part of becoming an adult is the realization that our parents have a great many of their own failings and frustrations, that they are human and not omnipotent. Their love, though genuine, may be as imperfect as they are, and we have to accept that for what it is if we’re to move forward."
Producer Hunt Lowry felt a similar strong reaction to White Oleander. Having read the script one evening, he was on the phone the next morning to arrange a meeting with Wells to discuss moving forward with the project. A man who receives countless scripts and proposals, Lowry trusts his instincts in selecting projects to produce and often bases his decision on how much he is "genuinely and emotionally moved, in a positive way" by the material. "What sets a story like White Oleander apart," Lowry explains, "is that while I’m reading it I can forget that I’m reading a script or watching a movie because I become so immersed in the story itself."
Within two weeks of its publication, White Oleander was chosen by Oprah Winfrey as the May 1999 selection for her book club and it rose to top-five positions on the bestseller lists of newspapers around the country including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and USA Today. The book touched readers who identified with its life-affirming message. As of August 2002, there are more than 1.5 million copies in print. White Oleander has also become an international success, appearing on best-seller lists in the U.K. and Holland, with rights sold in 25 countries.
To translate the much-admired novel into a compelling screenplay without compromising the narrative or the characters, Wells enlisted Mary Agnes Donoghue, whose screenwriting credits include Deceived, Paradise and the soulful adaptation of Iris Rainer Dart’s novel for Beaches.
The intention was to present the story as fully as possible, allowing for the time constraints of film. "We didn’t acquire the book with the intention of using just a piece of it and extrapolating from that into something else," Wells explains. "We liked the story in whole and wanted to make as faithful an adaptation as possible, knowing that we’d have to reduce the scope of it. Readers will notice that we had to condense some of the episodes. Mary Agnes did an excellent job of making selections from the book and then Janet read her draft and provided some very helpful notes."
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