Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr. Explain How ‘Forever’ Is Similar — and Different — From the Book (Exclusive)

Netflix has adapted Judy Blume‘s Forever novel — but how similar is the show to the book?

During exclusive interviews with Us Weekly, Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr. broke down their individual experiences with Forever before being cast on the show. Simone, 26, who plays Keisha, recalled doing a deep dive once she auditioned for the lead role.

“I read it in one sitting and I was obsessed with it afterward. So the book made me want to get the role even more,” Simone told Us. “But I am not too hip to the Judy Blume world. I only read Forever — but I wouldn’t put it past me to read all of her books. I like authors and reading all of their bodies of work so I see that in my near future.”

Cooper Jr., 23, had a similar experience after being cast as Justin, saying, “When I booked the role I was like, ‘Hi, it’s time to read Forever.’ But my mom has been a big Judy Blume fan since she was a little girl — so I saw her excitement for the product. I was like, ‘Alright, this is something cool.’”

Blume’s version of Forever was released in 1975 and followed the love story between teenagers Katherine and Michael. The novel tracked the ups and downs of their romance as they navigated their individual journeys with their sexuality.

“Forever really was a tale that kind of tested the times and stayed true. Love for teenagers looks kind of like this. So it is cool seeing how we’re now in a new age and this is a re-imagination but just in a completely different era,” Simone explained. “It’s nice to see it revamped a little bit. We’re still honest to the book and honest to the points that it was trying to make there.”

Netflix’s 8-episode series, which premiered on Thursday, May 8, is set in 2018 Los Angeles as two young athletes become each other’s first love.

“If you graduated high school in 2018 or 2019, this might be very nostalgic for you,” Simone noted. “And 2018 or 2019 was a very nostalgic time. It was right before the pandemic and the emotions were at an all time high. So it was really fun to play with.”

Simone and Cooper Jr. praised showrunner Mara Brock Akil for adapting the material, with Cooper Jr. telling Us, “She does such a beautiful job and there’s so much connectivity for people of our generation who necessarily aren’t familiar with the original text. There’s different access points, so I think she does that really well.”

According to Simone, the onscreen love story extends beyond Keisha and Justin’s story.

“[Mara] wanted to make a love story to L.A. — not just between two teenagers. Being in L.A. was really different. It also helped create the character because now we know where they are in a sense of their environment and their upbringing,” Simone detailed. “It helped shape me in that essence.”

She continued: “Also just having the creative freedom to really just try and express [what I felt] was great. Then, if anything, just pull me back if I do too much. But just being able to be a Black actress who’s not just the girlfriend role — there was a lot of freedom in just me feeling like, ‘OK, let’s play with being a teenager today.’”

Forever is able to tell a new version of Blume’s story by adapting to the times, including the use of technology.

“It’s so relatable. We’ve all experienced it to some sort of level — especially with the technological advancements and the corresponding via text and the blocking and then not picking up calls and wanting to text something and deleting it,” Cooper Jr. quipped about the ups and downs of young romance. “Those things are so real and we all have been in those positions. It’s a really important entry point that Mara is using to showcase Judy’s work and then also Mara’s work.”

With sexuality playing such a major role in the book, Netflix’s version of Forever also prioritized authenticity .

“When you’re a teenager early on in life, we’re very primal. For teenagers, a lot of their motives run on either, ‘I’m hungry or I’m horny or I’m really happy right now.’ A lot of the times for Keisha or for Justin, it would be like, ‘What is motivating this moment?’” Simone recalled. “I feel like all of the intimate scenes were very tasteful. It wasn’t so provocative. It’s like you really feel like you’re going through somebody’s mind with them while they’re deciding to do something in real time. So it was really nice to be able to work on a project where there was sex involved — but it was everything around the sex that was involved on camera.”

Cooper Jr. had a similar perspective, telling Us, “It’s a testament to Mara’s writing and what me and Lovie were pulling together. It is about how we discussed how we wanted to step into the roles and what we were willing to do and what we weren’t willing to do. It’s beautiful because we were all on the same page of wanting to showcase it in the most authentic way and not spice it up just because it’s a television show.”

Forever is currently streaming on Netflix.