‘One of my favourite scenes’: Colleen Hoover on Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson’s kiss in ‘Verity’

Colleen Hoover was initially nervous about one of the most talked-about additions to the film adaptation of her novel ‘Verity’ but the author says the scene eventually became one of her favourites.

The upcoming psychological thriller, starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, is set to hit cinemas in India on October 2. Based on Hoover’s bestselling novel of the same name, the film has already sparked plenty of curiosity, particularly after its trailer teased an intense kiss between Hathaway and Johnson.

The kiss, however, was not part of Hoover’s original book. Speaking to Variety, the author revealed that she was unsure how the addition would work within the story when she first heard about it.

“That was one I was nervous about because it wasn’t in the book and I didn’t know how it was going to play out or how it was going to fit in,” Hoover said. She added that the scene ultimately became “one of my favourite scenes” and also worked well for the trailer.

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For an author watching a popular novel being translated to the screen, additions and changes can be a gamble. Hoover said she hoped the changes made during the adaptation would work, adding, “As an author, when they add or take out something you hope it works, and luckily it did.”

What is ‘Verity’ about?

Directed by Michael Showalter, ‘Verity’ follows Lowen Ashleigh, played by Dakota Johnson, a struggling writer who is hired to complete the work of celebrated author Verity Crawford, played by Anne Hathaway, after an accident leaves her unable to continue writing.

Lowen moves into the Crawford family’s remote estate and begins going through Verity’s work. She soon discovers what appears to be a disturbing autobiographical manuscript containing deeply unsettling revelations about Verity and her husband Jeremy, played by Josh Hartnett.

As Lowen becomes increasingly immersed in the Crawford family’s secrets, the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to blur. Attraction, manipulation, obsession and suspicion become intertwined as she tries to determine what is actually happening inside the house.

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The film's trailer has already placed the complicated dynamic between its central characters at the heart of the adaptation, with the kiss between Hathaway and Johnson adding another layer to the film's tense relationships.

‘Verity’ is produced by Amazon MGM Studios and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing International. The film will release in cinemas across India on October 2, 2026.