*Adapted from the best-selling novel by Colleen Hoover

* The director says he wanted to make a mainstream film where audiences would have the confidence to engage with uncomfortable ideas

by Francesca Halliwell

LONDON, Sept. 24 — Psychological thriller “Verity” reflects the real-world challenge of figuring out what’s true and who to trust, actor Dakota Johnson said at the film’s UK premiere on Thursday.

Based on the best-selling novel by Colleen Hoover, the film tells the story of struggling author Loven Ashley, played by Johnson, who is hired to complete a series of books for renowned author Verity Crawford after an accident leaves her unable to write.

The assignment takes Loewen to the secluded estate of the Crawford family, where she discovers Verity’s autobiographical manuscript. As its disturbing secrets are revealed, the lines between truth and deception begin to blur.

“It’s very thrilling, it’s very sexy,” Johnson said. “You’re constantly trying to figure out what the truth is and who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. It’s a lot like life.”

The adaptation is the latest of Hoover’s novels to reach the big screen, following the attention generated by Justin Baldoni’s “It End’s With Us.”

Directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Michael Showalter, the film stars Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway as Verity and Josh Hartnett as her husband Jeremy.

The director of “The Big Sick” said he was captivated by the darkly seductive charm Hoover created. He said, “It felt like this was a very glamorous, sexy, intriguing world that I wanted to lose myself in, but it was also very scary and mysterious.”

For Hartnett, the film’s refusal to provide direct answers is what attracted him to the project. “What I love about this story is that it’s kind of its own adventure about who the villain is,” the “Oppenheimer” actor said, adding that many modern films “spoon-feed” the audience conclusions.

He said he hoped the open nature of the film would spark debate among cinemagoers. He joked, “I want to hear a lot of arguments. I want to see people throwing popcorn in other people’s faces.”

Hartnett said he was “mesmerized” watching Hathaway and Johnson play their characters. “These two are the best in our industry,” he said. “This entire film exists on two of their faces.”

For Johnson, the dark themes of “Verity” have whetted his appetite for villainous roles. “I would love to be a villain. It’s so much fun to play a crazy person,” the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ actor told Reuters.

Showalter said that Hoover remained closely involved in the entire filmmaking process and even played a small role. Although the film is largely faithful to the novel, the director acknowledged that it deals with erotic themes. “We are sexual creatures and this story explores that,” he said.

More broadly, Showalter said he wanted to make a mainstream film that would give audiences the trust to engage with uncomfortable ideas.

“We can handle things that don’t feel like it happens every day,” he said. “I think it’s important…in a commercial film and a Hollywood film, to take on difficult subject matter.”

“Verity” begins its global cinematic rollout on September 30.

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