Amsterdam! That is where the above photo from The Fault in Our Stars was taken, though there isn’t much about the image that gives away its location. Its focus is on the two teens cuddled together on a bench. He’s touching her chin and she’s got her legs draped over his. In the moment, it seems like their surroundings have drifted. They could be anywhere. Also visible in the shot is Hazel’s oxygen tank, a reminder that her health condition isn’t great and hasn’t been for the bulk of her adolescence.
Based on John Green’s novel, The Fault in our Stars tells the story of Hazel Lancaster (Shailene Woodley), a teen girl whose been battling cancer since she was thirteen. She meets Augustus "Gus" Waters (Ansel Elgort) at a support group and the two click pretty much right away. Augustus lost his leg to Osteosarcoma and is in remission.
It was actually Elgort who posted the above image, which shows his and Woodley’s characters sharing what looks like a very sweet moment in Amsterdam together. Much of the movie was filmed in the U.S., however production shifted to Amsterdam last fall before wrapping. A few months back, John Green Instagrammed this photo of himself with Woodley:
He also shared this image of the house in Amsterdam where he lived when he was finishing the book…
Known to some for penning this book, and to others for Mental Floss and VlogBrothers with his brother Hank, John Green spoke up in response to some of the backlash the Fault in our Stars poster received for its tagline:
Some thought "One Sick Love Story" made light of the subject matter, but Green defended it, saying, "I like the tag line because it says, literally, the sick can also have love stories. Love and joy and romance are not just things reserved for the well."
Having begun to read the book, I can already see why fans of the novel aren’t as put off by it as those who haven’t. Hazel does seem to have a dry sense of humor about her situation, or as Green puts it, at times she’s "dark and angry in her humor." It’ll be interesting to see how Woodley portrays the character. From this new photo and the poster, it seems she and Elgort have no trouble looking completely smitten with one another.
While The Fault in our Stars doesn’t arrive in theaters until June 6, we’ll be able to see Elgort and Woodley on screen together as soon as March, as the two are set to play siblings in Divergent, another young adult feature adaptation of a popular book.
