The film divides Lily and Atlas across present-day performers and younger counterparts, allowing memories that appear as journals in the novel to become a parallel screen story.
Blake Lively biography on Wikipedia
A Boston florist whose relationship with Ryle forces her to reassess the violence she witnessed as a child.
Justin Baldoni biography on Wikipedia
A neurosurgeon, Allysa's brother and Lily's partner. Baldoni also directed the film.
Brandon Sklenar biography on Wikipedia
Lily's first love, now a restaurateur, who recognizes the danger she is minimizing.
Jenny Slate biography on Wikipedia
Lily's employee and closest friend, as well as Ryle's sister.
Isabela Ferrer biography on Wikipedia
The teenage Lily whose home life and journals establish the story's first cycle of abuse.
Alex Neustaedter biography on Wikipedia
The homeless teenager Lily secretly helps and eventually loves.
Photo credits
These are event portraits of the actors, not film stills. Images are displayed with a CSS crop; no image files were edited.
- Blake Lively: photo by SWinxy, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Justin Baldoni: photo by iDominick, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
- Brandon Sklenar: photo by James Bianchi, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Jenny Slate: photo by Colleen Sturtevant, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikimedia Commons did not have a confirmed freely reusable portrait for Isabela Ferrer or Alex Neustaedter when this page was reviewed, so their original typographic cards remain and link to Wikipedia.
Supporting cast
The character map
Lily connects every timeline. Ryle is her present partner; Atlas is the witness from her past; Allysa is both Lily's chosen family and Ryle's sister. The younger cast makes Lily's memories visible without treating them as detached backstory.
Verification desk
Cast verified against Sony Pictures, the official Sony trailer and TIME's adaptation guide.