'The Idea of You': Writer reveals inspiration behind story

The Idea of You, a movie based on Robinne Lee's 2017 novel of the same name, is a must-see this spring for fans of boy bands and romantic comedies alike.

It tells the story of a May–December romance that begins with an epic Coachella meet-cute. Sparks fly when Soléne (Anne Hathaway), an art gallerist and divorced single mother, meets Hayes (Nicholas Galitzine), a well-known boy band frontman who is 16 years her junior.

This forces both Soléne and Hayes to think about what they're willing to do to pursue a romantic relationship despite leading very different lives.

You're not alone if the plot seems eerily similar to a particular real-life former member of a boy band who is now a well-known pop star and has a history of having affairs with older women.

In fact, a horde of fans have created elaborate theories regarding the possibility that Harry Styles was the inspiration for The Idea of You.

Although Lee has stated that a range of men, including her husband, Prince Harry, past girlfriends, and yes, even Harry Styles, served as inspiration for the character of Hayes, the novel was always about Soléne and questioning the stereotypes around women and their wants as they mature.

The author of the book regarding accusations stated in a recent interview with People Magazine, “When I was about 13, I was obsessed with Duran Duran, so I knew what it was like to be a 13-year-old girl, obsessed with a band, and thinking that if they can only see me, one day, they'll marry me.”

She then recalled, “I had been joking around with my husband and told him that I was going to run off and leave him and our two kids for a guy in a band who was half my age.”

“He laughed at me and was like, 'You are crazy...but that would make a great book.’ And as he said it, it just all came together,” she added.

Robinne further went on to say that, “I knew everything,” explaining, “I knew how it was going to end. I knew how it was going to start. I could see my characters very specifically.”

“I'd had all these experiences in my life leading up to this moment that I thought, ‘Oh, I could write this book, and I could do it really, really well,” she said before moving to another topic.  

“I felt like these characters were speaking to me the entire time I was writing,” she says. “They were in my head, they were living, breathing people.”

Lee could relate to her characters- she was 40, had a daughter and understood the woes of loving a musician, like Solène in the film.