If the name “John Green” triggers flashbacks of sobbing over your copy of The Fault in Our Stars and/or crying into a bag of popcorn during the film adaptation, we have news: He’s back — and this time, with his first novel for adults.
Hollywood, Ending centers on two up-and-coming actors cast in a buzzy Andy Warhol biopic: Juniper, a fiercely ambitious performer with a knack for the publicity game, and Kai, a wide-eyed industry newcomer with a complicated past. Naturally, an off-screen romance ensues — and when the movie catapults the pair to superstardom, they’re forced to reckon with the Hollywood gossip machine, the attention economy, and each other. We got in touch with Green to chat about how he unwinds and his unhinged take on cereal.
Q: What is your most prized possession?
Green: When my son was born, Harper Lee sent me a book signed for him. I think technically that means it is his possession, but I sure do prize it.
Q: What's one unpopular opinion you have?
Green: I think cereal is better when moistened with water than milk. This horrifies my family and all those who love me, but I just like watered cereal more than I like milked cereal.
Q: What’s one thing everyone needs to watch?
Green: The new season of Jet Lag: The Game, a YouTube show where two teams of young people race across the length of Japan using only public transportation. I watch it every day while I eat lunch. I know I should spend that time staring into the distance and coming up with ideas for novels, but this series is just enthralling.
Q: What’s the last thing you read that you can’t stop thinking about?
Green: Heart the Lover by Lily King. It's such a rich and atmospheric novel. It takes a lot of work to make a novel sound so effortless.
Q: What’s one thing you can’t stop listening to?
Green: The new Mountain Goats album, Days. The Mountain Goats have been my favorite band for 25 years, and there's something magical about getting to follow a band for that long.
Q: What’s one thing you’re an armchair expert on?
Green: I don't know much about much, but I know a fair bit about the history of tuberculosis, which remains the deadliest infectious disease in the world even though it's been curable since [at least] the 1950s.
Q: What's your favorite unapologetic indulgence?
Green: As a Midwesterner, I apologize for all my indulgences, but I spend whatever it costs to enjoy the Indy 500 every year. I ride my bike to the race with dozens of friends, and I enjoy sitting high up in Turn 2.
Q: What’s the one thing you can't leave the house without?
Green: I keep a little note in my wallet that reminds me we've reduced global child mortality by 60% in the last 30 years. This note helps me remember that hope is the correct response to the human story, even though we are in so many ways an utter catastrophe.
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