Candice Bergen hatched the idea for a sequel to 鈥淏ook Club鈥� before the first had even come out.
It was 2017 and they were flying to a convention of movie theater owners to drum up excitement for their movie where she, Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen and Diane Keaton play friends who decide to read 鈥淔ifty Shades of Grey.鈥�
Like all movies, it wasn鈥檛 the easiest to get made 鈥� somewhere along the line someone even suggested a younger cast. But they were pretty sure they had something that audiences were going to like and that a sequel would happen. Bergen said, 鈥淚t has to be Italy.鈥�
Why Italy? Well, about the same reasons anyone would choose Italy: the food, the wine, the history, the art, the people.
And their dream came true: 鈥淏ook Club: The Next Chapter,鈥� out Friday, finds the women traveling to Rome, Venice and Tuscany. It鈥檚 part bachelorette party for Fonda鈥檚 character, who is getting married for the first time (to Don Johnson) and part bucket list fulfillment 鈥� years ago, life got in the way of a trip and post-pandemic they鈥檙e all feeling a little more adventurous.
鈥淥n the first film, we were only together when we got together for a book club meeting. It was about our individual storylines,鈥� Fonda said. 鈥淭his time we were together all the time.鈥�
That meant full filming days, dinners out with everyone and weekend excursions to Florence and gelato in between takes. One morning, a makeup artist spotted Fonda at 5:30 am outside the Pantheon with a map in hand and hat on her head. A few hours later, while filming, she鈥檇 exclaim she鈥檇 already hit 10,000 steps.
鈥淲e had a schedule,鈥� Bergen said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 like anarchy. When the day wrapped we went to dinner.鈥�
鈥淏ut the dinners out were very important,鈥� Steenburgen added. 鈥淭here were a lot of discussions about where we were eating, who was eating and dreaming about Aperol Spritzes. At least for me.鈥�
Though there was support for a sequel after the first made over $100 million at the box office, at the studio there was a fixation on the book choice being the hook. But director Bill Holderman and his co-writer Erin Simms were pretty sure that wasn鈥檛 it.
鈥淲e felt like the driver of the success was the women, their friendship and the bond,鈥� Holderman said. 鈥淲e had to go through a bit of a journey to convince everyone that we didn鈥檛 need another 50 Shades style book.鈥�
Ultimately, they chose Paulo Coelho鈥檚 鈥淭he Alchemist," inspired by something Steenburgen had said about getting written off after a certain age.
Their four stars, though of somewhat similar generations with ages ranging from 70 (Steenburgen) to 85 (Fonda) hadn鈥檛 known each other very well and had never worked together before the first film. But they soon became real friends and have stayed in close touch 鈥� usually waiting for 鈥淐andy,鈥� as they call Bergen, who lives on the East Coast, to tell them she鈥檚 coming to Los Angeles. Then they scramble to figure out whose house they鈥檒l go to for dinner. All have hosted at least one.
鈥淭he biggest gift by far of these two movies for me is just the friendships with these beloveds in my life,鈥� Steenburgen said.
Italy was a dream for everyone. Some had filmed there before. Fonda had once stayed in Rome for a year doing 鈥淏arbarella鈥� with Roger Vadim, and Bergen had shot Lina Wertm眉ller鈥檚 鈥淎 Night Full of Rain鈥� there. When it came time to make 鈥淭he Next Chapter,鈥� she suggested they call on her co-star from the 1978 film, Giancarlo Giannini, to play a part.
鈥淗e definitely has a little crush on you,鈥� Steenburgen teased. 鈥淗e couldn鈥檛 keep his eyes off of you.鈥�
Bergen politely disagreed. Besides, they were all focused on being together.
By the time the rest of their male counterparts arrived for the final scenes, including Johnson, Craig T. Nelson and Andy Garcia, Fonda laughed it was like, 鈥淲ho are you? We felt very complete unto ourselves.鈥�
None took the film for granted, either.
鈥淭hey really understood how lucky they were to be together and to be doing this," Simms said. 鈥淣ot everybody sends older women to Italy to go make a movie. I think they really felt that and it bonded them more deeply.鈥�
Steenburgen thought back to when she was starting out, in the late 1970s, looking at women in the business who were just a generation ahead of her and wondering why there weren't more opportunities for them.
鈥淭hey were brilliant and amazing and still just had so much to offer and there was nothing happening for them,鈥� Steenburgen said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been in the business long enough to know that it wasn鈥檛 a given that something like this could happen."
But times have changed for the better. 鈥淏ook Club 2" is Fonda's third release this year, after 鈥�80 for Brady鈥� and 鈥淢oving On."
鈥淪tudios are noticing that older women are the fastest growing demographic,鈥� Fonda said. 鈥淚t's just good business.鈥�
Bergen added: 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not quite so dismissive of us anymore."
Fonda and her co-stars have also noticed that it鈥檚 often younger people who talk to them about 鈥淏ook Club." She thinks part of it is that it's simply comforting to see more mature women having fun, which, she hopes takes some of the stigma and fear out of aging. And, yes, they鈥檙e already scheming up a possible third movie with Bergen driving the brainstorm.
鈥淥ur next one will be in Hong Kong,鈥� Bergen said.
Steenburgen reminded her she also suggested Burning Man.
Bergen: Did I?
Steenburgen: You forget, but I make notes on all your ideas.
Bergen: That would be funny.
Steenburgen: And hot. And uncomfortable.
Fonda: I鈥檒l phone that one in.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
