Lucien Laviscount Talks ‘This Time Next Year’ Roku Rom-Com

Emily in Paris star Lucien Laviscount took the role of Quinn Hamilton in the adaptation of Sophie Cousens’ novel This Time Next Year after consulting some friends about the book.

The romantic comedy film — now available to stream exclusively in the U.S. on The Roku Channel for free in addition to Roku TVs, devices and TheRokuChannel.com — also stars Sophie Cookson as Minnie Cooper, Golda Rosheuvel as Quinn’s mother Tara, John Hannah as Minnie’s father Keith and Monica Dolan as Minnie’s mother Connie. Author Sophie Cousens adapted her novel, which came out at the end of 2020, into the screenplay for the movie.

“As I remember it, the script came through, and I gave it a read, and I was like, ‘Yo, this is this is really cool,’ and I reached out to my friends of mine, and I was like, ‘Have you read this book?’ And they lost the shit. So I was like, “Okay, cool,’” Laviscount told Deadline after the film landed on Roku Feb. 10. “And then I was in London at the time, and I was shooting somewhere on the train, and I must have seen about two or three different people holding this book. So I was like, ‘If there’s ever a sign, this is it,” and then I had a call with Nick Moore, the director, and he is possibly one of the loveliest, most passionate men that I’ve ever, ever had the joy of, let alone talking with to work with, and his vision and the heart that he brings to everything, being on set, we’d shoot, and he’d just be in tears behind the monitor.”

Set at New Year’s Eve and Day, the story follows Cooksen’s Minnie as she meets her nemesis from birth, Quinn Hamilton (Laviscount) at the turn of the holiday, which happens to be both of their birthdays. Minnie has a chip on her shoulder reserved for Quinn, because he beat her as the first baby of the new year in January 1990, and his mom took the name that Minnie’s mom had wanted to give her to charm her life. A glorious love-fate relationship which balances the fated mates and enemies to lovers tropes ensues.

“It’s about a fresh start. Both of them needed this fresh start within the story,” Laviscount added. “I think New Year’s is the perfect kind of setting for it.”

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In the below interview, the actor unpacks how he approached the different themes within the story, working with Bridgerton star Golda Rosheuvel and what is in store for him with future projects like the film adaptation of Emily Henry’s People We Meet On Vacation and Season 5 of Emily in Paris.

DEADLINE: Did you read the book? Did any lines stick out to you? Did you talk to Sophie [Cousens] the author who wrote the screenplay?

LUCIEN LAVISCOUNT: Sophie’s amazing. She’s an incredible woman. I remember talking to Nick about it. Nick said, “Lucien, don’t read the book.” And as much as I love him, I went and read it straight away. Adaptions can go different ways and stuff, but I really do think it stays true to the book enough and elevated for the screen as well. It was a really nice team behind it to make it come to life.

DEADLINE: You’ve been in the rom-com space for a while now. What is it about Quinn and Minnie’s chemistry, their enemies to lovers arc, that makes viewers want to root for them?

LAVISCOUNT: I think everyone’s been in that position where they meet someone who challenges them. It can either go one or two ways, and obviously, with his kicking off, it goes left, but then it comes back right or right or wrong, whatever you want to call it. What’s special about this one, it hits a lot deeper on so many different notes of the struggle that both of them are going through separately. I connected it in a way where, I think for a lot of things in my life, I’ve pushed people away, and I’ve not really been there for myself or allowed people to be in there for me. And I feel like it’s about growing up and seeing people there to care for you, and they want you to do well, and they want you to be happy, and you don’t have to deal with things on your own. That’s the beautiful thing about this. There’s layers to it that I don’t really see in many rom coms. That’s another reason why I fell in love with the script.

DEADLINE: Going off that you got to work with Golda Rosheuvel as your mom. How was that?

LAVISCOUNT: Honestly, quite nerve-wracking. First day on set, I kind of didn’t know where to put myself, which is a rarity, but she’s just a force. She’s so welcoming and loving, and she absolutely nails the part. It’s such a difficult character to play, and she does it with such grace and honesty. She’s fearless, but to be able to be in, let alone the same room, as  being able to work with her as my on screen mom was, was something I’ll never forget.

DEADLINE: That’s another big relationship in the film, and she has her own struggles, and then their moms get together. How did you want to balance that part with the romance in the movie?

LAVISCOUNT: There’s certain points where it could lose its way in the film because a lot of dark things [are] going on underneath them, but then the light shining through is each other and this friendship that they build. That’s what we don’t get to see as much is they become friends first who are just there for each other. They’re going for these walks on the heath, and they’ve got the little swimming thing going on. And it’s just so organic how they find each other. Tt’s a really wonderful kind of way to see things and a mature way to see relationships. No relationship’s the same, I guess, and how they find themselves is really wonderful.

DEADLINE: I have to ask, Golda is in Bridgerton, and I’ve seen some people suggest that you get recast as Simon Hastings from Season 1. I don’t know if you’ve seen this at all?

LAVISCOUNT: I’ve not seen it, no! Look, listen, I think Bridgerton is such an incredible show. The reach it’s had, and what it’s done, but yeah, I’d love to do something period. I think that’d always be cool. Throw on some some posh rags and and crack on.

DEADLINE: Back to the film. It came out in the U.K. a while ago. I’m wondering your thoughts on how it’s finally has arrived in the U.S. right before Valentine’s Day?

LAVISCOUNT: I’m really happy. Myself and Nick were talking about it, and we just want people to see it. We worked really hard on something that we think can bring a little bit of light and a little bit of love into people’s lives. And I think we did that, so the more people that see it, the better. So we’ve been kind of counting down the days where Roku kind of got hold of it and wanted to put it out there. So we’re really excited that people get to see it and hopefully that little bit of light, a little bit of joy in February, where things can kind of, you know what I’m saying, it’s still the New Year. Everyone’s still kind of getting the track under their feet, if that makes sense, but yeah. I’m proud of this one.

DEADLINE: You will appear in People We Meet On Vacation. It’s also a book adaptation from best-selling author Emily Henry. What was it like joining that project with another big fan base?

LAVISCOUNT: I didn’t know too much about the book the beginning, but I mentioned it again to a few friends, and it seems like it’s got the whole world behind it. There’s a reason why these stories get made into movies, because they’re great stories, great characters who will live on forever. It’s a massive honor to be able to take something like a piece of literature and bring it to life like that.

DEADLINE: Last question, I have to ask about Emily in Paris. I know we reported that you’re coming back. Is there anything you can tease? I know you probably can’t say much.

LAVISCOUNT: I don’t even know if I can say I’m coming back yet. I don’t know what the deal is so I have to pass on that one. All I do know is that, I spoke to Darren, and they’ve got some really exciting plans for the new season. I’m not sure where it’s gonna go. I spoke to him last month. I was in Milan. We went for dinner in Milan, and he’s really excited about what’s gonna happen the next season. I think it’s gonna flip things on its head, which is cool.

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