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The latest adaptation of Little Women hits theaters on Christmas Day, and it's a must-watch for so many reasons. Just like its source materal (the 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott), the movie celebrates girl power and sisterhood in a way that is so often missing from big-screen flicks. Read on for five secrets about the film, then rally the troops in the group chat to get your tickets. 

Louisa May Alcott was a serious #girlboss

American novelist Louisa May Alcott shattered all kinds of gender roles when she released Little Women—in fact, since the book and movie are loosely based on her life, you see some of the pushback that she received just because she was a girl. Still, Alcott persevered, and is a feminist hero because of it. "At the end of Little Women, [lead character] Jo gets married, has children and gives up writing,” director Greta Gerwig told Variety. “In real life, Louisa never got married, never had children and kept the damn copyrights! She made so much money because of it. She supported her entire family, who had always been wretchedly poor. I just kept feeling—this is the thing underneath that all women have been unconsciously responding to.”

Saoirse Ronan pretty much gave herself the role of Jo
In the spirit of Louisa May Alcott, lead Saoirse Ronan also took matters into her own hands to make her dreams come true. When she heard that director Greta Gerwig was remaking Little Women, she didn't hold back. "I tapped Greta on the shoulder and said I heard she was doing Little Women, and that I needed to be Jo,” she explained to Variety. Since Gerwig and Ronan had already worked together on Lady Bird, they knew they'd make a great team and made it happen. 

Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet have crazy chemistry 

Sparks fly between Jo and Laurie (played by Timothee Chalamet)—but this is not your typical love story. Director Gerwig told People Ronan and Chalamet's chemistry jumps off the screen. “They have an energy between them that is like they become a bonfire when they’re together," she said. "They’re both so alive and they’re both so talented and so smart and so young. When you put them together it’s like combustion.”

Emma Watson hid 2,000 copies of Little Women in public places

Have you heard of Book Fairies Worldwide? It's an organization that encourages people to hide books in public places—you never know when a stranger might come across your book and benefit from it! Emma Watson, who plays Meg in Little Women, hid 2,000 copies of the classic as a celebration of the movie's release. Bonus: If you find one of hers, it'll have a special note inside!

The sibling rivalry got real 
Since the four leads play sisters, you bet they had to film happy—and not-so-happy—moments. Saoirse Ronan revealed that Florence Pugh, who plays Amy, would ask her to "slap her in the face, which I did,” Ronan joked. “That’s the thing with myself and the girls, and Timmy [Chalamet], and the other young actors. We’re now growing up in a film industry where we can do that in a way I don’t think they could when other adaptations of this film were made.”

Are you excited to see Little Women? Let us know in the comments!

by Jacqueline F. | 12/24/2019