EXCLUSIVE! Author Marissa Stapley Talks About the Brand-New Lucky TV Series—And Why You Can’t Help but Root for Her Heroine
Marissa Stapley didn’t exactly get her spark for Lucky under fortunate circumstances. In 2019, the author was crafting a novel but felt too unmotivated and unfocused to stick with it. “The characters were so complex and sad—I knew it wasn’t working,” she says. Then her mom, Valerie, who was terminally ill at the time, gave her the encouragement she needed. “She always wanted me to push ahead with my career, even when I was caring for her,” she recalls. “So she was like, ‘Well, think of something else. You always have ideas.’”
Stapley soon came up with a gripping thriller about a heroine who happens to be a world-class criminal. It became a bestseller and a Reese’s Book Club pick in December 2021. Now, Lucky has been adapted into a seven-episode Apple TV series, which premiered on July 15.
Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit) is Lucky Anderson, a scrappy reformed grifter who learned about the art of the con from her ne’er-do-well dad (Timothy Olyphant). After a botched heist, she goes on the lam from the FBI and a mob boss (Annette Bening). Further complicating matters? She can’t cash in a winning lottery ticket without revealing her true identity. “Everybody loves a con artist with a heart of gold,” she says. “She’s not this dark, dastardly person.”
Stapley achieved her own success the hard (and legal!) way. In addition to being an author, she’s worked as a sports reporter, cemetery gardener, bartender, travel rep, stable hand and creative-writing teacher in her native Toronto. Her popular novels include Things to Do When It’s Raining, Mating for Life, The Last Resort and The Holiday Swap—as well as The Lightning Bottles, which was that tough-to-crack book she had cast aside seven years ago (and became another Reese’s Book Club pick). Its TV adaptation is in early development.
And coming in 2027: No Such Thing as Lucky, a sequel that chronicles more of Lucky Anderson’s journey. “I’m so used to writing a character and finishing the book and moving on,” she says. “But Lucky has been with me for all these years, and I couldn’t be happier about it.”
Just ahead of her coast-to-coast press tour, Stapley talked with Reader’s Digest about the new series and so much more. Read on to find out how closely it sticks to the book, why you’ll be rooting for her heroine and what’s next for Lucky.
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Reader’s Digest: How did you land on the Lucky concept?
Marissa Stapley: My family and I were on a ski vacation in New York and listening to a story on the radio about how this lottery ticket was about to go unclaimed. One of the DJs said, “I wonder what would happen if you were wanted for a crime and can’t come forward to get your winnings.” I couldn’t get it out of my head.
But I wanted a character who was more morally gray. At the time, my son was really into watching those Ocean’s movies. I thought about how it doesn’t feel like the characters are doing a crime because we’re rooting for them. The reality is, getting conned is terrible—but there’s something really fun about watching people do it on screen or reading about it in books.
Reader’s Digest: And how did it work with Reese’s Book Club? Did Reese Witherspoon call you herself to deliver the good news?
Marissa Stapley: First, her team contacted my publisher and worked out the details. My agent and editor told me they were taking me out for dinner, and of course being a writer, l catastrophized and thought it was bad news. Then my editor said that I was going to be Reese’s pick for December and I needed to keep it quiet for three months. I immediately burst into tears of joy and relief—the book came out first in Canada in the middle of the pandemic, and it didn’t really set the world on fire.
I did hear from Reese. She emailed me the night before the announcement to tell me what she loved about the book. We’ve been in contact and have met a few times. I am still so struck by her commitment to elevate women’s stories.
Reader’s Digest: As a producer on the series, were you really hands-on?
Marissa Stapley: Yes. I was in close consultation with the producers. The first question they asked me was about casting Lucky, and the only actress I wanted was Anya Taylor-Joy. She got the book before we even met with her because her agent instinctively felt like it was right for her. That’s why she was attached right away.
Overall, the producers were so sensitive and caring. There are changes, but I believe an adaptation has to be different because sometimes a book transmitted to the screen can get a bit clunky. So I gave my blessing every single step of the way.
Reader’s Digest: Can you be more specific about the changes? What can readers expect?
Marissa Stapley: I think of the book as the movie’s companion. It’s actually more of a prequel because we learn a lot more about Lucky’s childhood and her relationship with her father. It’s like we threw these characters in boiling-hot water, but the foundation is this really complicated relationship.
I also want to note that in the book, the lottery ticket is the big hook. But the writers thought that it was almost too much with everything else going on around her. So now the hook is that she’s running for her life. I honestly don’t think I would have done it differently.
Reader’s Digest: What’s a favorite behind-the-scenes moment that immediately comes to mind?
Marissa Stapley: So I went to L.A. for a couple weeks last May for the shoot. Early on, I was hanging out in the makeup trailer, and I saw this woman lying totally flat for her application. She sat up, and it was Annette Bening. I was talking to myself in my head: Oh, my God, I’m not ready. Like, what am I going to say? Keep it simple. Just introduce yourself and say it’s an honor to meet her.
I took a deep breath. Then she walked past me, stopped, turned her head and said, “Oh, excuse me. Are you Marissa Stapley? I’m Annette. It’s such an honor to meet you.” I told her that she stole my line, and she was like, “Oh, that’s cute!” Then she walked out of the trailer.
She was so down-to-earth, and that really helped me settle in. I had to remember that everybody is just human and working and happy to be there.
Reader’s Digest: What’s the overall takeaway from this story?
Marissa Stapley: When I look back on this novel, I don’t even really remember writing it. My mom and I were so close. And even as she was dying, she told me, “You have to keep fighting, you have to keep working.” I was just surviving too, and the resilience was necessary for me to complete the book. To me, that is the takeaway: I know life can be hard, but I also know what can happen when you find it within yourself to keep going against all odds.
Reader’s Digest: What can you share about the sequel?
Marissa Stapley: It’s definitely intense. I put Lucky on another quest for freedom, knowing that her ultimate quest is whether she can escape the trauma of her past. So the plot deals with a lot of family difficulties and redemption—and it’s a dazzling globe-trotting heist. I loved being back with her. I would write endless Lucky novels if I could.
Reader’s Digest: We’re talking in July. How do you define a great summer read?
Marissa Stapley: For me, the answer is beautiful writing combined with a page-turning plot to keep you focused—even when there might be a lot of stuff going on around you on a holiday.
Reader’s Digest: What books are on your list for this summer?
Marissa Stapley: Soooo many. Simon & Schuster sends them to me. I’m so excited about Homebound by Portia Elan. I’ve got Palm Meridian by Grace Flahive and Helpless by Jessica Knoll. And, of course, I’m going to read Before You Were Anne from Emiko Jean.
Reader’s Digest: Let’s do some book-related lightning-round questions. What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
Marissa Stapley: Whistler from Ann Patchett. Nobody does family drama better.
Reader’s Digest: Where is your favorite place to read a book?
Marissa Stapley: I have a cottage in Haliburton, which is in Northern Lake County in Ontario. It’s my favorite place in the world, period.
Reader’s Digest: Last book that made you cry?
Marissa Stapley: I just reread Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. Certain moments are just so human.
Reader’s Digest: Which book can get someone out of a reading slump?
Marissa Stapley: Can I say Lucky? Because I wrote it while I was in a slump myself!
Lucky
Lucky
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