Novelist Shelby Van Pelt ’02 is enjoying the rare opportunity of seeing her creation transformed into a major Netflix release, starring Oscar-winner Sally Field.
Since its publishing debut in 2022, Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures, narrated in part by a curmudgeonly giant octopus named Marcellus, has sold more than four million copies in the United States alone, its popularity surging again with news of the Netflix adaptation.
Van Pelt, a dedicated CMCer who was a PPE major, serves on the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies advisory board. In a 2024 CMC Magazine interview, she shared that you “don’t have to identify as artsy to be an artist,” and that the image of Professor Jack Pitney’s “red pen crossing things out when I’m revising a draft” has persisted. His principles of “efficiency and effectiveness” still apply, she said.
We revisited Van Pelt’s remarkable creation shortly before the May 8 Netflix release of her debut to discover — among other topics—what it was like to see her eight-armed hero (voiced by Albert Molina) come to life,
Since we last spoke, your book, Remarkably Bright Creatures, is now a movie, about to premiere on Netflix. What’s it like to hear your words, “meet” your characters, and see the pictures in your head “come alive”?
It’s surreal! These characters have always felt so real to me, even when the book was just a draft manuscript. These scenes came from nothing but my imagination, sitting at my kitchen table, and now you can watch them with real people. Every so often I’ll hear a particular line in the film and remember the day I wrote it, and now here’s Sally Field saying my words. Surreal.
The book is incredibly popular, and your fans eagerly awaited this version. Was there anything that surprised you from the cinematic adaptation? Something you hadn’t anticipated?
I’ve learned so much about filmmaking by being involved in the making of this movie and spending time on set. One thing that surprised me was that the team looked at the footage we were shooting as raw material. We’d do many takes with different angles and varied ways of capturing the scene, and all of that would go into this big stockpile of potential material that would be used to ultimately create the story. And of course, nothing is shot in chronological order. It’s not that different from how I draft a novel, actually.
How does it feel to reach a global audience (including those who are unfamiliar with the book) with the film version?
You know, when you’re an author and deep into the book world, it’s easy to forget that there are a lot of people out there who don’t read much! It’s awesome that some of them will find the story through the film, of course, but I also hope that maybe a few of them will read the book afterward. Or be inspired to read any book — mine or otherwise!
Can we plug any of your upcoming book projects (hint, hint) or any other events that you’re taking part in?
I’m hoping my next book will be announced later this year, but I don’t have a date yet! I’m still working on drafting it.
We see that you participated on an Los Angeles Times Book Festival panel a few weeks ago. When in California (Van Pelt lives in the Chicago area with her family, including spouse and fellow CMCer, Andrew Van Pelt '02), how often do you get back to CMC?
As a member of the advisory board for the Gould Center, I was on campus briefly for our spring meeting and Humanities Lab showcase. I hope to make a longer trip later this year to help celebrate the 50 Years of Co-Education milestone, and 2027 is my reunion year, so that’s on the radar—although being 25 years out from graduation makes me feel ancient!
One of my favorite things that the visibility of this book and movie have brought is connecting with other CMC alum working in creative writing or aspiring to do so. There are more of us out here than I expected! It’s always a joy to get a note from a fellow CMC alum and hear about their journey.