‘Spoiler Alert’ is the Cinematic Tearjerker of the Holiday Season

Losing a loved one is never easy, but when it’s your life-partner whom you planned on spending the rest of your life with, no words can describe that feeling.

This is the heart-breaking reality of Spoiler Alert, the film adaptation of entertainment journalist Michael Ausiello’s memoir Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Other Four-Letter Words. Starring Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge, the story tracks the relationship of Ausiello and his husband, photographer Kit Cowan, who died in February 2015 from terminal cancer. In addition to the 11-month timeline from Cowan’s diagnosis to his passing, the film also portrays the couple’s 13-year relationship through flashbacks. They navigate their life together in a manner that’s both heartwarming and heartwrenching in equal measure.

Spoiler Alert also stars Sally Field and Bill Irwin, and audiences will have a whole new perspective on making time count with their partners.

Ausiello took some time to talk more about the film with OFM.

Let me begin by asking, how does it feel to see your memoir, Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies, come to life on the big screen?

It’s unreal! Even as I sit here talking to you, it feels like a dream I’m going to wake up from.

I’m assuming you had a say in who played you and Kit?

I absolutely did. When Jim Parsons approached me about optioning the book, part of that discussion was he wanted to play me. So, that was obviously a factor in all of it. I knew if I was going to take this journey with Jim, it was going to include him playing me, and obviously, it was a dream come true. There was never any doubt or question in my mind about that. However, finding Kit was a little bit trickier. There was no specific person in any of our minds, so it was really about finding the right person who worked well with Jim, and we hit the jackpot with Ben Aldridge.

To you, what made Jim and Ben perfect for the roles?

You believe that the two of them were in love. Really, it’s about chemistry, and they had it in spades right out of the gate. It shows on the screen.

What initially inspired you to chronicle the last year of Kit’s life and your 13-year relationship?

The belief that this was a story that deserves to be told, and the idea that Kit could live. That I could share him with other people, and that was very special to me. I questioned whether or not I could do him justice, and that was something I struggled with as I was writing the book. He was so special, unique, and so many things, and am I a good enough writer where I can capture all of those qualities? I’d like to think that I came pretty close.

What do you ultimately hope audiences take away from this film?

I hope that they’re entertained and moved. That’s what I want when I go to the movies. I want to be entertained and moved. At the end of the day, that’s all you can ask.

What is the best advice can you offer to someone whose partner has died?

Read my book (laughs). Take care of yourself, and practice self-care. Really take the time that you need to grieve, and be kind to yourself. Be kind and compassionate to yourself because it’s a process, and it’s a hard one.

Stay up-to-date and connect with Ausiello by following him on Instagram @michaelausiello. Spoiler Alert is out now in select theaters with wide theatrical release on December 9.

Photos courtesy of Focus Features