The After sequel, After We Collided, is full of "OMG" moments and more than a few steamy scenes between its leads, Tessa and Hardin —as well as a new man in the picture for our young heroine, the one and only Trevor (Dylan Sprouse). However, the movie almost had two love triangles to further complicate Hardin and Tessa's often-dramatic and messy romance.
The film's director, Roger Kumble, told ET that Tessa originally had more than a few suitors vying for her attention. The director, who came on board for the sequel, was committed to staying faithful to the books by Anna Todd, and in After We Collided the book, Tessa finds herself entangled not only with Hardin, but with his friend Zed and her coworker Trevor. However, due to the time constraints and overall story of the movie version, one triangle (Zed) was cut.
"The initial conversations with Trevor were more like going back to the book and knowing that she had two different love triangles going on in the second book," Kumble shared. "I said to Anna, 'I can't do both in a 95-minute film. It'll short-trip everybody. I think we should pick Trevor because he was opposite of Hardin.' And she agreed with that. When you don't have a lot of screen time to devote to this, he better be charming right off the gate. And that's where I was leaning into some of those rom-com moments because it pushes the story along a lot quicker. And it's fun to watch."
Dylan Sprouse was cast as the clean-cut, responsible Trevor, the total opposite of Hero Fiennes-Tiffin's brooding Hardin. However, it's not meant to be between Trevor and Tessa, and as we suspected, she and Hardin end the film (more or less) on a path together. "In terms of why we didn't continue that story through, that's more trying to stay true to the other books," Kumble said. "Knowing that Trevor character isn't really a pivotal character in future books, it's like, well, we should close this out."
Kumble, who is best known for writing and directing the '90s teen drama Cruel Intentions, also added that he wanted to give a Twilight-esque element to the movie and make people root for Trevor. "I want people to be torn. I want people to be on Team Trevor, I want people to be on Team Hardin and I want there to be fights ... I don't want to make it too easy for the audience to pick."
