More of this Feature ADDITIONAL PREMIERE COVERAGE: • Cara Seymour ('Amelia') and Judy Greer ('Alice') • Photos From the World Premiere of "Adaptation" ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS: • Meryl Streep ('Susan Orlean') • Director Spike Jonze/Writer Charlie Kaufman • Writer Susan Orlean ('The Orchid Thief') and Producer Edward Saxon MORE INFORMATION ON "Adaptation": • "Adaptation" Photo Gallery • "Adaptation" News, Trailer, and Websites • Nicolas Cage Interview, Photos and Movies

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Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep star in screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's twisted adaptation of Susan Orlean's best-selling book, "The Orchid Thief." Inserting himself into the screenplay, Kaufman takes a book about orchids and passion and turns it into a movie about adapting a book while at the same time, keeping true to the book's spirit.

"The Orchid Thief" author, Susan Orlean, joined the subject of her book, John Laroche, for the World Premiere of "Adaptation." In these interviews from the red carpet, Orlean and Laroche discuss their onscreen counterparts and Kaufman's vision of their work.

SUSAN ORLEAN (Author of "The Orchid Thief")

What is the story behind your book, "The Orchid Thief?"
I heard about an obsessive orchid collector in South Florida and I thought, "What a strange and wonderful thing. I've got to look into this." The more I looked into it, the more I wanted to know more. It drew me in. It just sort of pulled me in. It was a hypnotic kind of story.

What do you think about what screenwriter Charlie Kaufman did to your book?
I think it's brilliant. It's hard to imagine that somebody could have taken the book and ended up with it here. I think that what he did was amazing.

What was your initial reaction upon seeing the script?
Shock and a certain amount of reservation, that's for sure. It took awhile until I thought, “Alright, I think I can do this. I think I can adjust.”

Your character in the movie goes through a lot of changes, and not all of them are complimentary. Are people who know you asking you why you let the filmmakers do this with your name?
(Laughing) You know my parents saw it the other day and that was the scariest part of it for me. Even they enjoyed it so it made me feel comfortable. From here on out, I figure everything is easy.

And there's also the fact that Meryl Streep plays you in the movie.
That was wonderful. It made it much easier for me to do this. I thought that no matter what, it's going to be good and it's going to be done with a real seriousness and with an effort to do something real special and great. It made it a lot easier for me.

What do you hope the audience gets from this story?
I feel like one of the things is that it really does is present the book as it is, which is a real sort of meditation on passion and this world of beauty and seduction. I feel like that's really there in the movie and it's kept really intact in a wonderful way.

The real-life 'Orchid Thief,' John Laroche, at the World Premiere of "Adaptation."
Photo ©Rebecca Murray. All Rights Reserved.