How Esther Earl, Who Inspired 'The Fault in Our Stars,' Would Have Liked the Film

Wayne and Lori Earl, the teenager's parents, weigh in on the movie.

ByABC News
June 9, 2014, 3:08 PM

June 9, 2014 -- "The Fault in Our Stars" made its debut this weekend No. 1 at the box office.

And Esther Earl, the real-life teen who inspired the film, would have loved it, her parents said.

"Esther would have been watching the movie with her friends,” mom Lori Earl told ABC News. “She would have gone a couple of times already. She would have had a second of being surprised at the movie's success, and then would have been so excited."

Esther was 16 when she died of cancer in 2010, following a four-year battle with thyroid cancer. During her short life, however, she inspired everyone with whom she came into contact, including author John Green, who dedicated his "The Fault in Our Stars" to her.

Movie Review: 'The Fault in Our Stars' Starring Shailene Woodley

“She would have been thrilled,” dad Wayne said. “She would have been fan-girling and letting everyone know to go watch it."I think Esther would have been all over it and would have gone at least twice over the weekend and made sure everyone would have gotten to see it. Two thumbs way up!"

He believes she also would have also applauded Shailene Woodley's performance as Hazel Grace Lancaster, a role inspired by Esther. If the characters had been real, Wayne Earl said, "they would have been fast friends.”

"She would have had a lot in common with their sensibility and sense of humor," he added. "She would have been thrilled and definitely an evangelist for the message in the film."