"I think there's a lot of me in Poppy": Emily Bader explains how she connected to her character in People We Meet on Vacation

Emily Bader will play Poppy in Netflix's new love story, People We Meet on Vacation. The movie is based on Emily Henry's popular 2021 book. At Elle's Women in Hollywood event on Wednesday, Nov. 17, Bader discussed how she identifies with the carefree character she plays.

“I think there's a lot of me in Poppy, which is probably maybe why I got the job,” she said.

She further explained how Poppy’s spontaneous nature resonated deeply with her, especially when it comes to self-expression.

“She's not good at editing in her mind, and that's something that I work on,” Bader said, reflecting on how the role pushed her to embrace authenticity.

To prepare for her part, Bader had to push away her worries and trust the show's team. She said this job allows her to be a freer version of herself while still being genuine.

“It was an opportunity for me to just strip away insecurity and have faith in my director and Tom and the whole team and just try to be the biggest, loudest, most annoying version of myself, but in a real way,” she said.

Emily Bader and Tom Blyth’s on-screen friendship

A key element of People We Meet on Vacation is the relationship between Poppy and Alex, played by Tom Blyth. Bader said their natural off-screen bond helped bring authenticity to their on-screen dynamic.

“Poppy and Alex start as friends, and they are really friends,” she said. “They are, and they support each other in their own relationships. I think it was about us getting to know each other and becoming friends quickly.”

Much of that connection, according to Bader, came from their filming experience across visually rich locations.

“We shot the movie basically being on vacation on Costa Brava, on the beach swimming and eating beignets in New Orleans and doing the things that make quick friends.”

Emily Bader and Tom Blyth recreate the People We Meet on Vacation book cover 🧡

The official movie tie-in edition is out now! pic.twitter.com/M1ZXrLK4Jl

— xᴉlɟʇǝu (@netflix) November 18, 2025

Earlier, Blyth, 30, had praised Bader in an interview with PEOPLE, comparing her screen presence to a classic romantic-comedy icon. He described her as “the new Meg Ryan” and added that she has “that quality where she can be going off the rails and you still are just so enamored by her. She's so endearing and she's so playful within the language of the script, and I think she's going to really do justice to the character.”

Bader reacted modestly to the comparison, calling Blyth supportive throughout the process.

“He's too nice,” she said. “I was like, ‘You can't say that.’”

She also acknowledged the influence of Meg Ryan on her performance, saying her co-star understood “how much Meg Ryan's performances kind of impacted how I wanted to play Poppy in People We Meet on Vacation.”

Netflix plans to release the movie on January 9, 2026. It's the first of Emily Henry's five books to be adapted into a TV show or movie. The story follows two old friends who might have feelings for each other as they take trips together each summer.

Emily Bader and Tom Blyth star in the People We Meet on Vacation Netflix movie. This adaptation brings the popular romance novel to the screen, capturing the attention of book lovers and romantic comedy fans worldwide.