Screenwriting is a complex art form that is integral to process of filmmaking. On January 5th, we celebrate screenwriters and their creative visions that have fueled our favorite films. This list includes five Hollywood screenwriters and their advice on careers in film, writing processes, and outlooks on life.
Aline Brosh McKenna – “Find something that gets you out of bed in the morning.”
Aline Brosh McKenna began a career in publishing after graduating from college, but a six-week screenwriting course at NYU changed her career path. Although her classmates found her style to be too mainstream, she has had a fruitful career in Hollywood, adapting the screenplay The Devil Wears Prada in 2006. She went on to co-create the groundbreaking musical series, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Brosh McKenna writes romantic comedies with a uniquely feminist perspective. In a speech given at BAFTA, Brosh McKenna explains that her drive was instilled earlier on, stating, “Some of my earliest memories of my father are him saying, “find something that gets you out of bed in the morning." It is remarkable that he would say that to a daughter, as readily as he would to his son.”
Check out our review of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
Diablo Cody – “Celebrate weirdness.”
Diablo Cody had an interesting start to her screenwriting career. After her blog about stripping was turned into a book, Cody was encouraged to write a screenplay. This screenplay became the 2007 smash hit, Juno, which won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Since Juno’s success, Cody has went on to write screenplays for other films such as Jennifer’s Body and Tully. She is known for her quick wit and unconventional style. In interviews, Cody has said that writing is a freeing process, saying, “[Writing] frees me creatively… Now I celebrate my weirdness a little more.”
Check out our review of Juno.
William Goldman – “Nobody knows anything.”
William Goldman began his career as a novelist, but also wrote plays and screenplays throughout his career. His first major success as a screenwriter came in 1969 for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which earned his first Academy Award. Goldman won his second Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for All the President’s Men in 1976. His writing credits are diverse and layered, also including The Princess Bride and Misery. In an interview with the Writers Guild Foundation, Goldman discusses Hollywood, saying, “Nobody knows anything. Nobody has any idea of what is going to work.”
Check our review of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Charlie Kaufmann – “Failure is a badge of honor.”
Charlie Kaufman began his career writing for television shows such as, The Simpsons and Seinfeld. He gained both critical and commercial attention with the screenplay for his film, Being John Malkovich, in 1999. Kaufman went on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in 2004. He has also directed several films, including Anomalisa and I’m Thinking of Ending Things. His surrealist style explores themes like anxiety and loneliness. In a speech given at BAFTA Kaufman states, “Say who you are. Really say it in your life and in your work. Failure is a badge of honor.”
Check out our review of Being John Malkovich.
John Patrick Shanley – “If you truly make your film, it won’t look like anyone else’s.”
John Patrick Shanley began his career as a playwright. He began writing for the screen in the 1980s, writing the screenplay for Moonstruck. He directed and wrote the film adaptation of his Tony Award-winning play, Doubt, in 2008. This adaptation was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. In an interview with Canadian Film Centre, Shanley remarks on his unwavering artistic vision, saying, “If you truly make your film, it won’t look like anyone else’s. Be true to yourself and your art.”
Check out our review of Doubt.