In your opinion, what is the relationship between cinema and the truth?
Thank you for the opportunity to interview. Cinema allows for any story to be told, fact or fable or anything in between. The relationship between cinema and the truth depends on the interpretation of the truth by the artists. The interpretation begins with the screenwriter, then is conveyed by the director through the actors, and finally is crafted by the producers. I believe it’s essential to call it what it is, especially in my realm of writing about personal experiences. There’s a big difference between “this is a true story” and “this is based on a true story.” I think that should be conveyed truthfully to the viewing audience in the opening seconds of the film. My screenplay American Money is a third tier of sorts, best described as “based on true events.” Some of the financial data in the script are not precise with regard to historical prices in October 1987, yet the basic idea that “irrational exuberance” (thank you, economist Alan Greenspan in his 1996 discussion of the ‘80s stock market) ruled the era is expressed accurately.
What kind of change do you hope to inspire in someone who experiences your art?
First, allow me to describe what I do. I’ve been a writer since 1991. Everything I have offered or will offer to the public – including two novels and four film scripts – is based to varying degrees on personal experiences. The arc common to all my storytelling is a struggle against the inequities of the status quo for the greater good of all, achieved through faith, determination, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to make the greater good happen. Today I celebrate my 70th birthday. To get here I have spent a lot of years persevering through difficulties that are common to many. It hasn’t always been easy; at times it’s been downright difficult. Yet, I absolutely love where I am and I have no regrets. With apologies for not going into detail and thereby leaning on words that sound like platitudes, I can finally answer the question: I want to inspire those who experience my art to walk out of the cinema knowing they, too, can overcome anything.
What does the word “future” mean to you?
“Future” means to me another opportunity to get it right. One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite Irish writers, Oscar Wilde, is “The only difference between saints and sinners is every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.” However, to thoroughly realize the potential of one’s future one must truthfully reconcile one’s past. More bluntly said, if you’re in denial your future is screwed. I’m Roman Catholic. I won’t get into the four basic issues I have with the 253-page Catechism, but I will tell you three aspects I believe wholeheartedly, 1. The Holy Sacrifice, 2. The Resurrection, and 3. Every faith is tied to all faiths by The Golden Rule of do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In myself, I concentrate on correcting the little stuff. Catholics call it venial sin. Deputy Barney Fife of 1960s era television’s The Andy Griffith Show calls it, “You gotta nip it in the bud!” I’ve been single on my own (and damned happy about it) for nearly five years now. It’s up to me to, as I said in my answer to question 1, call it what it is. I quickly evaluate when I’ve been an ass, own it, and correct it. That works for me.
Describe briefly your creative process. How do you select the ideas that eventually become a screenplay?
After many attempts at various creative processes, I have settled on what suits me. I have three screenplays on which I am actively writing. They are Padre Guns (a story encountering faith, friendship, and American football) Peace Of Mind (based on a true story of overcoming betrayal)and Soaring Dove (she is the future of benevolent American politics in the 1990s, he is the Everyman helping her help her constituents; together they are a romantic what-if). I think about them non-stop, which directly contradicts the creative process of one of my favorites, Ernest Hemingway. In a sense, it’s internalized writing. When I finally sit at the laptop, which happens every day, I’ll write a scene or two for maybe an hour, then sleep on it and read it in the morning before I proceed. Padre Guns is in the final rewrite stage. I have the first draft written for Peace Of Mind and act III for Soaring Dove. I always write the ending first so I know where I’m headed. The process worked well for my first film script American Money. I am thrilled to be under an agreement with Nashville-based independent producer Incandescent Pictures; the plan is to begin filming in 2027. Three writing teachers have advised me over the past five years. Dianne Berry is an actor who was the first reader of American Money. She’s the female lead and a principal working under Incandescent’s CEO Whitni Resides. Tammy Gross (tammygross.com) has been my film script guru since April 2022. Tammy is so good at what she does I have given her the moniker Movie Harvard. Charlotte Pritt, a college and high school writing teacher and the true-to-life inspiration behind Soaring Dove (Charlotte was a candidate for the governor of the state of West Virginia in 1992, 1996, and 2016) assisted me with act III of American Money that has impressed film festival juries, garnering my first screenplay three dozen awards. Without Dianne, Tammy, and Charlotte, as well as Whitni, I am no more than permanent potential. They showed me the way, and have convinced me my best storytelling results in the examination of personal experiences. I have returned home to my birthplace in the coalfields of southern Appalachia. Here, I have undying support from friends who have known me since my schooldays, including my college roommate David Sisk, whom we all know as the funniest human alive. At the advent of my 8th decade on the planet, I could not be more excited. Thank you for your time. May the Peace your higher power delivers to you be as sweet as the Peace the Holy Trinity gives me.
