If you're a performer — even an established and regularly working actor — who has thought about making the transition into screenplay writing, don't expect to garner immediate respect, let alone enthusiasm, within the industry. "No one ever takes an actor seriously when they're writing," says Danny Strong, who broke through as a scenarist this year with HBO's Emmy-winning Recount. "It's like, 'Okay, that's cute — you go do whatever you're gonna go do.' I mean, it seems no one takes anyone seriously in Hollywood until something actually happens. And then everyone takes it seriously — very, very quickly." In a sense, however, actors are writers to begin with. Whenever they devise backstories or improvise on the life of a character during rehearsals, they are in essence collaborating with a playwright or screenwriter to flesh out a characterization. Some actors, like Strong, take the next step and begin writing their own scripts, sometimes...
- 11/7/2008
- by Mark Dundas Wood
- backstage.com
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