Interview: Stephany Folsom (2013 Black List) — Part 2

I’m a big Stanley Kubrick fan and Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is my favorite satire of all time. So when I saw this script make the 2013 Black List — “1969: A Space Odyssey or: How Kubrick Learned to Stop Worrying and Land on the Moon” — I knew then and there I had to interview its writer. That turns out to be Stephany Folsom, and we had an informative and fun one hour plus conversation.

Today in Part 2, Stephany shares how she hit on the inspiration to write “1969: A Space Odyssey”:

Scott: Let’s talk about “1969: A Space Odyssey or: How Kubrick Learned to Stop Worrying and Land on the Moon.”

Here’s how it’s been described, “With NASA troubled Apollo program and the Soviets threatening nuclear war a female PR operative conspires with NASA’s public affairs office to stage a fake moon landing in case Armstrong and Aldrin fail. But the op is faced with the biggest challenge of all, filming the fake lunar landing with temperamental Stanley Kubrick.”

Obviously the title’s inspired by Kubrick’s brilliant 1964 film, Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Is it safe to say you’re a Kubrick fan?

Stephany: Yes, and I can’t believe that I didn’t say that as one of my favorite movies. Dr. Strangelove is one of my favorite films of all time.

Scott: Me, too. I think we mentioned this on Twitter to each other. Strangelove is one of my top five films, absolutely.

Stephany: Definitely. The movie is so brilliant. It’s a terrifying portrayal of nuclear annihilation and an absurd comedic satire. That tone is so extremely hard to nail. Kubrick and Sellers were such a powerhouse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gXY3kuDvSU

Scott: I figured you had an affection for Kubrick because I saw a quote where you described your script as being, “A cinematic love letter to Kubrick’s work.” I’m wondering how long you had known about the conspiracy theory that’s been floating around for decades that Kubrick did, indeed, film a fake lunar landing.

Stephany: I have an obsession with conspiracy theories. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve collected articles and research on them in a file. I don’t necessarily believe in conspiracy theories, actually I think most of them are not true, but I love the idea of conspiracy theories. I love giant plots with synchronized efforts to pull of a mission.

I had collected a lot of fake lunar landing conspiracy theories over the years, and my favorite had always been that Stanley Kubrick faked the moon landing.

Last fall, I went to the Stanley Kubrick exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. As I was walking through the exhibit and looking at all of Stanley Kubrick’s work and I remembered, “Oh my gosh. There’s that amazing conspiracy theory with Stanley Kubrick faking a moon landing. Quick, has anyone written that script or told that story?”

I came home from the museum exhibit and started outlining the story that would become 1969 A Space Odyssey.

Scott: So you go to this exhibit and you are reminded of the fact this was an actual conspiracy theory, then something clicks in your mind where you say, “Wait a minute, this could be a movie”.

Stephany: Oh, completely. I was just like, “That would be an interesting movie.”

Scott: Let’s talk about the two primary characters in the story. First is the PR operative named Barbara Penn. I believe she’s an amalgamation of two actual historical figures.

Stephany: Yes. In 1969, the Nixon administration recruited women to work in various positions at the White House, and Barbara’s character is an amalgamation of two of the women that were part of that program.

Scott: How would you describe her as a character? Where is she at this point in her life, setting her up for this wild personal journey she goes on with the filming of the fake lunar landing?

Stephany: Before we meet Barbara in the script, she had worked as the head of marketing for Singer sewing machines. She went as far as she could in her career at Singer and she wanted to prove she could do more than sell sewing machines to housewives. As a career woman in 1969, Barbara had a lot to prove to the world.

When the opportunity came up with the Nixon’s Task Force on Women’s Rights, even though it was an extremely low level position, Barbara jumped at the opportunity to work in government, because it was something she could really dig her teeth into. Barbara wants to make a difference in the world. She believes in our country and she believes we can make it to the moon. Ultimately, Barbara is an eternal optimist.

Scott: There’s a terrific moment in the movie where she goes to see 2001: A Space Odyssey and I think is under the influence of a bit of a stimulant. That’s when she has an a‑ha moment right?

Stephany: Yeah, she does. [laughs] Through my research, I discovered 2001 was not taken very seriously when it was first released.

The film was a bit of a box office failure until it became popular with the hippie counterculture. Droves of young people would go see the movie and drop acid and smoke pot. At the time Barbara would have seen 2001, there would have been a lot of people doing drugs in the theater. So it only seemed natural that Barbara would have watched Kubrick’s masterpiece under the influence of a bit of a stimulant.

I think it bothered Stanley Kubrick that his film was perceived as a “drug movie.” It was only in later years that 2001 was deemed a masterpiece.

Scott: That’s a fun way to intersect her with Kubrick. Speaking of Kubrick, how did you go about forming your impression of his personality as a character for this movie?

Stephany: I did a ton of research. I dug up everything. There isn’t much video and audio on him, so I had to do some digging to find the footage that exists. I wanted to get the cadence of speech just right.

I had an image of him from the movies he made, and I was surprised to find he had a Bronx accent. I didn’t expect that. I was also surprised by his childlike excitement and dry sense of humor. Kubrick was a complex man.

Scott: In your mind as you’re writing this, are you thinking, “This is how Kubrick would actually be,” or are you thinking, “This is my characterization of Kubrick”?

Stephany: I would say this is my characterization of Stanley Kubrick. I didn’t know Kubrick. I tried to be as honest as I could in my portrayal, but to say this is the definitive Kubrick is just ridiculous. Even people close to Kubrick didn’t really know the definitive Kubrick. That is what makes him so fascinating.

Scott: That actually gives you some latitude, doesn’t it, in terms of your iteration of him? He is a mysterious figure.

Stephany: He is very mysterious. It gives you some room to play with. Still, you don’t want to be truthful in your representation. In addition to studying Kubrick’s interviews, I researched what everyone around him had to say about his character, and the stories they told about him.

In Part 3, Stephany describes how she approached crafting the character of Stanley Kubrick and how much fun it was to write his dialogue.

For Part 1 of the interview, go here.

Stephany is represented by Verve and Kaplan/Perrone.

Twitter: @StephanyFolsom.
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