Interview: Craig Borten
Go Into The Story Interview: Craig Borten
I first met Craig Borten at the 2014 Austin Film Festival where he was a panelist in a session I moderated. We discussed the movie he co-wrote and was nominated for an Academy Award: Dallas Buyers Club. Craig kindly agreed to an interview and we had an excellent 1-hour conversation.
Part 1: “I had no money. I slept in a AAA park in a tent. Then we spent three days together, and I tape recorded everything. He gave me the blessing to go write a movie about his life.”
Part 2: “I think at a certain point, what people don’t realize is, Hollywood’s so tough. All anyone’s trying to do is get something made, and what people don’t realize is, it’s a town of ones. You need to have one real good success, and you can use that as a jumping off point.”
Part 3: “On a personal level for me, it helped me to evolve as a writer, and become prepared for the work, and what needs to be done, and how work within the system of Hollywood. I learned so much over those 20 years as a writer, and also as a human being.”
Part 4: “I love TV. There’s more control. You can do more. I’m doing both features and TV, but I really love TV.”
Part 5: “For me, it’s the characters, breaking the characters. That’s what I spend most of my time with. Once I’ve done that, character will speak to plot and story.”
Craig is repped by UTA.
Twitter: @CraigBorten.
For more exclusive Go Into The Story interviews with screenwriters, filmmakers, TV writers, producers, and industry insiders, go here.