Interview: Stephany Folsom

Go Into The Story Interview: Stephany Folsom

My in-depth interview with the screenwriter currently working on Toy Story 4.

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.

Here are links to the six installments of the entire interview:

Part 1: “To me, it’s ultimately about the characters, and the crazy circumstances you can you put them in to play out the drama.”

Part 2: “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.”

Part 3: “In my research, I got the impression Kubrick was very aware of the persona he was creating. I felt like his every move was calculated, and a lot of his unorthodox behavior on set was so he could manipulate situations, and get his crew and cast to deliver the best film possible. He’s just a great, layered personality to play with.”

Part 4: “You struggle for so long in obscurity and it’s just you and your computer, and the loneliness and self‑doubt you face every day. To have any type of validation for a writer is just like, ‘Thank you. This is amazing.’”

Part 5: “I start with, ‘Is this an interesting character that we’re going to care about on their journey?’ That’s where I start, and then I build the world around the character.”

Part 6: “Don’t worry about getting an agent or a manager. When you have enough quality work under your belt, the agencies and management companies will come calling.”

Stephany is represented by Verve and Kaplan/Perrone.

Twitter: @StephanyFolsom.

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