Written Interview: Darlene Hunt (“The Big C”)

Darlene Hunt recounts in the first-person how she came up with and sold “The Big C” to Showtime:

As a writer, I get ideas from many places. Sadly, out of my ass was becoming an all-too-frequent location to borrow from. Not the greatest way to come up with ideas that were supposed to rocket me to TV writing stardom. But what can I say? I was mentally stretched thin and creatively fatigued.

I had written eight pilots … half hours, one hours, single cameras, four cameras … sometimes two or three in one season. It’s a great way to make money and not have to get dressed for work. But when only one of those pilots (my first) got made, and none were picked up to series, it was getting a bit … .depressing.

So here I was in 2008, with a studio deal in place for me to come up with my next idea for a TV show when I had a general meeting with a producer named Vivian Cannon. This was one of my first meetings since I had my baby who was two months old, and what I remember most about that meeting was noticing how put together and fresh faced Vivian looked while I felt overtired and unkempt as though motherhood had left me just a shell of my former self and I would have to work long and hard to create a new identity.

I was barely present during this meeting and had no intention of working with Vivian because her mere existence made me feel badly about myself. But I perked up just a little when we started talking about ideas that we wanted to write about but didn’t think anyone would buy.

Vivian said, “I think it’s time for a cancer comedy.”

This appealed to my laughter through tears sensibility. Not only was “M*A*S*H” my favorite TV show of all time, but I had previously pitched an idea based loosely on my childhood about a family who reconnects in the waiting room of a hospital while their patriarch is dying. No one I pitched it to found it as funny as I did. But now I sat across from someone who just said “cancer comedy.”

I liked this Vivian. I told her I would go away and think about it and if I could find my take on the concept I’d let her know.

I believe that all writing should be somewhat autobiographical and yet I am not a cancer survivor. A puzzle.

I mentioned the idea to my representatives and they thought it was terrible. So I put it out of my mind and ignored Vivian’s emails. Then one day I looked at my new beautiful perfect innocent baby and started crying. I wanted to be with her for the rest of her life and yet was overcome with an enormous sadness realizing that wouldn’t be possible — because I would die (hopefully!) before she would.

That was my way in.

I could write a show about a woman suddenly faced with her mortality.

The show’s trailer:

Behind the scenes of “The Big C”:

The official series site.

Episodes premiere Mondays, 10:30PM ET / PT.

Series stars the fantastic actress Laura Linney.

For more of the Darlene Hunt article from TheWrap, go here