My Oscar Adjacent Life…
When I was young, I knew I wanted to be a writer. Well, first I dreamt of being a jockey, but my mother was adamant I would grow too tall to ride a horse professionally. Dream deferred, I started thinking about long form fiction or children’s books, yet somehow, I found myself considering a career as a screenwriter. Perhaps, I hadn’t weighed the possibilities of pursuing my celluloid dreams as a young person because I didn’t quite comprehend what that meant. Also, for reasons that remain murky in my memories, I ignorantly assumed that was a job for a man. All of that changed when I was a teen and discovered this might be a vocation that could afford me a career.
I went to Palisades High School and remember vividly my classmate, Greg, making a casual comment about how his mother was set to attend The Academy Awards later in the week. I was intrigued and asked a million questions as to why she was so blessed. He explained that she was a screenwriter and had written the script for a compelling movie about Diane Fossey. I was riveted and continued to ask as many questions as I could. I was so motivated thinking his mom was both mother and scribe, the only two things I thought I wanted to be, that maybe this wasn’t out of the realm of possibility for me if other females had done it. It was exciting to have something to aspire to through her example.
I graduated from Pali High and then had the incredible experience of attending a graduation party at the beach where the Oscar nominated genius actor cum teen idol, River Phoenix, was in attendance. He was nominated for an Oscar for a lovely little movie titled Running On Empty. This was another gem penned by a woman, Naomi Foner, who produced movies and incredible actors as she is Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s mother. While I cried bitter tears when poor River breathed his last in front of The Viper Room Halloween 1993, I never forgot his incredible performances across a very short life.
I was blessed to study film as an undergrad at UCLA even while I was a Political Science major. I was on track to travel down the safe route to law school, but my late mother was the queen of magical thinking. She encouraged me to apply to UCLA Film School for my Master’s, even though I knew the chances of getting admitted were slim to none. 1100 applicants for 22 spots…not exactly a practical plan. Astoundingly, I got in and so began the plans to write successfully and to, one day, have my own gold statuette.
Film school was followed with a job as a development executive at Predawn Productions. My boss and, later, writing partner, won an Oscar for RAIN MAN and to this day, I wonder why I never asked him if I could see it. As close as we got, I never once requested to hold his Oscar in front of a mirror and practice my imaginary speech. In my 20s, I, too, believed I could write something memorable. Through that job, we interacted with many Oscar award winners and nominees. Ron and I sold a pitch in 2005 to Universal (Donna Langley) and Reese Witherspoon was attached briefly to star the same year she won her Oscar for Walk The Line. Hilary Swank aka Swanky Pants has won two for really different performances and the last project I worked on at Predawn was for her (Amelia). Years later, in a full circle moment, prior to production, Ron was replaced with another writer as the director, Mira Nair, wanted a female screenwriter. She went with none other than Greg’s mother! So, 17 years after I first heard about Anna Hamilton Phelan, the same woman who first inspired my dreams, was back in my personal narrative, rewriting my contributions!
Oscar winners were closer to home as well, making my life more and more Oscar adjacent. My father’s cousin, Natascha, started her career with her friends, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, in London. The two principals created The U.K’s most successful production company, Working Title. Natascha worked on several Oscar nominated pictures before heading up a different division of the main juggernaut, Working Title 2. It was there that she found the perfect small film about a British boy and the ballet. BILLY ELLIOT was also nominated for Oscars and even inspired a stage play. My cousin, Omar, worked in editing on JUNO, the hysterical film take on teen pregnancy and my brother had a project with one of the writers nominated for an Oscar in 1995 for Best Writing for his work on TOY STORY.
Having such an Oscar associated life where I can play six degrees of separation Kevin Bacon style with Oscar winners makes me wonder. Why didn’t I ever really believe I could win one? Why didn’t I make that the objective for a career well lived and a script well written? Jury is still out on that one…
As The Oscars approach this weekend, I am reminded everything is still in the realm of possibility. Hell, this year’s host has a younger sister who once asked me to pen a pilot in which she could highlight her talents as a stand up comedienne. I kinda blew that job and the relationship, but that’s a story for another time. Maybe it will be the one for which I win my very own…