Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
I read this book in the early ’90s, when I first got out to Hollywood. My mentor Stuart Rosenberg, who directed Cool Hand Luke, suggested it. It’s basically Kirk Douglas’s story of coming from nothing—he was a ragman’s son—and achieving the American dream through the Hollywood movie system.
Your fourth book, the autobiography of Kirk Douglas, is quite literally a rags-to-riches story. Why did you select it?
I read this one in the early ’90s when I first got out to Hollywood. My mentor Stuart Rosenberg, who directed Cool Hand Luke, suggested it. It’s basically Kirk Douglas’s story of coming from nothing—he was a ragman’s son—and achieving the American dream through the Hollywood movie system.
Kirk was such a brave actor, but he’s also just a brave guy. He broke the blacklist by forcing the studio to put [screenwriter] Dalton Trumbo’s name on Spartacus. It was the first time a blacklisted writer had used his real name, and Douglas used all the power he had built for himself to do that, which was a great risk to his career.
He is someone who made great movies, didn’t forget where he came from, was proud of where he came from, and represented where he came from his entire life.
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Darren Aronofsky is the director of Black Swan, the critically acclaimed ballet thriller that has been nominated for five Academy Awards this year. Educated at Harvard University and the American Film Institute, Aronofsky was the recipient of the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay for his debut feature, Pi; his 2008 film, The Wrestler, won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
