Interviews

The Spec Script Library
Screenwriter : Michael D. Friedman

Michael's kickin' it old school
in Atlanta, GA USA

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Why do you live there?
I sort of just wound up here. The peaches are good.

What is your passion?
Writing.

What is your pride?
Anything I've ever completed.

What is your greatest fear?
Not accomplishing my goals.

What does adversity do to you?
It annoys me, for awhile, then I get over it and try again.

What is your best quality?
My sense of humor. I can see the funny side to any situation.

What is your worst quality?
A total dependence on caffeine (Mountain Dew, preferably).
I also swearway too f**king much.

What irksome habits do you have?
Making sure everything is in order. When something's out of place,
it's my duty to fix it.

If you could have your time again, what would you do that is different?
Not much. I'm pretty happy where I am, even if it was a bumpy ride
at times along the way.

What would you like to change about yourself? About others?
I'd be more motivated about things that don't necessarily fit my interests
-- like work, mainly. I wish that others would always consider other
points of view. Close-mindedness bugs me.

How important is goal setting to you?
The goal is the most important thing. I set my goals high.

What goals do you have?
To see one of my scripts on the silver screen. To see my name on a movie
poster. To achieve world peace (not likely, but it'd be fun to try).

What is your ultimate goal?
To be content in life, but not apathetic. To not live my life by somebody
else's rules.

What heroes do you have?
Heroes are hard to come by. I admire anybody who has the guts to stick to
their beliefs.

What inspires you in others?
Desire.

What inspires you in yourself?
My honesty.

What will be written on your headstone?
Probably some letters, maybe my name. But I'm gonna live forever! Hahaha!

What does success mean to you?
Doing what I want to do, not what somebody else wants me to do.

How do you measure success?
Getting the job done.

What are your pet hates?
The sensationalist tripe known as the local evening news.

What are your pet loves?
The smell of popcorn when you enter a movie theater.

What do you think of pets?
Depends on the pet. Dogs are cool. Cats are okay. Rocks are a fad that
died out in the '70s.

When are you happiest?
Watching a good film.

When are you hardest to please?
When I'm hungry. Don't get in-between a man and his cheesesteak.

What has been your most embarrassing moment?
Swearing in front of my mother for the first time.

What's the most exhilarating thing you have done?
Writing my first script when most people thought I couldn't do it.

What is it about screenwriting that gets your fired?
Creating something from nothing. Putting your mind to paper.

What screenplays have you written?
An action/black-comedy/gangster script called "Vinny & Jesus" (co-written
with David Carr), the low-budget comedy "Final Project", several others in
progress...

What is your favorite pastime?
Watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

What is your favorite motto?
"You tried your best and you failed miserably.
The lesson is: never try."
-- Homer J. Simpson

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If you would like to contact Michael
please mail him

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