This week's episode was a reminder of exactly why I wanted to start this podcast: a vulnerable, deep, honest, and funny conversation that of course culminated in a chat about Twin Peaks — what a dream (pun intended).
Seth Grahame-Smith (The Lego Batman Movie, It) is an incredibly accomplished screenwriter, New York Times best-selling author, successful producer, and (not for nothing) all-around great dude — and yet he still grapples with deep-seated feelings of inadequacy and failure.
In our candid, wide-ranging conversation, Seth traced his path from growing up in Connecticut — where photos of Scorsese, Coppola, and Spielberg covered his bedroom wall and his lifelong worship of James Cameron began — to film school at Emerson College, and then to Los Angeles the week he graduated. He was still deciding whether to pursue writing, directing, or cinematography when a serendipitous offer to write a book led to bestsellers 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' and 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter', which were both quickly adapted into movies as Seth found himself shot out of a cannon.
Seth and I both got very real about why so many of us are drawn to Hollywood (spoiler alert: processing trauma), and how the nature of being an artist makes it all the more challenging to navigate the "dagger in your heart 95% of the time" that describes even the most successful Hollywood careers.
We also dug into Seth's desire to reinvent himself, why directing a movie soon feels so vital to him, his collaborations with producing partner David Katzenberg, and the invaluable support he's received from David's father, Jeffrey — and why the moments he's spent working with some of his childhood idols, including Tim Burton and Steven Spielberg, are what he cherishes most, family aside.
I personally got so much out of our conversation, and Seth's willingness to be vulnerable inspired me to share more than I normally would. But most importantly: it's a blue rose. Twin Peaks FOREVER.
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Host: Becky Sloviter
Guest: Seth Grahame-Smith - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0334381/
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