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Being one of the screenwriters, was the tone always the same throughout the scripting process?

I think Marshall [Herskovitz] and I really, very much, wanted to have that comic levity throughout. In my experience, nothing is too funny; particularly the most serious things, even illness. The word “and” was more important than the word “or.” They could be having the most serious moment, but it would also be undercut by something genuinely funny. I think that describes something Anne does in her performance very well and it really was the intention of the movie. They can’t help but enjoy each other, and that’s why they are drawn together.

What about the original story inspired you to make it into a film?

It is really hard to say. Something strikes you or you see another possibility. The book does not have a lot of [what’s in the movie] in there. It does evoke a moment and time and circumstance in a man’s life. I’ve known people who’ve had certain illnesses, I’ve dealt with issues of ambition in my own life. I was once that age. All of these things conspired to bring an opportunity to tell this story.

You work with two other writers on the script, so how does that collaboration work?

The first draft was by a very talented writer named Charles Randall and he wrote some lovely stuff. He had other commitments and we had ideas about a different direction we wanted to take the script. We held onto some very fine writing in there and reinvented other parts of it. At the end of the day, it reflects all of our work collaboratively. Marshall and I have written together so it’s really two writers if you will; Charles and then us. And happily, Charles is very proud of the movie and I am very proud of having his name on there with ours.

Jake and Anne have such an amazing chemistry that really makes the movie work. So how did that great casting come about? Did you have them in mind while scripting?

I asked them and they said "yes" (laughs). You never have anyone in mind when writing a script. That’s dangerous, really. But they were the first people who came to my mind and asked. Annie’s work in recent times has only been more and more exciting as she shows her courage; she’s very brave. And Jake has so much work that he’s accumulated now. Some of his movies are great, some that are less great, but I felt that there are parts of both of them that audiences haven’t yet seen that I could show them.
You get to know people individually and it’s like fixing people up. Sometimes you are right, sometimes you’re wrong. This time I was right. They are very smart, determined, brave, and serious about their craft. They worked for three days together on Brokeback Mountain. They knew and respected each other so I brought them back together. It was obvious.

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