A show for film lovers by film lovers. Hollywood Unscripted delves into illuminating and unique conversations with top professionals in the entertainment industry. Hear stories and lessons from behind the scenes of the biggest blockbusters and most-admired features in film history. Featuring candid conversations with Hollywood legends, moguls, auteurs and other industry insiders, host Jenny Curtis goes far beyond the standard celebrity interview to take listeners inside the creative process. Listen each week to find out how the most creative minds in film and television do what they do and what their work ultimately means to them. From CurtCo Media.
https://www.curtco.com/hollywoodunscripted
episode 29: 29 - Bruce Miller (The Handmaid's Tale)
Bruce Miller, showrunner of THE HANDMAID’S TALE joins Jenny Curtis in a “Stuck at Home” special of Hollywood Unscripted to discuss the show, his career, and the nature of the industry. Through the conversation they discuss:
0:37 - Bruce’s experience during quarantine.
1:10 - His early connection to the industry through his Dad, when he realized he was a writer and his first screenplay.
3:03 - His path before success, getting fired several times and when he did and did not think about quitting.
5:09 - Being drawn to stories about strong women, the strong women in his life, and being guided in how to properly tell those stories.
6:26 - A time when the women thoroughly dissected an idea before it making it into the show.
7:32 - The atmosphere of the writers room (and set) contrasting with the heaviness of the show.
9:11 - How THE HANDMAID’S TALE series came to be, how Bruce got involved, and how long he’d been thinking about the project.
11:24 - Meeting Margaret Atwood and working with her to make sure THE HANDMAID’S TALE series and the book THE TESTAMENTS fit together.
15:17 - Navigating the characters survival in the danger set in the world of Gilead.
17:13 - Elizabeth Moss; the effect she’s had on the character of June, her professionalism, and being an EP.
19:05 - Creating a slower pace for the story and June/Offred’s internal conflict.
22:09 - June’s mental state in season 3, favorite moments from the season and how pieces of dialogue can be very effective.
23:07 - The character of Emily and the subtlety of Alexis Bledel.
24:37 - The possible influence of society on the story and not inventing cruelties.
26:27 - The absence of people of color in the book and why Bruce decided against using that story point in the show.
28:49 - Creating the look of the show and how all departments work together in the development of it.
30:20 - The purposeful detail in the art design and not explaining decisions to the audience.
33:10 - Bradley Whitford coming on the show and the development of his character, Commander Lawrence.
34:43 - The character of Nick and Jenny’s misunderstanding of his story.
36:36 - Taking the mystery out of an anticipated confrontation scene.
37:32 - The status of season 4 and how quarantine has changed the writing process for the better.
38:23 - The difficulty in scheduling and the benefit to having table reads.
40:24 - Sharing some insights into the coming season
42:12 - Two things in Bruce’s past that he would revisit to change and the part of the industry that shouldn’t be indulged.
44:55 - The job of a showrunner.
Learn more: Hollywood Unscripted
Hosted By: Jenny Curtis
Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin
Producer: Jenny Curtis
Theme Music By: Celleste & Eric Dick
A CurtCo Media Production
Follow Us: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.