Skip to content

10 – From Joey to Hollywood with Screenwriter Stuart Beattie

  • by
Screenwriter/Director Stuart Beattie
Screenwriter/Director Stuart Beattie

Screenwriter/Director, Stuart Beattie, joins me in Episode 10 to discuss his journey from a little Australian film, JOEY, to big Hollywood movies like PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN and COLLATERAL, then back on home soil with AUSTRALIA, TOMORROW WHEN THE WAR BEGAN and I, FRANKENSTEIN.

Stuart grew up in Australia and studied at Charles Stuart University, from where he did a college exchange to Oregon State University, USA. He then moved to Los Angeles in 1992, supporting himself by day at Taco Bell as he studied screenwriting by night at UCLA Extension. After he won UCLA’s Diane Thomas Screenwriting Award, Beattie signed with a Hollywood literary agent. And so began his Hollywood ride…

Joey poster 1In particular, we chat about:

  • Working at Taco Bell, flipping burgers and working at a ‘bottle-o’ while studying screenwriting
  • Connecting with the Aussie Mafia in Los Angeles
  • Writing a feature screenplay in 4 weeks
  • Breaking into Hollywood after writing the Australian films, JOEY and KICK
  • The inspiration behind COLLATERAL
  • Avoiding writer’s block
  • How to avoid being typecast in a particular genre
  • Dealing with notes about your script
  • Making the step from writing to directing with TOMORROW, WHEN THE WAR BEGAN
  • What to do, and not to do, as a director
  • Making a ‘Hollywood movie’ in Australia
  • What Stuart would do, and not do, if he had his time again

LINKSCollateral poster

iTUNES REVIEWS

Leave me a Rating and Review in iTunes!
https://benphelps.com/iTunesReviews
It won’t cost you a cent and it makes a big difference. The more you love the show, the higher this podcast is ranked in iTunes which helps new listeners (like you and me) discover it. That’s how I found my favourite shows. Just click the link above. It means a lot to me and the guests on the show.

SUBSCRIBE

You can subscribe directly from your phone. If you’ve got an iPhone, click the purple app named Podcasts. If you’ve got a Samsung phone or another Android phone, try the apps Stitcher or Overcast. Both are free. Or find me in iTunes on Mac and PC. Just search for ‘Ben Phelps’. Then tap SUBSCRIBE or LISTEN LATER. Every time I release a new episode, it’ll appear in your podcast feed. Easy peasy!

GOT SOMETHING TO ADD?

I love sharing stories and fostering discussion. So reach out to discuss this episode or anything else! Try Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or email. The links are in the right column (or the bottom of the screen if you’re reading this on a mobile device).

Leave a Reply