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The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

131 | John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, Saving Mr. Banks) On Empathy In Our Writing And Directing

The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

Meg LeFauve & Lorien McKenna

Tv & Film

4.81K Ratings

🗓️ 30 March 2023

⏱️ 59 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

John Lee Hancock is an award-winning writer/director whose extensive career includes writing and directing The Blind Side, directing Saving Mr. Banks, and most recently writing and directing Mr. Harrigan's Phone for Netflix. Across nearly three decades of his career, John has worked as a producer, writer, and director in multiple genres including stirring sports biopics, high concept genre movies, and even teen horror. On today's show, we discuss the beginning of his career, adaptation, and directing/writing with kindness. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey everyone welcome back to the screenwriting life I'm Meg Lefove and I'm

0:03.7

Lori McKenna today we're chatting with celebrated writer director John Lee Hancock.

0:08.7

John is an award-winning writer director whose extensive career includes writing and directing

0:14.0

the blind side, directing saving Mr Banks, and most recently writing and directing

0:18.2

Mr. Harrigan's phone for Netflix.

0:20.3

Across nearly three decades of his career, John has worked as a producer, writer,

0:24.4

and director in multiple genres including sports biopix, high concept genre

0:28.4

movies, compelling dramas, and even teen horror.

0:30.8

Hi John. Hi, John. Hi, how do you here?

0:35.0

I was, I was lucky enough to be on a panel with John and, you know, from afar how smart and you know amazing he is but it was so fun to meet you and I was just like oh my God he has to come on our show so I'm just thrilled that you're here. I'm very happy to be here. That was a fun, that was a fun panel because I was moderating and got to ask lots of questions of you and Lance Black that I needed answers to so it was helpful.

1:05.6

Well now it's my turn, John.

1:08.0

Yeah, okay, I'm in the seat.

1:10.0

Okay, so before we get started, John has agreed, I hope, to do our first segment, which is Adventures in Screenwriting,

1:18.0

or in other words, what was our week like as writers today?

1:21.0

So, this week, so we'll let Lorry and share first.

1:24.0

Lorry and how was your week? My week was good for a change, right? Yay! I had a script

1:30.2

due on Friday and I had that thing where it just wasn't script you I wasn't going to be able to get it the way I want it by Friday.

1:42.6

So I had to do that thing where you reach out to the producers and say,

1:46.1

hey, I would love some more time to work on this a couple more days and over the weekend.

1:52.0

Can I deliver it on Monday and they very

1:54.0

graciously said yes and I didn't get into like the why I just said I'm gonna need a couple

2:00.0

more days and and then that was it. And I had to go through that whole process of oh my God why can't I do this I'm a failure you know the whole

...

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