Ep395 - Lesley Paterson, Screenwriter Oscar-Nominated ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’

“I was a rugby player and a ballet dancer,” said Lesley Paterson, triathlete and co-screenwriter of the Oscar nominated All Quiet on the Western Front. Dabbling in acting and producing, it wasn’t until she met her eventual writing partner Ian Stokell that she felt like screenwriting could be a path to a career in filmmaking. “To be able to act, you have to be able to write and produce your own films,” Stokell tells her. “Well that makes sense,” she says. “So that’s when I got into the writing side of things.” Having read the novel in high school, she was intrigued by the idea of adapting the iconic novel. It’s remarkable to think of Paterson writing an Oscar-nominated screenplay and training as a triathlete, but it’s because she views both as one and the same. “I get up early. I’m an early person. Not everyone is, but we do know that there is a neuroscience of the brain from training.” Paterson, along with her husband Simon Marshall, PhD, have written extensively about these topics in their book, The Brave Athlete. “You have more motivation in the morning,” she says. “There’s a part of your brain that processes emotional and physical pain and that tires out later in the day.” If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60-seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom on your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!