Episode 129 - David Seidler

Oscar winning screenwriter David Seidler takes us through the multi faceted brilliance and inner workings of his mind! Yes, David won an Oscar for his film, The Kings Speech, but to say that it's not the most interesting thing he's ever done may in fact be true. In his 81 years, David has led ten lives that resemble a fantastical odyssey of international wonder, intrigue, mystery all while dancing with the stars! Our conversation went exactly where it was supposed to go as it traversed his current work, Hollywood, the current state of culture and the craft of writing. My only regret is that it wasn't longer. To me, David is the quintessential example of where the arts meets the humanities! Intro rant - The nature of change in the form of material possessions David Seidler- A Londoner by birth, David was sent to the USA as an infant during WWII which resulted in a childhood stammer. George VI, the stuttering reluctant King, became a boyhood hero, role model, and many years later the inspiration for his film The King's Speech staring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, and Guy Pearce, which won the Best Picture Oscar for 2010 and for which David was awarded the golden man for Best Original Screenplay, two BAFTA's and numerous other gongs. His stage version has toured England, played the West End, and been produced so far in eight foreign languages. He no longer stutters. Seidler's career commenced with writing dubbing scripts for Godzilla The Monster movies. He has over twenty credits to his name including: Tucker, The Man and His Dream starring Jeff Bridges, directed by Francis Coppola. Nominated for Writing Achievement by the WGA three times (winning for Onassis, The Richest Man In The World). David has also written three animated features, including Quest for Camelot. He is currently working on a Miles Davis project, So What, for Denzel Washington to direct. David has lectured in Milan, Rome, Porto, A.F.I. Los Angeles, Sundance, Dreamago Institute in Switzerland, and Laboratorio Novas Historias in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He lived for several years in Fiji, where he was Political Advisor to Chief Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. He also resided in New Zealand for eight years and returns to Godzone yearly to educate the trout and torment his son Manu who is a senior video editor at TVNZ. His daughter, Maya, is a documentary producer in NYC.