INTERVIEW: Screenwriter Meg LeFauve
You cannot learn by listening — only by DOING… The more you do anything the better you will get. Which sounds obvious but it often is not. We all want to be “great” immediately but that is not how “greatness” works. - Meg LeFauve
Hey Hey!
Up next for our interview series is screenwriter and film producer Meg LeFauve. LeFauve is originally from Warren, Ohio (I am from Columbus, Ohio - woot! woot!) and she is best known for writing the screenplays for the Pixar animated films Inside Out, it’s upcoming sequel Inside Out 2, The Good Dinosaur, and co-writing the story for the Marvel Studios film Captain Marvel. She began her film career as a producer and President of Egg Pictures, Jodie Foster's film company. During that time, LeFauve produced films which were nominated for an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and she was awarded a Peabody for the Showtime film, "The Baby Dance". LeFauve taught at AFI and served as co-chair of the Graduate Producers Program at UCLA's School of Film and Television, where she taught master level story and development classes for over seven years.
She gave lots of great tidbits on the craft and business of screenwriting - hope you enjoy!
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1. When did you first know that you wanted to be a screenwriter?
I have known I wanted to tell stories for as long as I can remember. My mom saved a story I wrote in kindergarten (three whole lines) with my huge slanting letters about going on a plane trip, falling into a hole and disappearing. In hindsight, perhaps my mother should have asked me about that one?? The film that made me want to tell film stories was Sophie’s Choice - to go so deeply into another person’s POV, to know their secrets, motivations, joys, pains and their “whys”.
I was a screenwriting major at Syracuse University and upon graduation promptly decided I was not talented and had no stories anyone would care about and so I became an executive and producer. For ten years, I worked with Jodie Foster until the day I realized if I did not write I would never know what stories I could tell. So, I quit (luckily my husband was working so I could do this) and I committed to writing. It took many years, many drafts, many many revisions to come to the point I had a sample to show…
2. What is some advice you would give to up-and-coming screenwriters?
You cannot learn by listening — only by DOING. Be aware of reactive vs active main characters — is your character CREATING the story? Learn the craft — then find your voice— both are done by writing many, many drafts. Even though getting notes on your work can feel personal - it is not. WRITE TO HELP YOUR MAIN CHARACTER EXIST. That character chose you to tell their story and it will never exist if you do not sit your butt down and write. Badly. Write badly. Everyone does. That is what early drafts are for. Expect to write a script 15 times at least. So stop stalling on your first or fifth draft - get going.
A great story for me has two distinct sides - your personal LAVA to make the character and theme of your story specific and authentic (the hot vulnerable piece of you that to truly express feels like it will burn you up) and PLOT to put that into action. I find writers sit on one side or the other. They either write emotional authentic characters wandering around in no plot. Or they create great plots without a lot of soul. The job as I see it is to do both…
And I have so many other pieces of advice that I started a podcast THE SCREENWRITING LIFE - and a Patreon so I can more directly talk to and help writers - go there :)
Also — a friend asked me what writing taught me about life and I think these answers also apply here :). There is the writing/artistry of screenwriting and there is the business of it - both have taught me so much. It is a long game. Choosing to be an artist means choosing to be vulnerable. It is okay if everyone does not get you, even though your head will tell you everyone must love you. When you are in the right “pond” doing the thing you are meant to do - you can feel the difference. My worst day of writing is still better than my best day of producing. In life and this business there are predators and there are people without much sense and there are people playing a game I do not like playing (and aren’t good at). And there are people who love stories and have the best intentions and are here for all the right reasons. Find your people.
There usually is something unexpected coming - probably a bunch of unexpected things coming. Some thrilling, some bone chilling. It is the way of creativity and business. Do not take it personally (which I always do anyway). Everyone believes they are the hero of the story. Know that when you are working with them and especially when you disagree with them. Victim power is very enticing. And limiting. And does not make for great main characters and can kill your writing process.
Go for what lights you up - what you feel in your gut - going for the “money” or the business strategy, or what other people want you to be, often is not going to work out long term. Anything that takes craft and artistry will take vulnerability and years to learn — so find a way to use the vulnerability in the writing - and just start. Everyone sucks at writing at first. Everyone. You are scared, anxious, unsure - do it anyway. And guess what - so are we all :). The only difference is THEY DO IT ANYWAY. The more you do anything the better you will get. Which sounds obvious but it often is not. We all want to be “great” immediately. That is not how “greatness” works.
People’s view of you is none of your business. Because it is more about them than you. And, at the same time, you can always learn, you can always open up to your blind spots, you can always confront your own limitations. Being busy is an addiction - and a high form of laziness. Because it helps you go numb, have excuses for not writing, — but I cannot quite seem to stop doing it. You cannot know what projects will make it, to the screen or to people’s hearts. All you can do is be true to the story you are trying to tell. And let the rest go.
3. What was the hardest part of writing 'Inside Out'?
All of it :). Usually when you world build you have something to start with - Nemo is underwater so there are sharks and all kinds of things to access and research. Even many full fantasy worlds are based on a real world. But with IO we had to invent it all - and it had to feel authentic, relate to our humanness and tell a compelling story on THREE levels (Riley, HQ and down in the mind with Joy and Sadness). And make it funny. And emotional. I am not sure how we did it :). Of course there were many artists participating, especially in the world building and the laughs. And the road we had was Joy’s journey - from a character who believes Sadness is not good for Riley (and so should not drive or touch core memories) to a character who hands Riley’s core over to Sadness and gets Sadness to the controls. Those poles gave us a spine for the rest.
4. Favorite movie?
Ah so hard! So many! The three I mention when I do our theme exercise (on our Patreon site) is Toy Story, Somewhere In Time (Hey! it speaks to me), and Kieslowski’s Blue. But, I just saw PRIVATE LIVES and I want everyone I know to see it so we can talk about it!! It is such an incredible subtle film. I am also a huge Ratatouille fan. And I tell everyone my favorite film is Amadeus and The Piano. And, should we dig deeper, Out of Africa, Kramer vs Kramer or Erin Brokovich or Arrival (I LOVED Arrival), Terms of Endearment, Awakenings…
5. What is up next for you?
I am writing a horror movie for MGM/Amazon and am taking out a spec pilot I wrote over ten years ago that has come back alive :). I also have two other passion projects I am working on. All of these are with my new writing partner - my husband Joe Forte.
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Inside Out 2 is scheduled to release on June 14, 2024!
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