From screenplays to poetry

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“This is a sad time,’ said screenwriter Jeff Nathanson (‘Rush Hour 3,’ ‘The Terminal’ and ‘Catch Me If You Can’). ‘A very sad time, I think, for everybody — both sides. So, that’s how I’m looking at it, which is as someone who absolutely, 100% supports the guild and what we want to do, but I just remember ’88, and I know how tough this gets. I wasn’t a guild member, but back then my brother was and some other friends of mine, so I watched them strike and picket and all that. I’ve never done it myself, but I’m about to.’

Writers, though, will continue to do what they do, Nathanson said before heading to tonight’s meeting. ‘Writers will always write, whether they’re writing for themselves or writing for a corporation. You’re not going to make writers stop writing. Writers don’t stop. We don’t have a switch that you just turn off and don’t write for a period of time. Especially if you’re used to doing it every day. And so, I think there’s guys that’ll write specs, there’s guys that’ll write books, there’s guys that’ll write magazine articles, and guys that’ll write poetry and short stories and everything else. I just don’t think you can turn that off.”

-- Jay Fernandez