{"id":3229,"date":"2014-02-26T19:44:27","date_gmt":"2014-02-26T19:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=3229&post_type=story"},"modified":"2020-06-29T16:49:33","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T16:49:33","slug":"pat-rushin-making-zero-theorem","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/pat-rushin-making-zero-theorem\/","title":{"rendered":"Pat Rushin: Making The Zero Theorem"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spring 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

[lead]Sitting in the dark in a Texas movie theater, Pat Rushin watched the last 10 years of his life flash before his eyes. With his wife and two daughters next to him, the creative writing teacher finally realized his long-labored movie project during the film\u2019s U.S. premiere.[\/lead]<\/p>\n

[sidebar background=”#eeeeee” position=”right”]<\/p>\n

Five (and a few more) Screenplays I Wish I\u2019d Written<\/h2>\n

Silkwood<\/em><\/h3>\n

by Norah Ephron and Alice Arlen<\/strong>
\nThe absolutely great Nora Ephron is known more for\u00a0When Harry Met Sally<\/em>, but this one is my favorite. Although this is a movie about intrigue in the nuclear industry, the characters end up overshadowing the plot. This script schooled me more than any other on how to build great characters.<\/p>\n

The Princess Bride<\/em><\/h3>\n

by William Goldman<\/strong>
\nI know I should be choosing Goldman\u2019s\u00a0Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid<\/em>\u00a0or even\u00a0All the President\u2019s Men<\/em>, but\u00a0The Princess Bride<\/em>\u00a0is simply one of the funniest and most seamlessly structured stories there is. And screenwriters should read Goldman\u2019s\u00a0Adventures in the Screen Trade<\/em>, the best intro to the movie biz out there.
\n< h3>Adaptation<\/em><\/p>\n

by Charlie Kaufman<\/strong>
\nHands down the smartest screenplay ever written. I\u2019m a sucker for postmodern self-reflexive fiction, and Kaufman managed to make it work on screen. Plus it\u2019s one of the best inside looks at the film industry in this decade.<\/p>\n

Taxi Driver<\/em><\/h3>\n

by Paul Schrader<\/strong>
\nSchrader helped to define Scorsese with this disturbing and bittersweet story.<\/p>\n

Dr. Strangelove<\/em><\/h3>\n

by Terry Southern, Stanley Kubrick and Peter George<\/strong>
\nI knew I had to have a Kubrick film on this list, and I was leaning toward\u00a02001: A Space Odyssey<\/em>, which he co-wrote with the brilliant Arthur C. Clarke, but then I decided on his scathing collaboration with Terry Southern, who also co-wrote Barbarella<\/em>, Easy Rider<\/em>, End of the Road<\/em> and The Magic Christian<\/em>.\u00a0Southern could write no matter who the intended audience was.
\n[\/sidebar]<\/p>\n

The Zero Theorem<\/em> is a futuristic fantasy directed by Terry Gilliam (Brazil<\/em>) that stars Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained<\/em>) as an antisocial computer hacker on a quest to discover the meaning of life in an unsolvable math problem. The film blends themes of existential angst, corporate proliferation and the conundrum that everything actually adds up to nothing in Gilliam\u2019s signature wild visual style.<\/p>\n

After more than a decade of rewrites that Rushin described as \u201ca real roller-coaster ride of high hopes followed by dashed dreams,\u201d the film is set for wide release this spring. Pegasus<\/em> asked Rushin about the premiere, the process and the lasting affects of delayed success:<\/p>\n

Pegasus Magazine<\/em><\/strong>: What was it like to watch the finished movie for the first time?
\n<\/strong>Pat Rushin:<\/span><\/strong> It was pretty thrilling, especially because I\u2019ve been at this for more than 10 years. So finally having it finished was a relief more than anything else.<\/p>\n

PM: What was the reaction of the crowd?
\n<\/strong><\/span>PR:<\/strong> The crowd liked it \u2014 I mean they were laughing at the right spots, and you heard a little cheering now and then.<\/p>\n

PM: What was the most challenging part about getting your script made into a movie?
\n<\/strong><\/span>PR:<\/strong> The first challenge, of course, was writing the damn thing. I wrote the first draft in 10 days. It was 145 pages long, and I had no idea what I was doing. I simply checked out some screenwriting books from the UCF library, along with several screenplays. Coincidentally enough, one of those screenplays was Terry Gilliam\u2019s Brazil<\/em>.<\/p>\n

And after that came draft after draft. With each new player who came on board, there was another rewrite. Every time I thought the project was dead in the water, I\u2019d get a call from Dean Zanuck revving me back up. With endless faith, he told me repeatedly, \u201cWe\u2019re going to make this movie, Pat.\u201d<\/p>\n

PM: Where did the idea for The Zero Theorem<\/em> originate?
\n<\/strong><\/span>PR:<\/strong> It was originally inspired by the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. \u201cEmptiness, emptiness, emptiness, all is empty.\u201d The speaker of that, Koheleth \u2014 which is where I got the name Cohen [The Zero Theorem<\/em>\u2019s main character] \u2014 is basically bemoaning the fact that if there is no afterlife, what does it profit a man to live a good life, or any kind of life? It\u2019s the first Old Testament complaint, I believe \u2014\u00a0some kind of life after death.<\/p>\n

PM: What was your reaction when you found out that Terry Gilliam was going to direct?<\/strong>
\nPR:<\/span><\/strong> I was thrilled, and this really is a Terry Gilliam-type movie. In some ways it was inspired by Brazil<\/em>. Terry joked, \u201cRemember, you\u2019re just the writer.\u201d But he treated me like royalty.<\/p>\n

PM: What is it like to see your idea come to life with actors Christoph Waltz and Matt Damon?
\n<\/strong><\/span>PR:<\/span><\/strong> My wife Mary and I flew to Romania for a week of shooting, and the first thing Terry Gilliam did was send us to wardrobe so we could serve as extras. It was the best way for me to feel truly involved.<\/p>\n

[blockquote source=”Pat Rushin” cite=””]Christoph Waltz was a real gentleman and a tireless worker. He was in every scene, and he still made time to talk to everyone on the set. And Matt Damon shook my hand and said, \u2018Great script, man!\u2019 So now I can die and go to heaven.[\/blockquote]<\/p>\n

PM: What did you learn from the process of making this movie?
\n<\/strong><\/span>PR:<\/strong> It taught me more discipline and not to be in love with my words. It\u2019s all changeable, right up to when they release it.<\/p>\n

PM: Would you go through this whole 10-year ordeal again?
\n<\/strong><\/span>PR:<\/strong> I think I would just be sucked right in. There\u2019s excitement to it, and I like to write screenplays. Screenplays are different than fiction, because it\u2019s all about character and story. It\u2019s stripped down, almost like a blueprint. You don\u2019t want to be real specific about what characters look like, because you don\u2019t want to close doors to any actor who might want the part.<\/p>\n

PM: How has this experience influenced your teaching?<\/strong>
\n<\/span>PR:<\/strong> Everything I\u2019ve experienced I share with the class. One of the exercises I have students do is write a three- to five-page theme on any topic, and then the following week, I ask them to cut it by 25 percent. It\u2019s part of the craft.<\/p>\n

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