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‘Hunger Games’ screenwriter closes ‘Masters’ Writer and director Gary Ross was the final focus of SFTV’s “Hollywood Masters” series. Jordan Bierbower Contributor
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ary Ross is a four-time Oscar nominee and has written and directed everything from comedies to period pieces to dystopias. His big break came from the comedy, “Big,”(1988) co-written from Anne Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks. Ross’ most recent film, “The Hunger Games,” (2012) written alongside novelist Suzanne Collins and starring Jennifer Lawrence, began the four-part franchise that is now a pop culture phenomenon. On Wednesday, April 9, Ross joined The Hollywood Reporter’s Stephen Galloway for the final installment of the School of Film and Television’s (SFTV) “The Hollywood Masters” series. Ross spoke about his mother’s influence in “Pleasantville” (1998), his father’s effect on his view of Hollywood and having to buy a few horses himself after going over budget on “Seabiscuit” (2003). Gary Ross grew up in the ‘60s and ‘70s to politically involved parents. With his screenwriter father clacking away on the typewriter at home, Ross states he was “never aware of what a real job was.” Ross always thought he would go into politics, despite the fact that he was constantly writing. In elementary school, he wrote two school plays. In high school, he wrote short stories instead of papers, and by his senior year, Ross had completed an 80-page novella. After dropping out of college, Ross returned home and studied acting with the acclaimed Stella Adler, a close friend of his parents. Ross engaged with the audience, asking attendees, “Who wants to be a director? Who studies acting?” Ross credits his acting training to helping him become a better writer and director, and recommends that all directors take acting lessons. Galloway asked Ross, “Were you a good actor?” To which Ross replied, “No, I sucked.” Ross explained that training can’t give you talent, but it can teach you “how a scene works, [and] how to build a character.” In his work on “The Hunger Games,” the acting talent came from Jennifer Lawrence. Ross had only good things to say about Lawrence, calling her a “genius,” and her work “almost indescribable. She was born with this. With what I do, you get better with time.” That is not to say Ross needed much time to earn the title of master. “Big” was Ross’ first screenplay to be made into a feature film, for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Writing and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. When Ross was writing “Big” with Anne Spielberg, Spielberg brought up the idea of using the floor piano in FAO Schwarz. She continued to stress the idea of the piano, to which Ross replied, “Anne, will you stop with the piano already? We’re trying to figure out this scene.” That scene would later become an iconic moment with Hanks and Robert Loggia playing “Heart and Soul” and “Chopsticks.” Ross outlined two reasons why that scene works: the delightful implausibility of a thing that could have happened, and patience. The two-minute scene, devoid of cuts, allows the audience to “sit in it,” without giving in to the anxiety of always driving the story forward. Ross stressed that, at the same time, the scene is a critical plot point, the “fulcrum in the center” of the film. According to Ross, there can be four things wrong with a scene: the writing, the acting, the way you’re shooting it and the way it’s staged, but “you really hope it’s not the writing.” The trick is to understand what’s wrong. Ross decided to end his work on “The Hunger Games” after completing the first
via Juan Tallo
Known for the classic “Big” (1988) and the film adaptation of “The Hunger Games,” screenwriter, director and actor Gary Ross closed out The Hollywood Masters series on April 9. Ross spoke about everything from the piano scene in “Big” to Stanley Kubrick, his favorite director. movie. Due to scheduling conflicts for “Catching Fire,” Ross would have had to write and prepare for shooting simultaneously, in half the amount of time he had on “The Hunger Games.” He has also always wanted to move on and do new things, and has been talking about doing an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel “East of Eden,” with Lawrence as Cathy Ames. Ross does not have very many credits to his name, but their wide range reflects his favorite filmmaker, Stanley Kubrick, who according to Ross, “mastered every single genre.” When Galloway asked Ross if he is still idealistic, he responded, “I am, because I don’t want to live the other way.” Sophomore production major Brianna Arambula described the event as “inspirational.” When asked what she enjoyed about Ross’ talk, senior production major Julianna Collins responded, “how honest he was about the industry without being cynical.”