The Screenwriter
Charlie Kaufman’s first produced screenplay, the inimitable Being John Malkovich, was directed by Spike Jonze, establishing a working relationship that continued not only with Adaptation, but through Michel Gondry’s Human Nature, also written by Kaufman and produced by Jonze. With Adaptation, Kaufman says that he was drawn to the ideas of obsession in The Orchid Thief, Susan Orlean’s book. “I wanted to write something about passion and what that is and what it means to me,” he says, adding that the humor was also compelling, offering yet another explanation for his ongoing connection with Jonze. “I like comedy,” says Kaufman. “If something is funny, it’s worthwhile to me. One of the draws of humor is that you know if it’s working or not in a very clean way.” Describing some of the elements particular to the making Adaptation, Kaufman comments on the editing process. “The film is very modular,” he says. “Things are where they are for a reason, but things can be moved around, too. Stories change – cutting out these two lines of dialogue in one scene, or putting in two more lines somewhere else, you find connections and things happening with characters that’s really exciting.” Kaufman also wrote the screenplay for Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, directed by George Clooney and based on Chuck Barris, who claims he was an assassin for the CIA.