May 19, 2008
A while back I had the privilege of enjoying an inspiring dinner with Horton Foote. (Pulitzer prize winning playwright and two-time Oscar winning screenwriter and producer. He wrote screenplays for Tender Mercies, Driving Miss Daisy and To Kill A Mockingbird, among many others.)
Horton Foote is one of the most poised, calm, warm and gentle people I have ever met. For a man of his stature, he is so down-to-earth and real. You would never know that he is one of the most respected playwright’s in the world. He counts people like the late Arthur Miller, Athol Fugard, Gregory Peck and Bruce Beresford as close friends. He travels in circles very few people in this world will ever travel, yet he had the time to ask me about my writing. At one stage he put his arm around me (see picture) and told me that he was inspired by what I was doing. (I just about had a thrombosis on the spot.)
After dinner I sat with Mr. Foote and we had a wonderful chat about inspiration and courting muses. I asked if I could flirt with his muse and he patted me gently on the hand and said “I don’t think that’s possible, she’s a one man woman."
The host of the dinner has a delightful eight –year-old daughter. The young girl came over and sat with us. I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. “I want to be like you.” She said. I was flattered.
Horton Foote smiled and asked me the same question. “I want to be like you Mr. Foote,” I said to him. He nodded.
“What do you want to be?” I asked, winking at him. He looked over at the girl and pointed.
“I want to be like her,” he said, smiling.
Posted by trevor at May 19, 2008 02:53 PM
Comments
Sweet, wish I could have been there... but you being a writer and all... I felt I was. Thx. Paris
Posted by: Paris Chance at June 29, 2008 04:04 PM