An Interview with Screenwriter Nick Kazan

Nick Kazan's screenwriting repertoire consists of several films that are based on true events such as Frances, At Close Range, Patty Hearst, and Reversal of Fortune, for which he earned an Oscar nomination in 1991. He also directed his script Dream Lover and collaborated with wife Robin Swicord on Matilda, based on the classic children's book by Roald Dahl. In this in-depth interview, Kazan touches on many important subjects of being a Hollywood screenwriter, from the art of handling studio notes and why he doesn't do lunch, to the science of a script's DNA and why changes can be fatal.