Attention, aspiring screenwriters: The ScreenCraft Winter Writers Summit kicks off today, Dec. 6, and runs through Dec. 9, providing the opportunity to sit in on conversations with Hollywood’s movers and shakers. This includes a discussion between Backstage editor-in-chief Briana Rodriguez, “St Denis Medical” co-creator Eric Ledgin, and star Allison Tolman about the synergy between writers and actors.
Ledgin encourages writers to see actors as partners, rather than feeling intimidated or “precious” about being the sole progenitor of the script. “[Actors] need to be able to trust you—they’re looking for someone to collaborate with,” he says. This partnership is what makes good projects, he explains, since “the idea that’s going out [into] the world is collaborative.”
As supervising nurse Alex on the medical mockumentary sitcom “St. Denis Medical,” which Ledgin co-created with Justin Spitzer, Tolman elevates every joke on the page through the subtlest facial expressions—a feat that couldn’t be accomplished without actor-writer synergy. “You gotta pause and listen, and try to come up with a solution together,” Ledgin says.
For the full conversation between Ledgin and Tolman, plus other discussions with the likes of Jodie Comer, Noah Hawley, Steve McQueen, Denis Villeneuve, and more, sign up for the ScreenCraft Winter Summit. Premium ticket holders can even pitch directly to agents and managers from Verve, Buchwald, and Lit Entertainment, putting their work in front of the very people who could champion it to the screen.