Atlantica - 01.11.2000, Page 18

16 A T L A N T I C A
Still an average guy
Mike Rich is overly busy these days. He’s writing a screenplay for
Disney (The Rookie), he’s recently signed a deal with Revolution
Studios to write an action film – “I want to try as many genres as
possible,” – he’s also agreed to write another drama for Columbia
Pictures, and his movie is opening on Christmas Day. Life’s lottery
bells are ringing. “I knew my life had made a surreal turn shortly
after I signed my first deal. My son knocked on the shower door
and said, ‘Dad, Sean Connery is on the phone’.”
This surreal turn caused Rich to become so busy writing scripts
that he had to quit his radio job, a career he says was difficult to
give up. (Hey, you can’t have everything.) But despite the fact that
his vocabulary is suddenly filled with the names of famous movie
stars and directors, he’s still an average guy. “I stay grounded by
living in Portland. I’m surrounded by a close group of friends and
a very tight family. They provide my perspective.”
How does his family feel about his new career? “They love my
new career choice, but not for the reasons one might suspect.
They couldn’t care less about the celebrities we come in contact
with. They like the fact that I don’t have to get up at 2.20 in the
morning and go to bed at 8 p.m.”
Rich is truly blessed twice. Now, he can get up and go to sleep
whenever he wants.
Edward Weinman is a staff writer.
A statue of gold
Columbia Pictures has scheduled the release of Finding
Forrester for Christmas Day 2000, a sign that it believes the
film is worthy of an Oscar nod. When I catch up with Rich to
ask him about the release date, it’s early fall and he’s laid up at
his Portland home with a bad back – good fortune for me
because the injury means he’s away from his computer and
has time to answer a few of my questions. “I don’t think about
the Oscars. I don’t want to jinx it. My goal is to pass along an
inspiring story to as many people as possible in a quality
fashion. And Gus has delivered that in a big way.”
Not thinking about the little gold statue might be easier said
than done for the man who’s originally from a small Oregon
town that’s light years away from the glitz of Hollywood. (Have
you ever heard of Enterprise? Population: 1,905.)
Incidentally, when Rich won the Nicholl Fellowship a head-
line in his home-town paper announced that the former EHS
student had won an Academy Award. Technically the Wallowa
County Chieftain was correct because the fellowship is spon-
sored by the Academy. It’s just not the Academy Award.
Rich insists again that awards are not important. Displaying
his laid-back disposition, he explains that this Christmas will
be like any other. “We’ll open presents, have breakfast, go to
church, and then go to the movies. That’s what will be fun.
Sitting down with a regular audience and seeing their reaction
to a story I’ve spent three years working on. Seeing if there’s
magic.”
airmail
William Forrester
is a character
that’s going to
challenge Sean...
“
”
Stills from the film
Finding Forrester.
Right: Sean Connery
looking professorial as
he tutors newcomer
Robert Brown on the
joys of literature.
Left: books, books and
more books. Ain’t
reading grand?
(Mike Rich)
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