The film also starsJonah Hill,Margot Robbie,Rob Reiner,Jon Bernthal, andMatthew McConaughey.
For more on the movie,watch the trailer.
A few days ago, I got to talk with screenwriterTerence Winter, whose other credits includeBoardwalk EmpireandThe Sopranos.
Image via Paramount Pictures
Hit the jump for the interview.
Collider: Congrats on the film.
I can only imagine.
Image via Paramount Pictures
How long was the script you first gave Marty?
WINTER: The very first draft, if I am recalling correctly, I think was like 128 pages.
The longest version of the script was somewhere in the high 140s, possibly into the 150s.
WINTER: Yeah I have never seen that cut, although I heard there was also.
So I think that there were not any big sequences or scenes that were cut.
WINTER: I saw variations on the theatrical release that varied within five minutes of each other.
Okay, so it’s not really that dramatic?
WINTER: No, I couldnt honestly tell you what necessarily changed they were so similar.
And also a lot of it is just kind of explaining a lot of the Wall Street stuff.
How did it actually work?
How did he become who he became and ultimately how he ended up?
Thats part of the job.
So my job was then to find the movie within that thing.
I said, “That’s pretty unbelievable.”
The yacht crashed and the plane sent over to kill you, that crashed too?
Absolutely happened, the real stuff.
Just one thing after another.
It’s like, of course.
“You know what, of course he was because that’s how his life is.”
You just turn these pages and it’s just such an insane roller coaster ride of coincidence and opportunity.
Just the fact that Jordan’s first day as a stockbroker was the day the stock market crashes.
You go, Come on, was it really that day?
Yeah actually, it really was.
You obviously have worked with Marty before, were you on set a lot during the filming?
And how involved is he as a director in terms of changing things on set?
Does he like to change things on set or is it pretty much sticking to the script?
In terms of how Marty works, he’s a very big fan of letting his actors explore things.
Especially when you get actors who are really great at improvisation.
Leo is particularly good.
Jonah Hill is an amazing improviser and Jonah’s a really talented writer himself.
Sometimes that’s where the magic is.
Sometimes you create something that’s even better.
I think it’s this controlled chaos that Marty likes to give his actors license to try things.
We do the same thing in the writing process too.
We talk about something and go, “Why don’t you go off and write that?
Let’s see how it goes.
It’s a lot of that.
How much debate was there about using the voice over or was that always part of it?
When you’re writing the season how far in advance have you arced out the show?
Could you describe that process?
So all that stuff was sort of broad strokes laid out before we even started writing any scripts.
Then it’s like, okay let’s start jumping in.
We know where we’re headed for the rest of the season.
Have you already started thinking about in the back of your brain where its going to go?
WINTER: Vaguely, yeah I know that we’re going further into the future [laughs].
You dont think about it, but you always think about it.
It’s part of what’s on my mind always.
So my question is how long do you envisionBoardwalkbeing a part of your life or continuing?
Do you see it as a seven year show?
Do you know what I mean?
WINTER: Yeah, thats exactly what we’re going to be talking about in January.
I’m not really sure.
Thats really not how HBO does things.
It’s going to star Bobby Cannavale, who played Gyp Rosetti onBoardwalk Empire.
HBO is really excited about it.
I’m working with George Mastras fromBreaking Badon that and we’ll shoot the pilot for that in April.
So thats another thing I have going.
We’ll start to feel where the story is going.
I dont want to keep it on longer than the story dictates.
I was actually going to ask you about the Untitled Rock and Roll Project.
I was lucky enough to work on high profile shows where we kind of got what we needed.
AndBoardwalktoo, we’ve got such a killer soundtrack.
We’ve got Randy Poster, who’s the Music Supervisor, just does such a tremendous job.
Were you a little bit surprised by the fan reaction?
And based on the fan reaction if you could go back in time would you tweak it at all?
I thought it was great.
But I started thinking about it, they’re just sad about it ending.
They just dont want the show to be gone.
And then I started talking to people, “What did you wan to see?
Did you want to see Tony get killed?”
“No, of course not.”
Did you want the family to get slaughtered in that restaurant?”
“No, no, no.”
I said, “What did you want?”
“I dont know…just I dont know.”
So I think a lot of people came around to it.
Or maybe it’s just people wanted a more clear cut of what exactly just happened.
We didnt tell you what to think.
It’s all under control."
It leaves you feeling very disconcerted.
That was kind of the point of it.
Getting back toWolf of Wall Streetfor one second if you dont mind.
The choking on the ham scene actually took place originally at a completely different venue.
So that was one of those examples where Marty would say, “Well let’s try.
Why dont you go off and try?
Go off and write it and see what it looks like.”
Marty loved what we had and I said, “I think this works so much better, man.
The scene now just goes on for like 12 minutes and it’s just such an amazing energy.
That was a good example of that.
That sequence, involving also the Ferrari, is unfuckingbelievable.
WINTER: Yeah, its pretty wild.
it was just great.
Every writer I speak to has a different sort of writing process.
What’s your typical process?
And do you believe in that whole golden time in the morning for the first few hours?
I just need to completely immerse myself in the material to fully get around it.
I just need a real big chunk of time to sit down and focus.
