BPS 169: The Ugly Truth of Being a Hollywood Screenwriter with Rich Wilkes

Get ready for on heck of a ride. Today on the show we have
screenwriter Rich Wilkes.

Wilkes’ major-studio debut was as screenwriter of the 1994 film
Airheads. The story revolves around a group of loser musicians
called The Lone Rangers who take a radio station hostage to get
their song played on the radio. Airheads was directed by Michael
Lehmann and distributed by 20th Century Fox.

This was followed by a co-writer credit (alongside director James
Melkonian) for the 1994 comedy The Stoned Age, set in the stoner
subculture of Southern California during the 1970s.

The same writing and directing team then collaborated with The
Jerky Boys to create the 1995 production The Jerky Boys: The Movie,
featuring the eponymous comedians (self-described as “low-lifes
from Queens”) as New York City youths who get into trouble with the
Mafia when one of their prank calls leads them into a money
laundering business.

Wilkes is credited as the sole screenwriter for the 2002
action-adventure film XXX and a “based on characters created by”
credit as being as the creator of the XXX franchise.

Wilkes co-wrote the Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt, based on the New
York Times bestselling book by Neil Strauss and Mötley Crüe. The
film took 17 years to get made. David Fincher was initially
attached to direct in 2004, followed by Larry Charles in
2008.

Rich and I had a raw conversation about what it is really like to
be a screenwriter in Hollywood, warts and all. This episode should
be reqired listening for any screenwriter thinking of getting into
the Hollywood screenwriting game.

Enjoy my eye-opening conversation with Rich Wilkes.

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