Ep279 - Neil Cross, Screenwriter ‘The Mosquito Coast,’ ‘Luther,’ ‘Mama,’ & ‘Crossbones’

Originally, Neil Cross wanted to be a novelist. Describing his path as “wandering” and even as an “accident,” Cross has published several books, but is best known for his work on the small screen, where he’s got credits for MI-5, Doctor Who, Crossbones, Luther, and now, The Mosquito Coast. Cross said he grew up an admirer of Han Solo, but more specifically, the anti-hero. “It’s a taste where the origin of which is a mystery to me,” he said about this preference, “but I’m thematically chained to it. I can see that running through everything I’ve written on the page.” In The Mosquito Coast, the apparent anti-hero is Allie Fox, played by Justin Theroux (and Harrison Ford in Paul Schrader’s 1986 film), and the original book comes from author Paul Theroux (Justin is Paul’s nephew). The basic plot is a bit of mystery, listed as “An idealist uproots his family and moves them to Latin America.” In this interview, Cross talks his obsession with anti-heroes, writing yourself into a corner, how to adapt characters to modern times, crafting a non-traditional writer’s room, hiring candid writers, and which episode was cut due to COVID which might end up in the next season. If it’s your first time listening, make sure to subscribe and visit my new website for information on the YouTube channel, the blog, this podcast, and my new book ‘Ink by the Barrel’ which takes advice from these 200+ interviews at the link below… Join the email list here: www.brockswinson.com Follow us on Instagram for updates: @brockswinson If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60-seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom on your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!