Watch what they Write: Amy Cohen

Few people have the nerve to take an honest look in the mirror and see themselves for who they really are, even fewer have the nerve to share that view with the rest of the world. Amy Cohen, former writer/producer of the hit sitcoms Caroline in the City and Spin City not only had the nerve, but the skill needed to bring her life to the page and now to the big screen in an upcoming Picturehouse Films production based on her memoir The Late Bloomer’s Revolution. The New York native brings her comedic insight and experience as a dating columnist/correspondent for the New York Observer and TV’s New York Central to the 2007 Hyperion Books release. The memoir offers a candid, charming, and often tongue in cheek look at life and the pursuit of happiness at any age. Her memoir is wholly entertaining, filled with hope and life lessons, a joy to read at any age. I casually conversated with Amy for a chat on life, love and the pursuit of balance, both on the bicycle and off.

Amy Cohen

What is a “Late Bloomer” and do you think that the term can be used so generically to cover the scores who have declared themselves such since your book?
Well first of all I love that you said ‘scores of people have declared themselves late bloomers’ because of my book, but I actually think that a Late Bloomer is someone who discovers whatever strengths they sort of felt they have hidden later than expected. It doesn’t have to be later in life, just really later than expected. I’ve heard stories of people who as kids were 17 before they learned how to fit in at high school, I’ve heard other stories of 56 year olds who decide that they want to open a boutique because that is something they always wanted to do but had put it aside because they had families. The term ‘Late Bloomer’ is a term that can be used to describe anyone who follows a dream of something that they thought was behind them.

Who are your favorite Late Bloomer’s and why?
I used to point out famous people like Lucille Ball who was actually 40 when she did “I Love Lucy”, but for a long time the only late bloomer I ever knew was Colonel Sanders, which is kind of sad, before I started writing the book. Since I’ve written the book though I think my favorite late bloomers are the people who have written me and told me their stories. I think it’s something that has really touched people, especially now [because] we’re stuck in such a crazy youth culture. I went to college 20 years ago and felt like a late bloomer when I graduated; now it’s even worse. I mean we’re not living in Soviet era Russia, we’re living in a country that keeps telling us we can do anything at any time, but there’s a time when that really should come to pass.

Most writers consider their words on paper to be equivalent to the birth of a child. Do you agree, and if so do you consider the move to celluloid to be a maturation process?
I’ve actually compared my work to an elephant; because they have a gestation period of 3 years then they burst out with this huge thing and get to lie down in the jungle for three months. I don’t know about the celluloid, how it’s going to feel yet, until it actually starts to pan out. It feels really exciting and I think one of the most important things I can tell people is that it was a very rocky road to getting it made or sold because when I originally sent out my book, people thought it was way too small to ever be bought as a movie and they were wrong. I think it is a really good thing for people who have written books to know because the first time around no one showed any interest and what happened was, six months later everyone was interested. So that can really happen and that’s important to know.

When you look back at the process of life-literature-film that your work has undergone, is it safe to compare it to the bicycle lessons that were such a high point of your work?
Yeah, to a certain degree I think that is a really fun way to describe it because the thing about the bicycle lessons was that to me, it’s hard to even think about them without remembering how many times I fell down and the scars I still have on my legs, just falling down and getting back up. I remember riding with my brother once and someone coming up and said ‘your leg is bleeding’ [laughing] it was SO unattractive, so it’s safe to say there’s a lot in common.

What about the change in ending that your editor’s required of you?
It’s interesting because there actually was another ending. It’s a true story, the book ended when I was still engaged, but we had broke up 6 months after the book had been finished and the editors wanted the original ending taken out. So that was not an easy conversation to have. Not only had I broken up with the only man I had ever been engaged to, but it changed the books ending too. They said ‘well you have 4 weeks to rewrite the ending; we discussed it at the publishing meeting.’ I said ‘you discussed it at the publishing meeting? My family doesn’t even know!’ I had no idea what I was going to do because I was still processing just breaking up. It was incredibly difficult.

Your background is obviously in screenwriting/teleplays so why weren’t you tapped to pen your own conversion? Will you have any input into the work as it progresses?
I actually had the choice of writing it for a possible TV show or of having the great Amy Palladino write it as a movie. For me it really came down to a choice of how much time I wanted to spend on myself. I thought too how anyone in a million years can turn down Amy Palladino and Sarah Jessica Parker. It was also part of my wanting to move on to other things. As to the input it really depends on Amy and on Sarah Jessica, it’s like I’m happy to be there if they want my help but if they don’t, I’m just happy that it’s getting done.

The book seems to have the flow of a well planned teleplay or screenplay, was that intended or just an offshoot of your experience as well?
Wow, I’ve never heard that before…It almost felt like I had been in a cult and I had to de-process myself because in sitcoms you sometimes they’ll count the jokes per page, depending on what you’re writing, so I felt like I had to do a million rewrites to get away from the sitcom feel. It wasn’t intended but, it’s great.

I love the ending, it actually offers hope without the forced consumption issues of the “happily ever after”, but it also begs the question….any changes since press time?
No, really nothing. 

I have passed your work to a select number of my friends and cohorts and the consensus is the same all around, Sarah Jessica Parker to star is not a fluke. Do you see the comparisons to Sex and the City that are likely to arise from the film? 
The choice of Sarah Jessica Parker for the lead is so beyond a dream, just because I loved her before Sex & the City. I really did, I loved her in L.A. Story and Miami Rhapsody. I have always loved her. As for the comparisons to Sex & the City, I think part of it is, well I was surprisingly surprised by the comparison, but I wrote a dating column for a year for the New York Observer which Candice Bushnell had wrote before me, so I think part of it was just going on so many dates. The comparisons are bound to happen and the truth is that if people are crazy about it then I am just thrilled and if people don’t like it then it’ll be like ugh.

Amy Sherman-Palladino is best known for her work on “Gilmore Girls” and this project will be her first venture into feature films. Discuss her as choice for your memoir and any relationship you have with her previously or currently involving the production. I knew Amy before, we had one meeting, she was the first meeting I had when everyone first jumped on board. They had heard it had gone really well, which sometimes happens, but we just loved each other immediately. I see her a bunch too on the picket line, the Writers Guild picket line and we like to hang out there. There again, Amy is a really astounding, singular talent so if she wants my help I’m there and if she doesn’t, I trust her. I mean it’s unbelievable the following that she has. I’m just so excited for her.

How do you see the film taking on your personal memories, the bicycle will likely be the hub of the film, but do you believe it will adequately transfer from page to screen?
It’ll be really interesting to see what they do with the film because the thing that they are focusing on really, and when I see my dad I kind of just call him my meal ticket, the real hook that they are most interested in is my relationship with my dad.  I hope the bicycle will be in there but I’m not sure.

Are there any plans to fictionalize any of the work for the film? Has there been word on whether your rash for example, will be underplayed or exploited? It will be interesting to see how the rash is portrayed, of course if the makeup artist wants my help I will be happy to.

As a screenwriter, have you any conceptions for the film that you believe to be crucial to the work as a whole? I’ve never had a work adapted before so I don’t know what it’s supposed to feel like. I think the only thing that is crucial to me is how my Dad will feel. I worry about my dad, my sisters and ALL my boyfriends, who I spoke to before I wrote the book. I worry about everyone and how they feel about things. They’ve been really terrific and there’s nothing in there that’s not true. One boyfriend even said “you were really easy on me in there”. So that I would say is my biggest concern.

Have you been invited to sit in on any of the writing process to insure that the parts of your life that were most important to you are properly handled (i.e. mother’s death)?
That unfortunately comes down to the writer’s strike. Because my book was under contract before the strike, they’re not writing right now. I really trust the people involved. It’s only going to help the book when it gets made. As with any book that goes to screen, there may be certain changes, but it’s not like when you write a screenplay…and this happens all the time…by the time it gets to film, millions of drafts later, it bears no resemblance to anything you wrote. That’s really hard, but now there’s a whole book that tells them what I think and Amy’s interpretation of it, and I think as of now I feel good.

In the memoir you describe in detail numerous locations and situations which are very centralized to the story as well as being very identifiable in the narrative; are you aware of any plans to film on locations outside New York?
That I think is going to come down to months and months after the script is written; where they can afford to shoot, where Sarah Jessica Parker wants to shoot, so we’ll see. But I imagine it is going to be here since so much takes place here. I was born here, I grew up here. I just don’t know if they are going to film somewhere else and call it New York. It’s also a really small budget. It’s not like I Am Legend, there is no $200 million budget or anything. Unfortunately.