AFF2012: A Conversation with Frank Darabont

Just don't ask him about 'The Woman in the Room'

AFF2012: A Conversation with Frank Darabont

AFF founder Barbara Morgan quizzed the director of The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist, and AMC's The Walking Dead on his predilection for Stephen King adaptations, the importance of story over style, and, most revealingly, his pre-production rituals.

Responding to an audience member's query, Darabont replied in the affirmative. "The rituals before I start filming a project? Live animal sacrifice, I pray to Cthulhu, and I hope I really don't screw the project up."

But seriously, folks, "I try to assemble the best team I possibly can because I know they're going to make me look good and they're people that are a pleasure to work with, whether they're actors, or the production designer, or the costume designer or whatever. I know that's not every filmmaker's priority but it certainly is mine."

Darabont's career began with a letter to Stephen King, and, five years later, a 30-minute adaptation of the author's short story The Woman in the Room. Darabont was humorously loathe to mention his first film by name -- "I'm sure it's on YouTube, but please, don't watch it," he quipped -- but nevertheless it's the project that cemented his friendship (not "collaboration," as Darabont was quick to point out) with King and led, eventually, to filming some of the author's least-known works and turning them, remarkably, into mega-hits with Academy accolades.

"Steve and I have become very, very good friends," Darabont said. "I wish he were on the west coast more often or I was in Maine more often. Basically, I have his proxy and his trust. He liked how the first short came out, he loved how Shawshank happened, and he basically offered me The Green Mile. He gives me the rights and says 'Invite me to the premiere.'"

Advice for struggling screenwriters and filmmakers? Not a lot, really, that isn't career-specific to Darabont.

"You invest a tremendous amount of emotion," Darabont said, "and your life and your love into something that [sometimes] just never happens. For whatever reason. It often has nothing to do with your work, which is a little hard to accept, but it's part of what we do."

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

Support the Chronicle  

READ MORE
More AFF2012
AFF2012: Billy Bob Thornton Steers 'Jayne Mansfield's Car'
AFF2012: Billy Bob Thornton Steers 'Jayne Mansfield's Car'
The actor returns to the writer/director's chair

Marjorie Baumgarten, Oct. 26, 2012

AFF2012: 'Only the Young'
AFF2012: 'Only the Young'
Documentary captures the urgency and boredom of the teenage years

Marjorie Baumgarten, Oct. 24, 2012

More Frank Darabont
AFF to Honor Frank Darabont
AFF to Honor Frank Darabont
'Shawshank' writer/director to receive Filmmaking Award

Kimberley Jones, Oct. 9, 2012

More by Marc Savlov
Remembering James “Prince” Hughes, Atomic City Owner and Austin Punk Luminary
Remembering James “Prince” Hughes, Atomic City Owner and Austin Punk Luminary
The Prince is dead, long live the Prince

Aug. 7, 2022

Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone
Texas-made luchadores-meets-wire-fu playful adventure

April 29, 2022

KEYWORDS FOR THIS POST

aff2012, Frank Darabont, Stephen King, Shawshank Redemption

MORE IN THE ARCHIVES
One click gets you all the newsletters listed below

Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events

Keep up with happenings around town

Kevin Curtin's bimonthly cannabis musings

Austin's queerest news and events

Eric Goodman's Austin FC column, other soccer news

Information is power. Support the free press, so we can support Austin.   Support the Chronicle