Inside the Mind of Eric Heisserer: What Creates a Story That Haunts You Forever?
How does a scriptworm like me wind up chatting for over an hour with Eric Heisserer, one of Hollywood’s most electrifying screenwriters? Well, buckle up—because this 2013 interview dives headfirst into the mind behind films and series like Arrival, Birdbox, The Thing, and Shadow and Bone. I still think it’s one of the sharpest conversations ever in the Go Into The Story series. Not only did Eric score an Oscar nod and a Writers Guild Award, but his scripts also graced the infamous Black List twice. What’s even more fascinating? Eric’s journey wasn’t scripted by fancy film school degrees or a straight path; it was carved by raw passion, autodidactic grit, and a healthy obsession with ’80s classics—his “candy,” as he calls it. Ever wonder how the mind of a self-taught screenwriter sketches out stories that resonate on both genre-bending and deeply human levels? Stick around—this isn’t just any talk about writing; it’s a revelation about the craft, persistence, and the odd turns that lead to unexpected breakthroughs.
My interview with one of Hollywood’s hottest screenwriters.
I regard this 2013 interview with Eric Heisserer as one of the best in the Go Into The Story series. Eric’s writing credits include The Thing, Lights Out, Birdbox, the TV series Shadow and Bone, and Arrival for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Eric’s scripts have also made the Black List twice: 2012 and 2014.
In our hour-plus conversation, Eric and I discussed his unusual path into screenwriting, his writing across genres, and reflections on the craft.
Scott: What are some of the movies that most influenced you when you were growing up?
Eric: I was a child of the ’80s, so I was addicted to movies like “Aliens” and “The Hunt for Red October” and early Carpenter movies like “The Thing” and “Big Trouble in Little China.” That was my candy.
Scott: And when did you discover that there were these people known as screenwriters who actually wrote the stories?
Eric: Probably much later than I should have. It was along about the time that I got addicted to some of the later works of [James] Cameron. I discovered I could get a hold of the screenplays of his movies. I was curious to see the early thought processes of Jim Cameron and how he related to the world he was going to film before he filmed it.
Scott: How did you go about learning the craft?
Eric: I’m a bit of an autodidact, so I picked up Final Draft software and a couple of screenplays that I purchased through bookstores. I had an idea of what a script was supposed to look like, and I started writing.
Scott: Any formal training?
Eric: No.
Scott: I believe your big break was a spec script called “Dionaea House.”
Eric: Yes, that was my breakthrough.
Scott: Warner Brothers bought that.
Eric: Yeah.
Scott: What was that project about and what happened with it?
Eric: That was an interesting story of a project. Before that, I had gotten a couple of other options…
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