Go Into The Story Interview: Filipe Coutinho and Ben Mehlman

My interview with 2021 Black List writers for their script Whittier.

Filipe Coutinho and Ben Mehlman wrote the original screenplay “Whittier” which landed on the 2021 Black List. Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Filipe and Ben about their creative background, their script, the craft of screenwriting, and what making the annual Black List has meant to them.

Here are links to the entire 6-part series which has run this week.

Part 1: “I think the thing Filipe and I might talk about most are movies we have watched or are planning to watch.”

Part 2: “It felt like a Chinatown meets LA Confidential style movie that we, as fans of the genre, really wanted to see.”

Part 3: “Social working was very dangerous, alienating, and exhausting. And it involves a lot of ‘detective’ work.”

Part 4: “It’s not just about money but what money represents, which is power.”

Part 5: “If you’re reading our script, we want you to experience what we’re experiencing, feel what we’re feeling.”

Part 6: “You are your foremost champion and enemy. I think things don’t work when you stop believing.”

Ben and Filipe are repped by Matt Rosen at Rain Management.

IMDb: Ben, Filipe

Instagram: Ben, Filipe

Letterboxd: Ben, Filipe

Twitter: @filipefcoutinho, @Ben_Mehlman

For my interviews with dozens of other Black List writers, go here.