Interview (Part 1): Kevin Sheridan

My interview with 2023 Black List writer for his script Backcountry.

Kevin Sheridan wrote the screenplay Colors of Authority which landed on the 2022 Black List. Then his screenplay Backcountry was named to the 2023 Black List. I had the opportunity to chat with Kevin about his creative background, writing two Black List scripts, and the craft of screenwriting.

Today in Part 1 of a 6-part series to run each day through Sunday, Kevin talks about how Backcountry all began with this idea: Write a movie about an avalanche.

Scott Myers: Congratulations, Kevin. This is the second time for you on the Black List, right?

Kevin Sheridan: Yeah, feeling pretty grateful. Two in a row.

Scott: Consecutive years, that’s right.

Your script “Colors of Authority” made the annual Black List in 2022. Now you’ve got this original screenplay, “Backcountry,” which made the 2023 Black List. How was it different the second time around versus the first time?

Kevin: That’s a great question. Backcountry is more personal. There’s a lot of me in the main protagonist. More than I anticipated, to be perfectly honest. It’ll probably be the most self‑revealing screenplay I will ever do.

The protagonist in the script, Brooks, was heralded to be the next great extreme skier / downhill racer. He suffers this horrific accident early in his career and things don’t play out for him. For me, the way that I emotionally built that out was through my own life experiences. I had some success as an actor at a young age.

I remember hearing people say, “You’re going to do X, Y, and Z. You’re gonna have this long, illustrious career.” And it simply wasn’t the case. All of that I was able to use in this screenplay.

In the screenplay, Brooks doesn’t “want to be seen” so to speak. That was very much me when I was acting, and that’s even true today to a certain degree. The very, very few times I would get recognized, I would just freeze. Totally freeze inside. I hated it. So, I used that in a scene with Brooks early on in the script.

In that respect, that’s probably where the greatest differences lie between Backcountry and Colors of Authority. But there are a lot of similarities too. I worked on it with the same fantastic company I think the world of — Star Thrower. Both scripts I really bled for. Both scripts were really research heavy.

With both scripts I really wanted them to feel hyper authentic. The more authenticity I could bring, the more the reader would empathize with the characters…. because they feel real. Human. Like people we know. These aren’t super heroes. So their plight becomes that much more harrowing.

Scott: That’s an interesting insight because, when you read both scripts: “Colors of Authority,” based on a true story. “Backcountry,” inspired by true events.

With “Backcountry,” there’s a personal connection you have with the Protagonist character, Brooks.

Kevin: Yeah, it’s a pretty deep personal connection. I was a 15-year-old kid on a TV show. Everyone was saying, “Buckle up, your career is gonna take off.” And that didn’t happen.

Same thing for Brooks in Backcountry, but in a much bigger way. He was destined to be the next great thing in the skiing industry, and he has this fall… and everything changes for him.

I really put my own experiences into the screenplay in that regard. Hopefully, it translates. Hopefully, it adds some dimension to the story.

Scott: I’d like to really dive into the story and Brook’s character, but at first I want to ask you something.

Are you drawn to inspired by true events or based on stories? Is this something that’s an intentional thing on your part because you recognize that the business, everything’s seemingly going to be based on preexisting content, or is it just more of an instinctive thing on your part?

Kevin: I think I’m drawn to writing about really fascinating subcultures. Also, it’s Trevor White and Tim White and the people at Star Thrower. They came to me with the idea and I just love working with them. They wanted to do a true story about an avalanche.

I looked into it and just thought the idea was incredible. The grit of these people who live and breathe skiing. There’s a lot of cowboy spirit there. But as I dug in, I realized that these skiers caught in this avalanche were still processing a lot of heavy trauma. Their friends died…

So, I reached out to Dawn Wilson at the Colorado Alpine Rescue Team, and I started working closely with her. She was so gracious with her time. So many people in the skiing community helped me along the way. What I did was I took four real avalanches and just combined them into one.

I love diving into subcultures. The research. Getting to know who these people really are underneath the surface. I wanted to explore what the skiing community really is like beyond what has already been portrayed. And then — how do these avalanches really happen? What’s the protocol when things go bad?

With all that said, I was just drawn to work with Star Thrower again. I thought this could be a really cool movie that portrays the skiing community in a way that I haven’t seen done yet.

Scott: That really is a community, the skiing community. Even those rescue people.

Kevin: Oh, yeah. They’re insanely courageous.

Scott: I remember when I lived in Aspen, at night, you could hear them shooting off the…

Kevin: Cannons. Yeah, the cannons. The howitzers.

Scott: [laughs] Howitzers.

Kevin: They’re shooting off howitzers. Tossing dynamite…

Tomorrow in Part 2, Kevin discusses how in writing the Protagonist in Backstory, Kevin realized this: “He doesn’t get what he wants, but he gets what he needs. The mountain gives him what he needs. The mountain forces him to change.”

Kevin is repped by WME and Bellevue Productions.

Twitter: @Sheridankevin

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