Interview (Part 5): Colton Childs

My interview with the 2024 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winner.

Colton Childs wrote the original screenplay “Fake-A-Wish” which won a 2024 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Colton about his creative background, his award-winning script, the craft of screenwriting, and what winning the Nicholl has meant to him.

Today in Part 5 of a 6-part series to run each day through Saturday, Colton hares what the Nicholl-winning experience has been like.

Scott: The crowd is applauding, Cliff is overcome with emotion. He finally feels seen, it says in the description:

“The cheering continues. Noah and Cliff’s tearful gaze finally meets and never breaks.” Underlined, “It feels like a goodbye.”

Then you move into what I’d call an extended denouement that’s wrapped around some voice-over that kicks off with this: “I’m quite envious of a ghost without a home,” which ties back in with your Truman Capote quote.

Colton: Indeed.

Scott: I’m not going to spoil the ending at all because it’s so beautifully, lyrically written. I’m going to encourage people to get on Reddit, find the script, and read it. That ending is just so lovely and so wonderfully resolves the story. Did you have that in mind all along?

Colton: As I was writing the script, the ending always felt a bit hazy. I knew how I wanted it to make me feel, but I wasn’t sure how to execute it. Then, about halfway through, I had a couple of flashes. I started writing a version of the ending and it flowed out of me. About ninety percent of what I wrote that day has remained unchanged.

I always knew I wanted to explore the passage of time in subtle ways. The ending itself isn’t exactly subtle, but the script called for it. I also wanted to play with memory. As I was writing the script, I often asked myself, “Does this moment feel like it could be a memory?” Years down the road, is there something about this exact moment in time that Noah or Cliff would look back on? That was my North Star in terms of whether or not a scene should stay or go.

As I continued to develop the story, memory and time became interlocked, and that’s how I ultimately arrived at that ending.

Scott: It’s lovely. When you said if or when the movie gets made, it’s going to be when the movie gets made. [laughs]

Colton: Absolutely.

Scott: Let’s talk about the Nicholl experience. You knew about the Nicholl, I’m assuming. Did you use the deadline as motivation for the script?

Colton: I had applied before, but honestly I wasn’t planning to apply this year for whatever reason. This was the first year, I think, that there wasn’t a deadline. Instead, they capped it at a number of applicants. I’d forgotten about it, to be honest.

When I checked, I assumed they’d already reached their limit, but they hadn’t. I’d hoped to do one more pass on the script, but didn’t want to miss out, so I went ahead and submitted. Thank God I did. [laughs]

Fellows Week was a whirlwind, but I met some incredible people. Each writer in my cohort has such a singular story and voice, and I felt honored to share such an unforgettable week with each of them.

Scott: Congratulations on that. Congratulations on the Black List. You’re part of two communities now, two extended families. The Nicholl family and the Black List family.

Colton: I’m thrilled to be a part of both.

Tomorrow in Part 6, Colton shares some thoughts on the craft of screenwriting.

For Part 1, go here.

Part 2, here.

Part 3, here.

Part 4, here.

Colton is repped by 42 Management & Production.

For my interviews with every Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winner since 2012, go here.