To kick off the New Voices Interview Series, we asked our 2021-2022 New Voices fellows to share about their writing process, their experience with mentorship, and what inspires them to change the world, one story at a time. This interview is with Fellow Andrew Bluestone.

Humanitas: What was the first script that had a profound impact on you?

Andrew Bluestone: When I was thirteen years old, MY SO-CALLED LIFE reached through the television screen and grabbed me in a way TV never had before. Winnie Holzman’s beautiful writing felt so real and so accurate to me, that one day I even sat my parents down and forced them to watch the episode “Father Figures” (which I had taped) in an adolescent attempt to get them to understand my feelings.

H: What are you reading now?

AB: I’m a huge historical fiction buff, especially stories that span eras and generations. Some recent favorites are Ken Follet’s “Kingsbridge” and “Century” series, and Jane Smiley’s “Last Hundred Years” trilogy. I was also deeply moved by V.E. Schwab’s “Invisible Life of Addie LaRue”, Brit Bennett's “The Vanishing Half” and Emily St. John Mandel’s “Station Eleven” – all of which I’m looking forward to the Film/TV adaptations of.

H: If you could have dinner with any writer, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

AB: Hands down: Phoebe Waller-Bridge. I really related to her FLEABAG character (what does that say about me?) and if our dinner conversation was half as entertaining as that first episode of season two, I’d never need another dinner party again.

H: What kind of characters do you love to write and why?

AB: Often when we speak of “character” we think of “traits.” Is this person smart, charming, silly, brooding, et cetera? For me, though, what defines a character is their choices. My favorite type of character is someone who does something that, on the surface, feels wrong or immoral, but because we have the context of who they are, and the circumstances they are in, we can understand and even relate to them. Human beings are, after all, never fully good or fully bad. We have nuance and complexity and I love nothing more than to shed light on the contradictions within us.

H: Which writer working today inspires you?

AB: Every time I watch an episode of INSECURE, I find myself in awe of Issa Rae’s ability to harness her own voice in a way that feels authentic, compelling, and fun to watch. Her characters are relatable because she allows us to see their flaws and vulnerabilities alongside their passions and their joys. We get to laugh at their mistakes, but we never lose sight of why we should care about them.

H: What are you watching right now? 

AB: I’m currently loving season 2 of HBO’s LOVE LIFE. Other recent greats were: WHITE LOTUS, MARE OF EASTTOWN, THE OTHER TWO. I’m also eagerly awaiting MY BRILLIANT FRIEND to return - what a beautiful and poignant series.

H: How does your identity shape your writing? 

AB: I would say it’s more my experience rather than my identity that shapes my writing. Growing up gay, even in NYC, I internalized shame and felt excluded from “the inner circle” of popularity and coolness. Now as an adult, I’ve made great strides at finding self-love and embracing a community that accepts me, but as a writer I’m still drawn to characters who live on the margins of society. It’s the same reason I spend so much of my time working with the special-needs population, and why many of my stories center people with disabilities: I know what it’s like to feel unseen, but I also know there is so much beauty and light if we’re willing to look for it.

H: How can writers use their art to make a difference?

AB: A huge challenge writers face in creating work that is impactful is that it can end up feeling like “homework” for the audience. It’s a trap I’ve fallen into over and over, but the key, for me, has been to find a compelling and unique protagonist to anchor my cause. A recent example of this was the Netflix Series MAID, that very easily could have devolved into melodrama or felt like emotional-torture-porn. Awful things keep happening to her, but it’s her resilience, her love for her child, and her ability to find joy in dark moments, that pulled me in and kept me watching. And in the process, I learned a thing or two about domestic violence AND low-wage house cleaners - so that’s the sweet spot.

H: Why do mentors matter?

AB: I think a lot of us can be very protective of our work and our careers. We want to feel like we “did it on our own.” But a good mentor can guide you through the rough patches, help nurture your strengths and illuminate your weaknesses, and – maybe, one day – provide an industry connection at a crucial moment when the iron is hot.

H: If you could go back in time to when you wrote your first script and give younger you a piece of advice, what would it be and why?

AB: A common mistake I used to make, and sometimes still make, is that I tried to do too much. I remember in grad school, I was really inspired by the film BABEL and tried to write an opus that connected Hurricane Katrina to gay marriage and 9/11. Seriously. After that, I tried to write a biopic about my grandfather that spanned eighty years and three generations. You have to narrow your focus, then narrow it again, and sometimes you have to let things go. Just because “it really happened that way” doesn’t mean it has to be in the script. Focus on emotional truth, not one hundred percent historical accuracy.

Andrew Bluestone is an LA based writer who has worked as a special education assistant in East Hollywood for over 15 years. He’s been on the Hit List, the Young & Hungry List, is a Film Independent Fellow and has two feature options under his belt. He strives to tell stories of people living on the margins, whose voices are often left unheard, and his newest pilot is a dark drama about a special ed assistant with a secret past.

Andrew’s script, LOVE LETTERS, tells the true story of a white college professor named Anna Stubblefield and the black family whose lives she turned upside down when she helped teach their disabled son a controversial typing technique known as “facilitated communication” but then took things too far.

Contact Andrew Here.

New Voices is a four-month mentorship program for emerging television and screenwriters. The program is committed to identifying and empowering five writers each year who are currently at work on a 30- or 60-minute pilot or feature film screenplay that upholds the mission of Humanitas. 

Learn more about Humanitas’s New Voices Fellowship here.