How I Write — Eric Roth: The Screenwriter Behind Forrest Gump and Dune

Podcast: How I Write
Host: David Perell
Guest: Eric Roth
Date: May 21, 2025

Overview

In this episode, David Perell sits down with legendary screenwriter Eric Roth—Oscar winner for Forrest Gump and writer of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Dune, and more. The conversation delves deep into Roth’s process, his philosophy for character and theme, the emotional journey of writing, and memorable collaborations with directors like Spielberg, Fincher, and Scorsese. Listeners are treated to intimate stories behind classic films, detailed craft insights, and a candid window into the vulnerability and adventure of a writer’s life.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

Roth’s Writing Process & The Adventure of Creation

• Rewriting From Page One:

  • Roth begins fresh from page one every day to stay fully present in his material.
  • “It’s a way of keeping myself involved with the material where I’m living it… when I’m done with my first draft…I think I’ve covered it pretty much. And then, of course, after you read it, you hate it.” (01:05)

• The Idea of ‘Erosion’:

  • Revisiting and “shoring up” parts of the script that are falling apart or feeling tired.
  • “If there’s things that need to be fixed and backfills like dirt piled back up... I see mistakes. So when I see something feels tired, I want to make it feel alive, you know?” (01:27)

• No Writer’s Block, Just Adventure:

  • Roth claims never to have writer’s block, describing writing as an adventure and a gift he looks forward to every day.
  • “I’ve never had writer’s block. I love that I get to write. So every day is kind of an adventure in that sense.” (02:14)

Roth’s Distinct Voice and Approach to Screenwriting

• Visual, Human, Emotional Scripts:

  • Roth’s scripts are deeply visual and emphasize the humanity and singular psychology of every character.
  • “I think my scripts are particularly human and very emotional. The characters, all the characters all are singular to themselves… you have to be true to the psychology of a character so that the voices are all different.” (03:32)

• On Research and Authenticity:

  • Extensive research is foundational, especially in getting details right about place or professions.
  • “God is in the details. I mean, you can’t get…if the details are no good, you’re not going to succeed in any way.” (09:59)

• Finding Character Voices:

  • Vivid examples, such as Bubba’s shrimp monologue in Forrest Gump, came from playful collaboration with family.
  • “I would just yell, give me shrimp dishes. And I would type them, you know, as they gave me the dishes.” (13:00)

Crafting Memorable Characters and Lines

• Start with Theme:

  • Identifying the central theme is crucial from the outset—story alone isn’t enough.
  • “At least I start with, what’s the theme of the movie? What’s the movie literally about? … There’s always going to be underneath it.” (14:23)

• Power of Subtext:

  • Best writing conveys meaning and emotion indirectly, often via metaphor or anecdote.
  • “Great writers know how to write subtextually. They don’t write what’s your kind of literal. They’ll say it in like a metaphor or in some other way.” (15:44)

• Memorable Lines and Aphorisms:

  • Roth admits to anxiety about some lines being cheesy—but they have gone on to become iconic, e.g., “Life is like a box of chocolates.”
  • “I liked, sometimes there just aren’t enough rocks, and she’s throwing those rocks at that house. You can’t undo things that happened and made you traumatized.” (31:30)

Emotional Resonance and Personal Connection

• Infusing Personal Experience:

  • Benjamin Button was written during the grief of losing his own parents, shaping the emotional tone.
  • “Well, it was also a personal experience. I lost both my parents while I was writing it.” (22:16)

• Universal Themes of Loneliness & Loss:

  • Roth’s movies repeatedly return to themes of love, loneliness, and the passage of time.
  • “Your movies are all about loneliness… when you really think about us as people. I’m not sure I’m that lonely, but I don’t like being alone.” (71:36)

• Cathartic Impact on Audiences:

  • Perell shares how Benjamin Button made him weep, illustrating the power of emotional authenticity.
  • “I wept about things in my own life. Like, I hadn’t wept in so long. I mean, I cried out to God… you made me feel certain pains that I’ve had around loneliness.” (72:19)

Exercises and Tools for Writers

• Change the Weather Technique:

  • When stuck, Roth suggests changing the physical weather in a scene for a creative reset.
  • “If you…get stuck, change the weather. I think I’ll make it rain—and all of a sudden you look at it differently… it sort of unlocks to me.” (45:55)

• Importance of Time of Day and Setting:

  • The mood of scenes is shaped profoundly by paying attention to time, weather, and everyday details.
  • “I’m big on what time of day it is… something at dawn, you know, or dusk.” (47:03)

Structural and Collaborative Insights

• Three-Act Structure Still Rules:

  • Regardless of subject or style, Roth emphasizes the inevitability of three-act drama.
  • “I don’t care what, who you are, what you’re doing, you can’t break that… state the problem, complicate it, resolve it or don’t.” (35:09)

• On Collaboration with Directors:

  • Working with giants (Fincher, Spielberg, Scorsese) is likened to marriage, requiring negotiation and the search for a “third way.”
  • “As strong as you may feel about something, eventually, it’s the director who’s going to make a decision. And so I like to find…where we both can agree.” (79:12)

• On Influence and Adaptation:

  • Even adapted material often becomes “original” through how he radically reshapes story and character; bad books can make great movies.
  • “A good 60, 70% of the adaptations I do become original only because…bad books make good movies, that’s a slogan.” (04:12)

Dialogue, Simplicity, and Lasting Appeal

• Writing Dialogue:

  • Aim for functional, natural, but dramatic dialogue—“no shoe leather.”
  • “You want to present issues in the scene that they’re trying to work out… it doesn’t have to be, you know, gigantic revelation, but you also want to have the. Move the story along.” (63:55)

• Admiration for Simple Language:

  • Roth envies writers who can say more with less, comparing himself to the likes of Hemingway or Jonathan Franzen.
  • “Those who are really good at it are simple, and they’re Hemingway… Some people just like…they would just come second nature.” (66:54)

• What Makes Films Perennial:

  • No formula, but suspects stories endure by appealing to a “home” feeling and being handed down generations.
  • “I think Forrest Gump survived and continues because I think parents show it to their 11 year old.” (85:05)

Memorable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “It’s a way of keeping myself involved with the material where I’m living it...I start on page one every day.” —Eric Roth (00:40)
• “God is in the details. If the details are no good, you’re not going to succeed.” —Eric Roth (09:59)
• “I think my scripts are particularly human and very emotional. The characters…are singular to themselves.” —Eric Roth (03:32)
• “I’m not a smart man, but I know what love is.” —Forrest Gump (Oscar speech reference, 70:37)
• “If you get stuck, change the weather.” —Eric Roth (45:55)
• “Your movies are all about loneliness.” —Elvis Mitchell (quote cited by Roth, 71:36)
• On Forrest Gump: “Life is like a box of chocolates. Never know what you’re going to get. That wouldn’t be my favorite one… I liked, ‘sometimes there just aren’t enough rocks.’” —Eric Roth (31:21)
• “Every day is kind of an adventure… I’ve never had writer’s block.” —Eric Roth (02:14)

Notable Segment Timestamps

• Daily writing and starting from page one (00:33 – 02:14)
• On character psychology (05:33 – 06:33)
• Building memorable details (shrimp scene anecdote) (12:08 – 14:19)
• Importance of theme and subtext (14:23 – 19:26)
• Discussing emotional resonance and loss (22:16 – 23:49)
• Three-act structure and narrative catharsis (35:09 – 36:59)
• How to get unstuck: Change the weather (45:55 – 47:03)
• Cinematic openings: feathers, finding “home” (57:45 – 61:03)
• On screenwriting workshops & teaching writers (61:13 – 62:07)
• Dialogue and simplicity in writing (62:49 – 66:54)
• Personal connection to his films & catharsis (71:10 – 73:53)
• Collaboration with directors and writers’ rooms (77:28 – 80:28)

Takeaways for Writers & Fans Alike

• Writing is as much about the emotional adventure as the technical craft.
• Know your theme, dig into character psychology, and don’t be afraid to make things personal.
• The details—emotional, factual, and visual—are what make stories memorable.
• Collaboration, openness, and humility are keys to longevity and crafting movies that last.

Final Reflection by Roth

“I love the writing… I go into worlds that I love, love trying to negotiate… What is the story I’m telling? Why is it going this way? Why is it stopping? How can I do this better? Then all these details start filling in and I say, I like this.” (80:31)

For listeners (and aspiring writers), Eric Roth’s process blends empathy, discipline, daring, and detail—and his stories’ emotional aftershocks linger long after the closing credits.