Albert Brooks Writes About the Future of America AARP The Magazine
Albert Brooks Writes About the Future of America - AARP The Magazine Books
Q: In the novel Matthew Bernstein, our 47th president, fears his legacy will be "the first divorced half-Jew president who sold America's biggest city to China." Is it a leap to think you might play him in the movie version of 2030? A: For the kind of movies I make, the budgets I get are low. There's no way I could tell this story [on film]. I couldn't cut to China, cut to America, film a 9.1 earthquake that levels L.A. To make this movie correctly would cost $150 million. Q: So a book's easier to write than a screenplay? A: Writing 2030 was the most liberating creative experience I've ever had. As the characters developed, some of the things I originally thought they might do just didn't pan out. That's the coolest thing in the world; it's at the heart of creation. It's like you're honing these chess pieces, and then they start to move on their own. Featured AARP Member Benefits See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures
Albert Brooks The Future of America
The comic who made ' Lost in America' writes a novel about generational warfare
Q: 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America is deadly serious. A: I try to pepper everything I do with humor, but the future doesn't look so funny to me. (Laughs.) Q: That explains a plot in which youthful "resentment gangs" shoot up busloads of "olds," hijack a retirement ship, and bomb AARP HQ. See also: Gregg Segal/Corbis Outline At 63, Albert Brooks has penned a novel about America's future. A: Being part of a large group of people historically accused of taking, I can see how newer generations would be resentful. How would you feel if you were 30 and saw 8,000 people a day entering into Social Security? You'd say, "Get the f*** off the planet!" Q: That bad, huh? A: Well, let's just say I'm sensitive to these things — hey, that's my job! I can tell when I go into a supermarket and someone hates me.More Author Interviews
Q: In the novel Matthew Bernstein, our 47th president, fears his legacy will be "the first divorced half-Jew president who sold America's biggest city to China." Is it a leap to think you might play him in the movie version of 2030? A: For the kind of movies I make, the budgets I get are low. There's no way I could tell this story [on film]. I couldn't cut to China, cut to America, film a 9.1 earthquake that levels L.A. To make this movie correctly would cost $150 million. Q: So a book's easier to write than a screenplay? A: Writing 2030 was the most liberating creative experience I've ever had. As the characters developed, some of the things I originally thought they might do just didn't pan out. That's the coolest thing in the world; it's at the heart of creation. It's like you're honing these chess pieces, and then they start to move on their own. Featured AARP Member Benefits See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures