Screenwriter to talk Robin Williams, Streep at DHS Library Author's Series

Douglas Soesbe, screenwriter and author, will speak at the Desert Hot Springs Library Author Series on Sept. 15 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Soesbe has a rich background as a feature film story editor for TriStar and Universal Pictures and as an author. He has numerous screenwriting credits for movies in a variety of genres, including comedies, thrillers and TV movies on Lifetime, CBS, ABC and Hearst Entertainment.

Soesbe spoke with The Desert Sun about the difference between writing a screenplay and a novel, what he admires about Meryl Streep and what Robin Williams called people he didn't like.

What have been your favorite projects?

There have been so many, but what stands out in my mind are the actors in the comedies. I worked with Robert DeNiro on "Meet the Parents" and its sequel, "Meet the Fockers," and with Jim Carrey on "Bruce Almighty." I had sole screenwriting credit on four television films, mainly thrillers. I have always enjoyed writing thrillers. Very early on I was a Hitchcock fan. My latest, "Look Again," starring Morena Baccarin, is currently on Lifetime.

My most recent full-length film, which I wrote in its entirety, is "Boulevard," starring Robin Williams. This was his last on-screen performance before his death in 2014.

What are some of your memories of Williams?

Robin was one of the most modest men I have ever known. I first met him on the set of "Boulevard" in Nashville. I was nervous and the producer came and tapped me on the shoulder. I am very tall, so when I jumped up, I hit the chandelier. Robin, who was much shorter than I, started dancing around like a hobbit. Sometimes we didn't finish shooting until 3 a.m., and Robin would come up to me and say, "Boss, how were the words?" I thought he might be one to ad-lib, but he always stayed right on script. If he liked you, he called you "Boss." If not, you were "Sparky." Writing "Boulevard" and working with Robin Williams was the pinnacle of my career.

Are there other stars and events that stand out?

Yes, working on the movie "Mamma Mia!" and the sequel. I really didn't know the story, so to help me write the script, the producers sent me to see the musical in Las Vegas. I had no idea it was so wild. I love Meryl Streep. She is a very down-to-earth person as well as an amazing actress — very independent, and (she) always drove herself home. The cast was great and lots of fun.

You have authored two books. How do writing a book and a screenplay differ?

They are definitely two different types of writing. A book is harder and takes longer. When you write a book, the characters are inside your head. One can visualize them. A screenplay is linear and needs the actors to make it come to life. My two published books are "Children in a Burning House," a mystery, and a horror novel, "Scream Play."

You were recently named one of 10 finalists in a screenplay competition by writer/director Francis Ford Coppola and Zoetrope. What can you tell us about that?

My script, "Tender Outcast," was chosen as one of the 10 from 2,000 entries. The story is about a gay young man, a son of a sheriff, in the 1970s. The father can't accept his son's sexuality, and the son eventually commits suicide. The father won't accept the suicide because of his own guilt and proceeds to investigate his son's death as a murder. I did turn the script into a book as well.

What have you been doing since retiring to Palm Springs in 2019?

I am writing a new mystery novel, "The Miracle Murders." I enjoy reading mysteries and am currently reading author Ross Macdonald's four mystery novels of the 1950s.

If you go

Where: Desert Hot Springs Library, 14-380 Palm Drive 

When: 1 p.m. on Sept. 15. 

Cost: Free.

Other details: Seating is limited to 72 participants and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, call the library at (760) 329-5926.

Sally Hedberg is the secretary and grant administrator for the Friends of the DHS Library.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Screenwriter Douglas Soesbe to talk at DHS Library Author's Series