CATHERINE EATON & DEBORAH RAYNE
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 PictureCatherine Eaton
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Deborah Rayne: I live in New York City, NY USA
Catherine Eaton: I live in rural Vermont. USA
 
Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel?
We’re so proud of the work we’ve put into this project, and the many diverse women it represents. The inspiration came from the everyday women in our lives, juxtaposed with society’s expectations of us, and the media’s portrayal of women; particularly the fairytale trope. After watching so many fairytales as a kid, I too assumed I’d be living “Happily Ever After” by now. But what does that even mean? As I realized that the idea of a “Happily Ever After” was a product of the Patriarchy, I began to question what would happen in all of the princess stories I grew up with, if those woman were able to make their own choices? What would these women be today, if they were truly free to be anything? And that gave me the idea of updating all the classical fairytale princesses, and putting them in modern day NYC.
It is a script, because of our background as actors and visual creatives. We work in a visual medium, so we want to be able to bring these characters to life, and tell their stories on screen!
 
How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN?
Our script developed over the course of 2 years. It started with an idea from Deborah, who wrote an early draft, and then sought out Catherine’s experience, guidance and expertise. Deborah used a homemade white board/index card hybrid to develop the characters, and then passed an early draft on to Catherine for notes. We proceeded that way, until we fully realized the world we were trying to create. Several drafts of the script were passed back and forth, and countless Zoom meetings were held during Covid, to get us to where we are today!
PictureDeborah Rayne
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
Our ultimate ambition is to become successful hyphenates. Our idols are all writer/directors, or writer/actors… and we want to follow in their footsteps! We are interested in developing a partnership with a producer or a streaming service, to have our shows brought to life. Ideally, we would co-create and develop our scripts as co-showrunners, with Catherine as writer/director and Deborah as writer/actor.
 
Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Michaela Cole, Emerald Fennel, Issa Rae, Jen Statsky, Mindy Kaling, Greta Gurwig, Liz Meriwether, Sarah Polley.
These are all women with a uniquely feminine and feminist point of view, who are not afraid of breaking the rules for women in our business. They refuse to be quiet or polite, but instead insist on making their voices (and the voices of all women) heard. They are advocates for themselves and their work… creating their own pieces to fill the void in popular entertainment. They never waited for permission to create… they went out and did it… and the audience followed. We believe “Flawless: A Feminist Fairytale” is the next show in that line of material for women.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
AHHHHHHH! The impossible question. Here are a few that come to mind today….
I May Destroy You, The Great, Breaking Bad, Fleabag, Promising Young Woman, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
There are more. SO many more. It’s difficult to narrow the list. And it varies, depending on our mood.
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
KEEP WRITING! It sounds a bit trite and obvious, but the more time and practice you put in to your craft, the more improvement you’ll see. I also love hearing my scripts read out loud. I love to host a table read of an early draft of my scripts. I’ll gather up a group of actor friends, “cast” them in the piece, and then just sit back and listen. I find that hearing people read the script out loud, helps me to understand if what I’m trying to convey, is in fact, coming through on the page.
Also READ EVERYTHING. See what other people are doing. Don’t copy them, obviously… but get inspired! The more scripts I read, the more I am able to drill down on my own perspective and voice.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
We are working on a feminist bio-series, called KINGMAKER. Think “Hidden Figures” meets “The Crown”. It’s the real life story of Marion Keisker, the civil rights and equal rights activist who discovered Elvis Presley and changed the world.
 
Everyone thinks they know the story of Elvis Presley… but much like “Hidden Figures”, there was a woman behind it all… who never gets credit!