D.V. Devincentis [writer]
D.V. DeVincentis was born in Europe, raised in Evanston, Ill., and currently lives in Los Angeles among other cities. He has written and co-written many films, among them Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity. He is currently writing S.O.S. for Leonardo DiCaprio, How To Be Good for Johnny Depp and A Person Of Interest for Miramax and Participant, which he will also direct.
What is the most important lesson you’ve ever learned?
Not to trust my instincts.
What book that you’ve read made a powerful impression on you?
There have been very many. A recent one was The Psychic Soviet by Ian Svenonius.
Describe your average Sunday morning.
I don’t have a schedule. This means that every day is a day off, and that is the upside. The downside is that every day is also a workday. Sunday begins more or less like any other day: wake, get paper, drink tea/coffee, read paper, get to work.
What individual was most influential during your formative years and how?
I’m going to put aside the obvious, primary and least interesting answer, which would be my family. I’ll put aside the next, which would be teachers. After this there was the strange combination of the stoner/inventor across the street and the lethal illiterate mechanic next door. Sitting on a porch with the two of them at age 10, I took in a vast amount of information, divergent points of view and ghosts of DV future.
What is your take on the current economic crisis?
I have for the first time found in some revealed behaviors a reason to believe in capital punishment.
What are your thoughts on the overall importance of art in modern society?
This is one we could talk about forever and ever, which some people actually do. Art is everywhere and difficult to overvalue when considering “modern society.” But what’s really cool is seeing how it exists in some other countries (such as rural Mexico), where it seems like everybody is adept at some kind of art. I’m sure this is on the wane, perhaps in proportion to the number of available cable channels, but it is still pretty rad.
What advice would you give someone who wanted to follow your career path?
When you call it a “career path” it makes me think about it as something other than a love or an art or a savored pastime, so I’m going to discuss it in a way that I generally don’t like to. “Success” in writing always involves some moment of good fortune, being in the spot where you get a break. But people focus too much on finding that, which leads to awful, embarrassing and soul-sucking behaviors such as “networking.” Moments of good fortune arrive (or don’t), but meanwhile you have to enjoy writing and always be improving. When you eventually do get in the lucky-break moment, you must be able to deliver or you are cooked. And do not forget to be very talented.
How do you decompress after a hard day’s work?
Surf. Or dance around in my living room.
Describe your most vivid dream (or a recurring dream).
One of my oldest memories is a dream, in black-and-white, in which my mother and I are trying to find one another in empty acres of dunes next to the sea. Who writes this stuff?
How do you define success?
Creation devoid of self-consciousness.
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Comments
12/03 at 03:30 PM
Hmm, Dan seems to be very open minded to the world. I like his thoughts and ideas as to living basically one day at a time. I think we all get caught uo in the day to day rush, as I see society racing along trying to outdo the previous day. I was like that, but I now live for the moment, and as Dan says, if an opportunity comes along, grab it and utilise it to it’s fullest.
Regards.
Lorenzo.