An Interview with Playwright
William Mastrosimone

Like Totally Weird was written on a two-hour flight. What was the impetus for this creation?

When my future wife and two sons were living in L.A., I saw first-hand the influence movies had on the kids. But I wasn’t looking at the violence in the movies from a playwright’s or screenwriter’s point of view. I was looking at it from the view of a person raising kids. My wife wouldn’t permit the kids to see violent movies. But that didn’t stop them from seeing them. They’d go to a friend’s house and watch to their heart’s content. Then, when they woke up in the middle of the night with nightmares, we had to console them. In 1994 my wife and I saw Pulp Fiction and Natural Born Killers. We saw kids around us cheering every murder, shot and stab. And I’m not sure the kids make the distinction the directors were trying to create. I like to defend myself and say that I am very aware of what goes into the screenplays I have written and can defend each scene frame by frame, but I also thought that [as a screenwriter] I could find myself in the same boat as Tarantino or Stone [who have been criticized for the violence in their films].

Did you set out to write a play about violence in the media?

I knew I was going to write about the impact of violence but I didn’t know what form it was going to take. Former Senator Patrick Moynihan once said, ”In the year 2000 our children will rise up against us and punish us for neglecting them.” And that’s where the real idea came from. That quote floated around in my head for a while. When my wife, children and I were moving to Washington State in 1994, I wrote the first draft of the play on the plane. The play became a dramatization of the prophecy of Senator Moynihan. I wrote fast and furious, leaving blanks for scenes I already knew.

LTW takes place in Hollywood and suggests that the media (movies, video games, etc.) can have a direct impact on violence in society. Do you think violent movies can cause people to kill? 

I don’t think movies cause people to kill, but I do think long-term exposure to violence can desensitize people. Pornography for example turns women into objects so that men feel it’s okay to hit an object. The aesthetics of blood splattering on a movie screen somehow is made to look cool or fun. And video games reward the players for violent action. I’ve seen kids going through these addictions and withdrawal. I’m very much against gratuitous violence and violence that is made to look like fun. I’m not blaming Hollywood in the play. Hollywood in my play is really just a metaphor for America. 

What distinguishes a violent movie from a violent play?

Sometimes violence in the theatre might be viewed as worse than violence on the screen. Take my play Extremities for example, [which was later made into a movie]. 

A lot of times when the violence is blatant, there is a feeling of control. People can see what is happening. Do you think audiences oppose psychological violence because they feel they don’t have control?

Yes. People seem to be okay sitting there when certain expected moments of violence take place before them, but the scenes that don’t let them see everything that’s going on, bothers them. It’s very strange that audiences are okay with the violence inflicted on Jennifer because somehow, they reason that she was being difficult. But the moments which involve the unknown - the more psychological violence - bother the audience more. They think those involved in moments like that are somehow more innocent than Jennifer. 

In a study I recently read, a large majority of teens today compared to teens from past decades, were unable to name a role model or hero. What does this reflect in relation to the themes and issues of the play?

There was this pretty recent theory of education that was supposed to help build kids’ self-esteem. The idea behind this theory was, for example, if a student did poorly on a test, find a way to compliment him, anyway. Say something like “Well at least you showed up and tried.” The belief being, if a child has good self-esteem, he will get a good job. The problem with this theory is that the compliments are not as genuine as they could be. Kids are getting a false sense of self-esteem. They believe they are more powerful than they really are. When they are confronted with reality, they find they’ve been lied to in some way. 

Does this relate to the rise in violence among teens?

I think in some ways it does. In the old days when a violent act was committed, the perpetrator didn’t want witnesses around. Now you see teens shooting guns in school cafeterias with plenty of witnesses. Again, thinking they are more powerful than what they really are. 

Do Kenny and Jimmy think they are more powerful than they really are? What makes them cross the line?

Fantasy seems to give some people permission for reality. Fantasy gets you closer to the line. For example, when you fantasize about violence (movies, video games, etc.), you get closer to reality. The more you think of it, the more it reinforces the desire. Kenny and Jimmy have seen Russ’ movie Primordial Rage so many times they know it by heart. When they reenact it and become the other characters, it becomes safe. It’s just a fantasy to them.

Even though it obviously has harmful consequences?

Yes. The movie Basketball Diaries, for example, was said to have inspired the shootings in Padukah, KY. But the inspiration came out of the dream the lead character had. Therefore, it didn’t seem real. It was only a fantasy. So – again – the line was crossed.

The Hippodrome is only the third theatre to produce Like Totally Weird since its premiere at the Humana Festival of New Plays at Actors’ Theatre of Louisville. What are the future plans for the work?

I have received two offers to have it produced on Broadway and I just finished writing the screenplay. So we’ll see…