Trying to pigeonhole Tom Epperson into a single category is impossible—and that’s part of what makes his career so compelling. His path as a novelist and screenwriter has been anything but linear, weaving through genres and mediums with equal parts grit and curiosity. He knew early on that writing would be his life’s work, and meeting lifelong friend and collaborator Billy Bob Thornton during boyhood only strengthened that conviction, leading to a six-decade partnership that produced tremendously profound films like One False Move, The Gift, and A Family Thing. Their work has earned significant critical acclaim, including Independent Spirit Award and Saturn Award nominations, and recognition from the Writers Guild of America. As a novelist, Tom’s range is just as impressive, spanning noir, historical fiction, and adventure with titles such as Sailor, Make Believe, Roberto to the Dark Tower Came, the Edgar Award nominated The Kind One, and most recently Baby Hawk—available wherever books are sold. In our conversation, we dived into the origins of his new book, the dangers of group-think, the challenging nature of AI, his first move to Los Angeles, and what it takes to remain grounded in a chaotic world.
Opening Credits: Arana - Jazz at Mladost Club I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Komiku - Old artefact to destroy the patriarchy hidden somewhere I CC0 1.0. Closing Credits: Jalikebba Kuyateh and the Toubabs - Griot and the Family I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.
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Trying to pigeonhole Tom Epperson into a single category is impossible—and that’s part of what makes his career so compelling. His path as a novelist and screenwriter has been anything but linear, weaving through genres and mediums with equal parts grit and curiosity. He knew early on that writing would be his life’s work, and meeting lifelong friend and collaborator Billy Bob Thornton during boyhood only strengthened that conviction, leading to a six-decade partnership that produced tremendously profound films like One False Move, The Gift, and A Family Thing. Their work has earned significant critical acclaim, including Independent Spirit Award and Saturn Award nominations, and recognition from the Writers Guild of America. As a novelist, Tom’s range is just as impressive, spanning noir, historical fiction, and adventure with titles such as Sailor, Make Believe, Roberto to the Dark Tower Came, the Edgar Award nominated The Kind One, and most recently Baby Hawk—available wherever books are sold. In our conversation, we dived into the origins of his new book, the dangers of group-think, the challenging nature of AI, his first move to Los Angeles, and what it takes to remain grounded in a chaotic world.
Opening Credits: Arana - Jazz at Mladost Club I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Komiku - Old artefact to destroy the patriarchy hidden somewhere I CC0 1.0. Closing Credits: Jalikebba Kuyateh and the Toubabs - Griot and the Family I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.
Ep. 57 - Bernardo Cubria on Acapulco, The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote and Gene Wilder
How Did They Get There
1 hour 3 minutes 37 seconds
11 months ago
Ep. 57 - Bernardo Cubria on Acapulco, The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote and Gene Wilder
Cultural incongruence and its consequences is a theme which has shaped Bernardo Cubria’s work in several different ways. As an actor, in television shows like Group, his work explores what it means to be misunderstood, and delves into the epiphany which often arises when one realizes his peers’ criticisms and insights, which they initially may have dismissed, may, in fact, lead to realizations about self that may significantly affect their perspective. As a playwright, it has laid the backdrop that surrounds his stories about typecasting, politics, cultural appropriation, and the trivialization of minorities in America that can be seen in works like Crabs in a Bucket, which won the 2024 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Writing; The Giant Void In My Soul, a satirical journey into fulfillment (and the lack thereof); Neighbors: A Fair Trade Agreement; and the timely portrait of electoral pregnancy in The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote. His work has been awarded the Smith Prize for Political Theater and has been nominated for Stage Raw and Ovation awards. As a screenwriter, he wrote Like It Used to Be and Guerrero which Gina Rodriguez is attached to direct and star in, and he was a 2023 Sundance Screenwriters Lab fellow for the screenplay Kill Yr Idols which he cowrote. In our conversation, we discussed the interplay of the notable themes in Bernardo’s projects, including Loop Group: Or Shia Lebeouf's Version, as well as being part of the writer’s staff on Seasons 3 and 4 on the Apple + series, Acapulco.
Opening Credits: AvapXia - Do You Still Think About Me? I CC BY 4.0; Anitek - 09 Lola I CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Closing Credits: Útidúr - Fisherman's Friend I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.
How Did They Get There
Trying to pigeonhole Tom Epperson into a single category is impossible—and that’s part of what makes his career so compelling. His path as a novelist and screenwriter has been anything but linear, weaving through genres and mediums with equal parts grit and curiosity. He knew early on that writing would be his life’s work, and meeting lifelong friend and collaborator Billy Bob Thornton during boyhood only strengthened that conviction, leading to a six-decade partnership that produced tremendously profound films like One False Move, The Gift, and A Family Thing. Their work has earned significant critical acclaim, including Independent Spirit Award and Saturn Award nominations, and recognition from the Writers Guild of America. As a novelist, Tom’s range is just as impressive, spanning noir, historical fiction, and adventure with titles such as Sailor, Make Believe, Roberto to the Dark Tower Came, the Edgar Award nominated The Kind One, and most recently Baby Hawk—available wherever books are sold. In our conversation, we dived into the origins of his new book, the dangers of group-think, the challenging nature of AI, his first move to Los Angeles, and what it takes to remain grounded in a chaotic world.
Opening Credits: Arana - Jazz at Mladost Club I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Komiku - Old artefact to destroy the patriarchy hidden somewhere I CC0 1.0. Closing Credits: Jalikebba Kuyateh and the Toubabs - Griot and the Family I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.
