Milk: a screenwriter’s inspiration

When the “South Park” episode, “All About the Mormons?” aired on television, everyone Lance Black knew told him to watch the hilarious episode. But, surprisingly, the Mormon-raised Black didn’t laugh one iota.

“I just sat there and was like, “˜That’s pretty accurate.’ I missed the humor,” said Black, an alumnus of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

“I grew up Mormon; you kind of have had to lived it to understand the culture. Working at “˜Big Love,’ I found myself defending the church, which is funny because I am not active in the church at all.”

Although he got his big break working as a the only Mormon-raised writer on the HBO show focused on the polygamist relationship between a Mormon fundamentalist man and his wives, it’s Black’s feature film project that is stirring up the press these days. “Milk,” starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and James Franco, is the long-awaited movie about the life and times of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California.

“I created the project,” Black said. “I had a friend introduce me to Cleve Jones, who was played by Emile Hirsch in the movie. When I met Cleve, I heard firsthand stories about Harvey Milk ““ a guy who was deeply flawed and had a lot of troubles and a late start in life, but also accomplished the great things that we know about. I also felt it could be a real movie because he felt like a great man, not just a legend of a man. For two years, it was me and Cleve, a two-man band; he would introduce me to people, and I would go over and get to know them and look through all their pictures and things.”

After a short stint at USC ““ less than a semester ““ he realized the school was not for him. He later transferred to UCLA from Pasadena City College.

“One of the happiest days of my life was getting that acceptance letter,” Black said. “I’m so happy to see Bob Rosen running the school; his class is still one that I think about when I write movies. Film school is wonderful because even though it’s not always based on the reality of getting something done in Hollywood, it opens your mind. Every professor there, if I went up to them and came up with an idea, they would say try it no matter how far-fetched it was. It was very encouraging; it helped me think outside the box and outside the mainstream in Hollywood.”

Black had always been fascinated by the story of Harvey Milk. It was during his junior year at UCLA that Black got the idea of creating a film about his idol.

“It was at that time I found out about a documentary about Harvey Milk that was made a decade earlier, if not more,” Black said. “Up until that point, I had just heard the story by word of mouth when I was visiting San Francisco. … It was not a far drive. The documentary was the first time I saw moving images of Harvey. That’s where you find out how electric he is. I always knew he was amazing, but I didn’t know how funny and charming he was.”

Black was drawn to the project especially because he enjoyed working on projects that were personal and that he could relate to his life.

“I grew up without a real father figure in my life. It wasn’t until my late teens that my mother remarried, and he was a really great guy that resembled a father figure,” Black said.

“I think I’ve always been drawn to stories about father figures in some way. That’s what Harvey was to a lot of people ““ we met people who were working at the Castro at the time, and he met them, talked to them and let them know they were loved. Now I see him much more as a real person and a regular guy; he’s not the person I thought he was, but that’s important. You don’t want to make a movie about a saint.”

The subject matter hits home on another major point for Black. After growing up gay and Mormon, Black remained closeted until the summer of his junior year at UCLA. A self-professed “late bloomer,” Black found the UCLA community very receptive and soon found out that his mother’s family supported him as well.

“It’s a testament to Harvey’s whole philosophy,” Black said. “At UCLA, it’s like they throw you a parade when you come out ““ it was great. When I first told my mother, she was bothered, and it was hard for her ““ it was a lot of tears. It was a lot of her getting to know me and the person I was dating at that time and seeing that it was about love and partnership, all the things her marriage was about. After a while, she was like, “˜What’s the big deal?’ And now my mom was very dedicated to No on (Proposition) 8. I think that’s how it works: When people know someone who is gay or lesbian, they stop and think on Election Day.”

Especially at a time when gay and lesbian rights are on the political agenda and public discourse, Black hopes his project can help change minds and hearts on the subject.

“What I hope about the majority of people who voted Yes on 8 was that they voted that way because they had some feeling that that was right, and maybe they didn’t know who it was affecting and how it was affecting them. I think a lot of those people this movie will be eye-opening,” Black said.

“I also think that’s not the only target for this movie. I think it’s for the people on the No on 8 as well, the gay and lesbian movement ““ we have a lot to learn about our own history. We’ve been repeating the same mistakes from the late ’70s. Harvey won in 1978, in a time that was more homophobic. It does beg the question why, and the film gives those answers.”

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