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We were in the middle of rehearsal forMiserywhen Bill Goldman wrote his last ever line.
It got the single biggest laugh every night.
He was just back from Saint Barth.
He was 79 then, and I was 37.
He was incredibly handsome, impeccably dressed, and told me a story about meeting Steve McQueen.
I was in love.
Im going to repeat that for emphasis to give William Goldman notes on his script.
Ill do whatever you ask.
I believe he may have also called Robert Redford an asshole.
Never let them buy you lunch because then they think they own you, and that curiosity is everything.
I once arrived in a state a small problem at work had gotten me spun out.
I rushed in, late and upset.
Bill looked at me and said, Who fucked you?
Ive never felt more seen.
He was very anxious to meet my wife and very anxious that he make a good impression.
At dinner, he whispered, Does your cutie like caviar?
She doesnt but I do, and I didnt want to pass up the opportunity to eat some.
Bill Goldman had the foulest mouth of anyone I ever met.
I cant picture him without hearing the word Fuck.
The designers ofMiseryand I once spent a drunken evening after a preview trying to swear like Bill.
None of us came close.
He always put the swear word in the place you least expected it.
He was endlessly kind and patient as an artist and as a person.
He was in awe of other peoples talent, refusing to acknowledge his own genius.
And he can do all that.
