Joe Skinner: Sometimes I ask myself, what do I love so much about the creative process? Well first, I love to see how that initial spark of a new idea grows and develops.
John Waters: I did have a friend that once told me that his girlfriend stole suitcases in airports. But that was it. I never knew any details, anything about it. But that germ of the idea stuck with me. I’m fascinated by behavior I can never understand.
Joe Skinner: I also love that art is often so mysterious but the creative process can be so concrete and tangible.
Kelly Reichardt: Portland, where the film takes place is a city of train sounds, and also you can almost always hear that very familiar skateboard sound. That clickity-clack. We had a soundscape for each place where we were, and then you just kind of build it from there. And it’s another super fun part about filmmaking.
Joe Skinner: And I love how the creative process can make you more tuned in to yourself and your personal history.
John David Washington: Two weeks before we started rehearsal, I went to North Carolina actually, and visited my grandparents’ grave site and my uncle’s grave site. Even the cadence, the dialect there, and the way of thinking, the stories that my aunties and my cousins would share, I took with me. Something that I can actually, something that’s real and I can infuse into, almost the folklore and brilliance and the poetic fluidity and physicality of August Wilson’s words, to sort of make it real.
Joe Skinner: Hi, I’m Joe Skinner, and American Masters: Creative Spark is coming back in 2023. In each episode, we’ll meet with one artist and go in-depth on their creative process, and the inspiration behind a single work of art, from the world of film, theater, literature, comedy, music and more. You’ll hear from people like actor John David Washington, filmmaker John Waters, writer Jennifer Egan, filmmaker Kelly Reichardt and a lot more. We’ll have new episodes starting in the new year on January 12th. So follow us wherever you listen to podcasts, check us out on pbs.org/americanmasters, and listen to some past episodes while you wait. Thanks, see you soon.
