Simon Beaufoy, who won the adapted screenplay Academy Award for “Slumdog Millionaire,” tells what went into writing See-Saw Film’s “A Special Relationship,” which depicts how Elizabeth Taylor’s close relationship with her assistant inspired her to become an HIV/AIDs activist.
Where did the initial idea come from for the script and how did it evolve?
From [Taylor’s] estate. … Everybody focuses on the tempestuous relationships, the many marriages, the whole Richard Burton love story, but nobody really knows what she spent over 30 years doing, which is raising money for people who had HIV and AIDS. She started at a time when it was a deeply unpopular thing to do, and received a lot of negative press for doing it. She didn’t care at all, of course, being the sort of woman she was. She saw a huge need to raise awareness and raise money for people who were in a terrible state.
Where did the initial idea come from for the script and how did it evolve?
From [Taylor’s] estate. … Everybody focuses on the tempestuous relationships, the many marriages, the whole Richard Burton love story, but nobody really knows what she spent over 30 years doing, which is raising money for people who had HIV and AIDS. She started at a time when it was a deeply unpopular thing to do, and received a lot of negative press for doing it. She didn’t care at all, of course, being the sort of woman she was. She saw a huge need to raise awareness and raise money for people who were in a terrible state.
- 11/8/2019
- by Paula Hendrickson
- Variety Film + TV
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