Free Lilja's Library by Hans-Ake Lilja Page A

but I’ve never been able to figure out how that could be done, considering most of it takes place during a Maine blizzard! (As I don’t have a Storm of the Century budget!)  
    Lilja: We’ve heard that you are a close friend of Frank Darabont, the man famous for his stunning version of The Shawshank Redemption and the upcoming The Green Mile . How did you get to know him?  
    James Cole: I met Frank in 1993, just after he’d finished shooting The Shawshank Redemption in Ohio. Once again, I don’t remember how I got ahold of him, who my contact was. I think I simply wrote to his office and identified myself as a fellow “Dollar Baby” (that’s before the term was even coined by King). I told him I had also adapted a King short story, that I was a fan of The Woman in the Room and that I was thrilled that he was doing The Shawshank Redemption . Amazingly, he responded, and we spoke on the phone a couple times. But this introduction happened in mid-1992. I had to wait almost fifteen months before I met Frank in person, in December 1993. We’ve been in and out of touch in the years since. I’m back in close touch with him since last Autumn, when I visited the set of The Green Mile several times.  
    Lilja: Have you seen anything from The Green Mile ?  
    James Cole: Except for what I witnessed on set (which was amazing), no. However, I expect to see an almost-complete cut of the film in the next few weeks. I’m very excited.  
    Lilja: Have you read a first draft to his (always) upcoming adaptation of The Mist ?  
    James Cole: No. I know it’s a story Frank wants to do, but even I don’t know if he’s written a script yet.  
    Lilja: What are you working on currently?  
    James Cole: I just completed my first horror script, called Bedbugs , about a boy’s battle with his “monster in the closet.” It may surprise you and your readers, but this is my first horror script. As much as I love King, my favorite genre to write is straight drama . My other scripts include a story of a kid sent back in time to the Depression and a relationship-piece about a man searching for his lost love.  
    Lilja: Thanks for taking the time to answer this little interview! Anything you want to say to our readers, who definitely haven’t seen your film?!  
    James Cole: Be patient. I truly believe you will have the opportunity to see it within the next few years, once I get established in the film industry. And I still hope to make the feature version of The Last Rung on the Ladder as well. 
    Thanks for your interest too. I’ve never given an interview to people outside the United States before! If any of you are fellow writers, keep writing . The more you do it, the better you get!  
     
    After seeing the movie (you can read a review of it elsewhere in this book), I wanted to see how James felt about the movie today. Therefore, I contacted him and asked some follow-up questions about The Last Rung on the Ladder .  
     
    Lilja: Hi Jim! First, let me thank you for giving me the opportunity to see the movie. It was great of you!  
    James Cole: No problem. I’m always happy to get my film seen, even if it’s on a one-to-one basis…  
    Lilja: How do you feel about your movie today? Is there anything you wish you had done different?  
    James Cole: Where do I start? Seriously, the biggest thing I wish Dan and I had done differently back in 1986 was to have had a decent budget . All the movie’s shortcomings have less to do with performances or story and more with technical limitations. I am still very proud of the movie today, after thirteen years, but parts of it always make me cringe. Some of the insert shots of the letters the adult Kitty had written to Larry are almost impossible to read, because we couldn’t easily focus up close. On top of that, the tripods we used were very flimsy, and many of the shots in the film are just too jumpy for my taste. Originally I didn’t notice this, but recently I watched the film on a