In 1999, at the peak of a late-career renaissance that redefined the sound of Hollywood, Elmore Leonard sat down for a rare, intimate look at the machinery behind the masterpiece. Filmed in his home—with George Clooney visiting and members of Aerosmith casually lounging in the living room—the “Dickens of Detroit” welcomed Dini Petty to discuss his transition from a neglected novelist to a pop-culture icon. At 73, Elmore Leonard, the legendary creator of Get Shorty and Out of Sight, remained a charmingly analog outlier in a digital world, famously working without a computer, cell phone, or even an answering machine, choosing instead the tactile rhythm of a pen and a yellow legal pad.
What unfolds is a masterclass in literary craft and the art of the “Leonard Style”. Fresh off the cinematic success of Jackie Brown, Elmore Leonard breaks down his ruthless approach to character development: if a character can’t hold their own in a conversation, they are promptly “demoted, shot, or made to disappear”. For Elmore Leonard, the dialogue isn’t just window dressing; it’s the engine of the story. He admits his fictional creations often feel “more real than most people I know,” a sentiment that explains why his prose translates so seamlessly into the gritty, sharp-tongued worlds of Justified and Raylan Givens.
Beyond the technique, this interview captures Elmore Leonard’s legendary wit regarding the pressures of modern productivity. When prompted about the speed of computers, his response was as lean as his prose: “What’s speed got to do with it?” From his refusal to use outlines—believing the 90,000-word journey is meant for discovery—to the weeks-long process of naming a single character, this conversation is a must-watch for fans of Rum Punch and Be Cool. It is a definitive portrait of Elmore Leonard, a writer who spent 35 years in the shadows only to emerge as the undisputed king of crime fiction.
Episodes Available for Licensing
Found 1 episodes
Search: "Elmore Leonard"