On this episode, we are joined by Gina Welch, award-winning 'Castle Rock' screenwriter. We explore Gina's decision to ditch the mullet and reinvent herself in 8th grade, her obsession over Twin Peaks and impressing her English teacher Mr. Gould and the joy of entertaining people with story. She tells us about studying with Robert Stone, going undercover in Jerry Falwell’s church, solitude, misery, and traveling deep into a character’s psyche—like, perhaps, that of a wholesome personal injury lawyer, or a madame who goes into witness protection.
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Gina Welch received an AFI Award for FX’s FEUD: Bette and Joan and a WGA Award for her work on Castle Rock. She has also worked on FX’s Under the Banner of Heaven, Station Eleven, The Terror, Ray Donovan and is the author of the non-fiction book In the Land of Believers. She visited the University of Iowa in the fall of 2024 to teach in the "Big Binge," a screenwriting course offered by the Magid Center for Writing.