THE KING'S SPEECH Writer: "It's Brokeback Mountain at the Palace."

The oldest winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, David Seidler, fresh off his Oscar win for THE KING'S SPEECH, sat down in the George Lucas building at the University of Southern California for a Q&A.  His jovial spirit and quick wit made the evening immensely enjoyable.  He let us in on a few great secrets of the success of the Best Picture film.

First, he explained how the scene when Bertie (Colin Firth) is antagonized while reading by his father (Michael Gambon).  This was actually a scene that Seidler did not write ("though I take credit for it" he claims with a smile).  Apparently this was something that Gambon and Firth improvised during a rehearsal that then made its way into the film.  Seidler claims that when you have some truly fine actors, you must listen to their questions because it will make you a better writer, and then you take credit for it.

With this humor and wry wit, he explains that the crux of the story lies between the two lead actors, newly-minted Academy Award Winner Colin Firth as the stammering would-be King and his speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).  Seidler claims "It's Brokeback Mountain at the palace."  With this laughter, he continues explaining how the power struggle between these characters can almost be a parent-child relationship.  And while they navigate their friendship, high stakes surround them.  High stakes, like you know, World War II.

Seidler continues on saying how surprised he is by all the fuss over him after his Oscar win.  He claims that the distributor wasn't planning on flying him out to LA for the premier of the film, but now he's done 15 interviews per day.  With his own life so closely dovetailing that of Bertie (the stammering part, not the royalty part), he finds himself bare in these interviews.  And while he has enjoyed this success, he claims he is elated to be a "late bloomer" as he called himself in his acceptance speech (poking fun at the fact that he was the eldest winner for the category).  And yet, he realizes that if this occurred when he was a younger man, he could see how it would go to his head.  So, with that, he left for a one month vacation in New Zealand after his win.

And while he carries both UK and USA passports, apparently when he first approached the Queen Mum (and a character in the film played by the illustrious Helena Bonham Carter, finally playing a role that's not creepy) she was less than thrilled.  In fact the Queen Mum requested the film not be completed in her lifetime as the events were still too painful.  And so, Seidler wrote the project off because he was no young man when he asked her this in the 1980s.  So, when the project finally was written and was completed, Seidler claims he wrote his "last will and testament" to the world.  And with that, the evening concluded with him claiming "this was my dream project."

If you haven't seen THE KING'S SPEECH, (what planet do you live on?) see it if...

-You enjoy historical events
-You like rooting for the underdog
-You want to see some serious Brit-Wit
-You like a good bro-mance

Check out the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAm7gRXFiRo