I remember you saying once that when you were a kid you drew/wrote comic strips for fun. Did you know back then that you wanted to be a writer?

I liked creating. When I drew my own comics, my artistic ability was minimal, but my best friend Sean was an amazing artist, but he had no stories... so we combined... We had about 15-20 different characters (Byyon being one of them).

 
Can you tell me where you got the inspiration for the storyline for 'Sometimes A Hero'?

Bad guy trying to go good... his friends won't let him... he falls in love with a woman... she gives him the strength to change, but first he must fight all his present demons... it's a pretty general plot... but putting it in a skating arena, and adding in guns, and explosions... you get something a little more original.

Inspiration... I just wanted to write something that I could sell.

 
Is this your first script?

First one produced. But I have about 19 or 20 that I've written.

 
Do you have a favorite and if so is it one that has been purchased?

My favourite... I have one, 'The Art Of War'.. it's a romantic comedy. It has not been purchased yet.

 
What it is about or is it a secret?

Secret (for now)

 
Do you appear in 'Sometimes a Hero'?

Nope.

 
Why not?

The problem with the film industry (for me) is my height.

I can't be the good guy, because the actors playing the bad guys don't want to get beat by some shrimp. I can't play a bad guy, because the actors playing the good guys don't want to beat up on little runt... it does nothing for ther ego.

 
Is there one character in particular in 'Sometimes a Hero' that you can identify the most with? What personality traits of this character are most like your own?

Well, I used myself to gauge Jimmy Coy's reactions to certain situations... but when I write... I play each character in my head as I write... I don't write from a 'Director' point of view. I find writing from an overview leaves a story flat.

 
So you don't direct the scenes in your head when you write. Do you have another writing technique?

I see the scenes in my head, but I write from each character.

 
How long did it take you to write 'Sometimes A Hero'?

The rough draft, 4 days. To where I was comfortable to present it... about a month.

 
Four days?! Are you one of those obsessive writers that becomes so involved in your story that you do nothing but write non-stop until the story is on paper?

Not at all. The story just flowed out of me... it was the easiest script I've ever written... I'm probably the exact opposite of obsessive.

 
What is it like to watch the process of a story that started out in your head get turned into a movie?

The first day it was as weird as hell... to hear actors going over lines that I wrote. I could remember the exact time of day that I wrote those lines... it was so bizarre.

All the crew, scouting locations, props being built because I wrote in an area called Munroe's... to see a carpenter actually working on it and painting the name 'Munroe's'... freaky!

 
How close is the final movie to your original script?

Well, the characters stayed the same. The original story was all Drama, but Jalal wanted me to spice it up with some action. Give the male viewers their testosterone shot *lol*. But there was very little change.

 
I'm sure the final product is very different than what you had imagined in your head.

Some things were... some things were exactly liked I pictured them.

 
Are you over-protective of your script such that it makes it hard to stand back and watch while changes are made or parts of the script are brought-to-life in a way other than what you had originally intended?

NOPE. Actually, I was on set for almost two days before most of the crew realized I was the writer. They all thought I was just the stunt guy.

A lot of them came up to me and said: "You can't be the writer... you're at least 5 hissy fits behind."

But I believe that the more chefs, the better the stew. As long as the same idea in the scene is represented, the actor should be allowed some creative license.

The only area I would have liked to have been more involved in would be the casting.

 
Did you have any say in the casting of the film?

I made suggestions. I wanted Roselle Soussana in for her skating, and Joan Kennedy for her singing, and Bryan Genesse was definitely a bonus.

 
Looking at the credits you worked closely with the film's director, Jalal Merhi, what was he like?

Great guy. I learned tons from him, and he cut me a lot of slack with regards to my control in the project. I got fight choreography duties, plus artistic input for the skating scenes.

 
Did you come away from this experience wanting to get involved in movies in another capacity other than screenwriter?

Definitely, I hope to direct eventually.

 
What was the hardest thing about doing this film?

Getting used to the rain in Victoria.

 
What was the best thing about doing this film?

The learning experience, and ABC Country Restaurant (they had the best food).

 
A book, and now a screenplay, what will Glen Doyle do for an encore?

Encore...? You make it sound like my main performance is over. I have so much I still want to do... as for what's next... I have no idea.

 
Have you seen any of the film footage, or perhaps the finished product?

A few scenes. Editing can make or break a film, so we'll see.

 
What do expect to get from this film?

The opportunity to do another... I hope. I like to work on projects and stay busy... so I hope this will open some doors for me.

 
What other projects do you have coming up?

That's a secret.

 
Any advice for the would be writers that are trying to get their own screenplay done?

NEVER GIVE UP! 'Sometimes a Hero' was turned down numerous times. But I never quit... I refused to lose... and eventually a brilliant man named Jalal Merhi decided to give it a read... and the rest is history.

 
Anything else you want to say?

When the film gets released... please see it. That's all... just see it.

 
Find out more about Glen at his web site