After serving in the Army in Israel, Gideon Raff went to acting school and quickly realized it wasn’t a fit. He then got into advertising and then landed in the world of filmmaking. In the early days of his career, he worked in the horror genre, but then moved to espionage and political thrillers, like 'Prisoners of War' and 'Homeland.'
In Raff’s latest series, 'The Spy,' Sacha Baron Cohen stars as the Israeli spy, Eli Cohen. In the six episode series, audiences are invited to look at the intense life in this remarkable true story. He felt like a 2-hour version would have felt too much like a James Bond movie, so he expanded the idea to six hours, focused on character and identity.
In this interview, Raff discusses how stories stay within you, why everything he does puts character first, the differences between Homeland and Prisoners of War, why the story dictates the length, and how screenwriters need to show compassion for themselves.
If you enjoyed this interview, look for the print version on Creative Screenwriting’s website, and join millions of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5
