An aficionado is a person passionately devoted to a certain activity or interest, someone who knows a lot about and appreciates a particular subject. In Michael Zussman’s and Matt Hish’s screenplay of the same name, that subject is life. Well, on the surface, it’s cigars’the hook to steer the story like the use of wine in “Sideways.” But the opening, inspiring monologue promises that the story will deliver more, and it does. These young actors/screenwriters have collected some of what they consider to be the most valuable or pertinent advice’about women, careers, and life, in general’and crafted a coming-of-age story about a recent college graduate who learns that living his life means living his dreams…while puffing a Cuban. They even chose to work in an inspiring venue’the Writer’s Bar of L’Ermitage hotel in Beverly Hills, where on one wall are displayed framed screenplays written there that became Hollywood hits. Among them: “Good Will Hunting,” “Jaws,” “The Godfather” and “The Graduate.” On a recent afternoon, Zussman and Hish plopped down on the familiar, comfy chairs in the quiet lounge area to discuss their script. Inspired by actors who wrote their way into their careers, like Matt Damon (“Good Will Hunting”) and Zach Braff (“Garden State”), Zussman, 23, and Hish, 27, said they set out to write a script that would encourage others but also be a testament to their own faith in pursuing their passion. “We’re acting, we’re writing movies, we’re actually doing what we want to be doing,” said Zussman, who grew up in Pacific Palisades. “That’s proof that we’re living for today.” Of course, they are also paying the bills by waiting tables and bartending. In fact, Zussman and Hish met in July 2004 at La Scala restaurant in Beverly Hills. “We would talk throughout work,” said Zussman, who earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Georgetown University. They wrote a short film together, in part as an exercise to see if and how they could work as a team. The film, called “Pull to Stop,” was a finalist in the Georgetown Independent Film Festival last spring, and is essentially a scene that introduces the two main characters in their screenplay, “Aficionado.” The characters, Jack and Vinn, are “loosely based on us,” according to Zussman and Hish. Many of the other characters and stories told within the screenplay are based on people they know, and things they’ve experienced or heard in real life. For example, Jack’s mentor, Monroe, is based on Zussman’s former Brentwood High School teacher Tom Lysaught, a screenwriter and playwright who has given him feedback on the script. Also, Jack works at Norris Hardware, which Zussman says he named after the Palisades store, though he never worked there. For the record, he worked at Baskin-Robbins and was a delivery boy for Mort’s Deli during his high school years. “This year of my life has been a huge growth period,” Zussman said about his post-college experience, adding that his intention in writing this story was, in part, “to put a voice to people our age, even if it meant writing about something that, according to someone else, we shouldn’t have been writing about, but that we thought was necessary.” For example, the characters do quite a bit of boozing and carousing with the ladies in “Swingers”-esque fashion, but the characters also have some depth to them, apparent in the frank and intimate way in which they discuss their feelings. “There were times when I wrote things that were personal, but I knew the script had to be accurate and real, so people could relate,” Zussman said. They chose the arena of the cigar world as a theme because they feel like it’s something everyone has access to and that it hasn’t really been done before in film. Hish said that cigars also evoke “the classic, masculine success image” though he and Zussman admit that they aren’t particularly passionate about cigars in real life. In preparation to writing the script, they spent three months researching at the library and talking to local cigar shop owners. Zussman also took a six-week Writers Boot Camp basic training course that focused on writing a feature-length screenplay. But perhaps it was at L’Ermitage where they learned the most. There they met some of the industry greats, including Benicio del Toro (“Sin City” and “21 Grams”), Ben Kingsley (“The House of Sand and Fog” and “Gandhi”) and Kimberly Peirce (the writer/director of “Boys Don’t Cry”). Zussman and Hish took the opportunity to ask these pros for artistic advice, and said that Kingsley told them, “no matter what people tell you to change, be true to yourself.” They were also told to continue pursuing their project even after they get a few rejections, since the goal is finding one person who really believes in what they’re doing. Hish said that hearing this from an actor as revered as Kingsley “really gives us a lot of confidence to believe in our own opinions.” So, while Zussman and Hish might have to be patient about seeing their work on the big screen, they’re willing to wait at least a little while. After all, they have to listen to their own words, from the monologue in “Aficionado,” that “it’s easy to overlook the 15 years it takes to become an overnight success.” For those interested in reading a copy of “Aficionado,” contact Zussman at mikezussman@hotmail.com.
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