NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Stephen King recently about the new film adaption 鈥淭he Life of Chuck," his latest book 鈥淣ever Flinch鈥� and other topics.
Here are highlights from that conversation.
On 'The Life of Chuck'
Over time, King has developed a personal policy in how he talks about the adaptations of his books. 鈥淢y idea is: If you can鈥檛 say something nice, keep your mouth shut,鈥� he says. Every now and then, King is such a fan of an adaptation that he鈥檚 excited to talk about it. That鈥檚 very much the case with Mike Flanagan鈥檚 new adaptation of King鈥檚 novella of the same name published in the 2020 collection
鈥淭he Life of Chuck,鈥� which Neon releases in theaters Friday (nationwide June 13), there are separate storylines but the tone-setting opening is apocalyptic. The internet, like a dazed prize fighter, wobbles on its last legs before going down. California is said to be peeling away from the mainland 鈥渓ike old wallpaper." And yet in this doomsday tale, King is at his most sincere. 鈥淭he Life of Chuck,鈥� the book and the movie, is about what matters in life when everything else is lost. There is dancing, Walt Whitman and joy.
鈥淚n 鈥楾he Life of Chuck,鈥� we understand that this guy鈥檚 life is cut short, but that doesn鈥檛 mean he doesn鈥檛 experience joy,鈥� says King. 鈥淓xistential dread and grief and things are part of the human experience, but so is joy.鈥�
On his life as a moviegoer
So vividly drawn is King鈥檚 fiction that it鈥檚 offered the basis for some 50 feature films. For half a century, since Brian De Palma鈥檚 1976 film 鈥淐arrie,鈥� Hollywood has turned, and turned again, to King鈥檚 books for their richness of character, nightmare and sheer entertainment. He's also a moviegoer, himself.
鈥淚 love anything from 鈥楾he 400 Blows鈥� to something with that guy Jason Statham,鈥� King says, speaking by phone from his home in Maine. 鈥淭he worst movie I ever saw was still a great way to spend an afternoon. The only movie I ever walked out on was 鈥楾ransformers.鈥� At a certain point I said, 鈥楾his is just ridiculous.鈥欌��
On contemporary anxieties
The kind of climate change disaster found in 鈥淭he Life of Chuck,鈥� King says, often dominates his anxieties.
鈥淲e鈥檙e creeping up little by little on being the one country who does not acknowledge it鈥檚 a real problem with carbon in the atmosphere,鈥� King says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 crazy. Certain right wing politicians can talk all they want about how we鈥檙e saving the world for our grandchildren. They don鈥檛 care about that. They care about money.鈥�
On social media, King has been a sometimes critic of President Donald Trump, whose second term has included battles with the arts, academia and Over the next four years, King predicts, 鈥淐ulture is going to go underground.鈥�
In 鈥淣ever Finch,鈥� Holly Gibney is hired as a bodyguard by a women鈥檚 rights activist whose lecture tour is being plagued by mysterious acts of violence. In the afterward of the book, King includes a tribute to 鈥渟upporters of women鈥檚 right to choose who have been murdered for doing their duty.鈥� 鈥淚鈥檓 sure they鈥檙e not going to like that,鈥� King says of right-wing critics.
On 鈥楴ever Flinch鈥�
King, 77, has now written somewhere around 80 books, including the just released The mystery thriller brings back King鈥檚 recent favorite protagonist, the private investigator Holly Gibney, who made her stand-alone debut in 鈥淚f It Bleeds.鈥� It鈥檚 Gibney鈥檚 insecurities, and her willingness to push against them, that has kept King returning to her.
鈥淚t gave me great pleasure to see Holly grow into a more confident person,鈥� King says. 鈥淪he never outgrows all of her insecurities, though. None of us do.鈥�
鈥淣ever Flinch鈥� is a reminder that King has always been less of a genre-first writer than a character-first one. He tends to fall in love with a character and follow them through thick and thin.
鈥淚鈥檓 always happy writing. That鈥檚 why I do it so much,鈥� King says, chuckling. 鈥淚鈥檓 a very chipper guy because I get rid of all that dark stuff in the books.鈥�
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
