John Fusco
John Fusco
John Fusco is an American screenwriter, producer, and TV series creator born in Prospect, Connecticut. His screenplays include Crossroads, Young Guns, Young Guns II, Thunderheart, Hidalgo, and the Oscar-nominated Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionWriter
CountryUnited States of America
decent felt italian kid traveling travels
He was an Italian kid traveling in China, and I'm of Italian decent with a fascination for China. So, I always felt this connection to him and lived vicariously through the travels of Marco Polo.
became certain horses native twelve
Twelve years ago, when I was on the Pine Ridge Reservation for 'Thunderheart,' I was dong research into Native American horses that had come into extinction. I was tracing certain Lakota bloodlines, and it became an obsession.
globe hundred realized
We searched around the globe and looked at well over a hundred 'Marco Polos,' came down to the wire, and went back and looked at our Italy tapes, and we realized that we had overlooked someone. That was Lorenzo Richelmy.
aware four iron wuxia
Being a student of Wuxia literature, I was aware 'Crouching Tiger' was book four in the 'Crane Iron Pentalogy.'
ancient china spent time
When I was growing up I spent a lot of time reading about ancient China and was really fascinated.
compelling exciting few map people tend
When people hear the name 'Marco Polo,' they tend to think of a map or explorer. Very few people know the true story of Marco Polo, and it's so much more compelling and exciting than the mythology.
books both creatively hard life novels remains rewarding vastly whether writer
As a writer of both novels and screenplays, I can say that screenwriting is a vastly rewarding creative life - if you fight hard enough to do it on your own terms. Whether I write books or not, my screenwriting life has been creatively rewarding and remains so.
basketball chance quite win
They never folded. They never quite out there and we did have a chance at the end to win this basketball game, and that is all you can really ask for as a coach.
close defensive free gaining games grabbed great hit kids offense rebounds stepped throws win wins won
We've won some close games this year, and we're gaining confidence. It would be great to win a game by 20 points, but we'll take the wins any way we can get them. This was a great win for us, and the offense really stepped up. Some of the kids hit some big free throws and grabbed some big defensive rebounds tonight.
art research war
With the Mongolian horse warfare, I did a lot of research into the Mongol art of war.
area arrived central drove hours remote rocky russian shock stayed trails utility vehicle waited
We drove for 10 hours on rocky trails out into the central part of Mongolia in a Russian utility vehicle with no shock absorbers. Then we arrived at a remote area where we stayed in a yurt and waited to meet a horse wrangler who was scheduled to bring our rides.
adviser best developing director importance integral invited relationship resource respected technical
If you understand the importance of developing a relationship with the director and making that director see that you're the best technical adviser and resource in the world on your subject, you'll be invited on set as a respected and integral part of the process.
demand dies easier freedom great internal latitude lives novel screenplay within
In many ways, it's easier to write a book. You have more latitude with structure, and you have the freedom to luxuriate within the internal lives and musings of your characters. But where a screenplay does not always demand great prose, a novel lives or dies by it.
both brought chinese fighting ground master pick sides sleeping strategies sure traveling work
Being on the ground in Mongolia and traveling with the horse culture and sleeping in yurts, I was able to pick up a lot of detail. But I brought in advisors to work with our horse master to make sure the fighting strategies both on the Chinese and Mongolian sides were very accurate.