Screenwriter Karol Hoeffner (Winning London)

They Thought I Was You

Today we sit down with the woman who taught an entire generation that the Model UN was a legitimate school activity. We talk to the person who wrote of one of Mary-Kate and Ashley's nerdiest, most beloved, most perfect rainy-day-comfort movies of all time. We talk to Karol Hoeffner, screenwriter of Winning London.
And we learn that Karol is nothing short of a complete inspiration. When she was in her 40s, she started being ghosted by an ageist industry that had no interest in hiring a middle-aged female screenwriter. So she decided to write a raunchy screenplay under a male pseudonym, and the industry came banging down her door-- including our friend, Robert Thorne, who then asked her to pitch the next Mary-Kate and Ashley movie.
Karol tells us about the insanely stressful week she spent writing the entire Winning London screenplay (the week before they left for London!), the particularities of writing a script for Mary-Kate and Ashley, and how she feels about the movie now, 21 years later. And of course, we ask how she came up with the iconic line, "I don't clean up after lost boys."
We adored talking with Karol and left feeling absolutely inspired. We hope this conversation makes you feel the same way ❤️
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