Karen McCullah (born December 5, 1967) is an American
screenwriter
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
and
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...
most known for co-writing comedies such as ''
10 Things I Hate About You
''10 Things I Hate About You'' is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. The screenplay, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirs ...
'', ''
Legally Blonde
''Legally Blonde'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic in his feature-length directorial debut, and scripted by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith from Amanda Brown's 2001 novel of the same name. It stars Reese Wit ...
'', ''
Ella Enchanted
''Ella Enchanted'' is a Newbery HonorThe House Bunny'', ''
The Ugly Truth
''The Ugly Truth'' is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Robert Luketic, written by Nicole Eastman, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. The film was released in North America on ...
'' and ''
She's the Man
''She's the Man'' is a 2006 American romantic comedy teen sports film directed by Andy Fickman and starring Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Vinnie Jones, and David Cross. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Twelfth Night,'' t ...
'' with her screenwriting partner Kirsten Smith. After graduating from
James Madison University
James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...
with a degree in marketing, McCullah worked various jobs before beginning to write. She is a faculty member at
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
's Los Angeles Semester.
Early life
McCullah was born in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, where her father had been assigned with the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
performing counterespionage duties. She grew up in Maryland, where she attended elementary school before attending junior high in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
Oakland, New Jersey
Oakland is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 12,754,Bergen County
Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.1999 film
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shooti ...
, ''
10 Things I Hate About You
''10 Things I Hate About You'' is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. The screenplay, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirs ...
''.
In 1988, McCullah graduated from
James Madison University
James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...
in Virginia where she was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and majored in marketing. Though she would become a writer, she received a C in creative writing. She has said her experiences at university strongly influenced her screenwriting, and she donates a yearly scholarship to the school. Before screenwriting, McCullah worked in "marketing and PR, painting furniture sold in galleries in New Mexico, travel writing, and teaching creative workshops to teen gang members," as well as various fast food jobs. She began writing in
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...
after reading a book called ''How to Write for Film and TV'' since there were no local jobs available in her field. In 2005, she wrote her first novel, ''The Bachelorette Party''.
Screenwriting career
McCullah describes many of the characters she's written as, essentially, “badass and full of mirth.” Most of her published screenplays have been co-written with Kirsten Smith; they met when Smith read one of McCullah's scripts as part of Smith's job in 1996. After letters and phone calls, the two met for margaritas and started their first script (a woman-led action-comedy) on a cocktail napkin. Though the first script did not sell, they wrote''
10 Things I Hate About You
''10 Things I Hate About You'' is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. The screenplay, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirs ...
'' while living in separate cities by mailing pages of the draft to each other. They admired and were considering following in the footsteps of ''
Clueless
''Clueless'' is a 1995 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling. It stars Alicia Silverstone with supporting roles by Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd. It was produced by Scott Rudin and Robert ...
'', a spin on '' Emma,'' as they knew they wanted to write a teen comedy with a twist on a classic story. With a title already set from McCullah's high school diary, the duo picked Shakespeare's ''
The Taming of the Shrew
''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunk ...
'' to modernize and outlined their plans while sitting on a beach in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
, though as McCullah said, “We definitely knew he title characterwould not be tamed at the end."
McCullah and Smith had already started adapting ''Legally Blonde'' (the novel) for film by the time ''10 Things'' went to theaters. Of writing the main character, McCullah said: "It was fun to play with that dynamic with he rich, pretty, popular girlbeing the underdog, having to prove herself to other people even when she was completely capable." They spent two days on Stanford's campus in the spring of 2000 doing research for the screenplay.
They were actively involved during filming, sometimes rewriting in the middle of the night and suggesting
Luke Wilson
Luke Cunningham Wilson (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor known for his roles in films such as ''Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), ''My Dog Skip'' (2000), '' Legally Blonde'' (2001), ''The Royal Tenenbaums'' (2001), ''Id ...
as the love interest during casting. Originally, the "bend and snap" scene — where main character Elle explains to her new, older friend Paulette how to get her crush's attention — almost didn't make it into the movie. At first, the writers spent a week or two trying to figure out what the plot for Paulette should be, pitching "scene after scene" of crime plots that "all felt very tonally weird." Later, while brainstorming at a bar in Los Angeles, McCullah came up with a solution: "What if Elle shows aulettea move so she can get the UPS guy?" On the spur of the moment, Smith invented a move, standing up and demonstrating what would become the bend and snap. Smith explains, "It was a spontaneous invention. It was a completely drunken moment in a bar."
The film originally ended with Elle winning the movie's pivotal case and sharing a victory kiss with Emmett, then starting a Blonde Legal Defense Club at law school in the future. After test audiences revealed they didn't like this ending, McCullah and Smith consulted with the production team and they all agreed a new conclusion was necessary. "It was just kind of a weak ending," explained McCullah. "The kiss didn't feel right because it's not a rom-com — it wasn't about their relationship. So test audiences were saying, 'We want to see what happens — we want to see her succeed.' So that's why we rewrote for graduation," which became the movie's new ending.
The duo's modern day writing process generally involves co-writing a first draft, editing it separately, and redrafting it, usually turning in a 6th or 7th draft. McCullah's personal preferred way to write is outside in the sun, as she states "It’s hard for me to be funny in the rain."
McCullah's is currently a faculty member at
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
's Los Angeles Semester. Her future projects include ''Hope'', a
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
rom-com starring
Aubrey Plaza
Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began her career performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. She starred as April Ludgate on the NBC sitcom ''Pa ...
, and ''Party Girls'', a comedy picked up by
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
, both with her screenwriting partner Smith.
Writing
Novels
*''The Bachelorette Party'' (2006) -
Films
*''
10 Things I Hate About You
''10 Things I Hate About You'' is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. The screenplay, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirs ...
'' (1999) - an adaptation of
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
The Taming of the Shrew
''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunk ...
'' set in a modern American high school
*''
Legally Blonde
''Legally Blonde'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic in his feature-length directorial debut, and scripted by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith from Amanda Brown's 2001 novel of the same name. It stars Reese Wit ...
Ella Enchanted
''Ella Enchanted'' is a Newbery HonorGail Carson Levine
Gail Carson Levine (born September 17, 1947) is an American author of young adult books. Her second novel, ''Ella Enchanted'', received a Newbery Honor in 1998.
's 1997 novel
Ella Enchanted
''Ella Enchanted'' is a Newbery HonorShe's the Man
''She's the Man'' is a 2006 American romantic comedy teen sports film directed by Andy Fickman and starring Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Vinnie Jones, and David Cross. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Twelfth Night,'' t ...
'' (2006) - an adaptation of
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's play ''
Twelfth Night, or What You Will
''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...
The Ugly Truth
''The Ugly Truth'' is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Robert Luketic, written by Nicole Eastman, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. The film was released in North America on ...
'' (2009)
* ''
Crazy Kind of Love
''Crazy Kind of Love'' is a 2013 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sarah Siegel-Magness which is based on the 1995 novel '' Angel Angel'' by April Stevens. The film stars Virginia Madsen, Graham Rogers, Amanda Crew, Zach Gilford a ...