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You know, none of our characters, none of the characters I created were really based on real people. I've been asked that quite a lot of times. But, it’s… and yet it's impossible to answer any question definitively because, while none of them were based on real people I'm sure that every writer who writes any character… is taking this character from experiences he's had, from people he's known, from other things he's read. Everything we experience is somehow stored in our mind. Even if you have a horrible memory like I do, it's still somewhere in your subconscious. And I'm sure when I write anything at all, if I'm creating a character, in some way it's got to be based on all the things I've seen, and read, and heard, and thought of. But I never specifically say, I'm going to base this character on President Bush, or on Charlie Chaplin or… No. I try to come up with original ones.
[Q] Which character is… would you say is closest to your own character and personality?
Probably the character that's… but not really because he's a scientist and I'm not… but in personality probably Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four, because he talks too much and he tends to get boring after a while but they can't shut him up. And he tries to use big words. Actually I don't know enough big words so I don't have to worry about that too much. But… I don't know. I'd like to think that I'm an amalgam of all of those characters. All of their best features are probably based on me.
The creative genius of American writer, Stan Lee (1922-2018) brought us 'Spider Man', 'X-Men' and 'The Hulk'. They climbed tall buildings and fought the bad guys, but had normal worries too, about love, acceptance and family. Readers loved them and Marvel Comics, with Lee at the helm, went on to become hugely successful. In 2010 the Stan Lee Foundation was founded to focus on literacy, education and the arts. On January 4, 2011 Lee received the 2428th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Title: Creating characters
Listeners: Leo Bear
Leo Bear is a Hollywood-based features writer. Her background is in news and features writing. Leo spent five years on the entertainment newsdesk at BBC Worldwide before going freelance and moving out to Los Angeles. She specialises in writing lifestyle features, celebrity interviews, health stories and travel features for publications including Eve Magazine, OK! Magazine, Total Film, TV Hits and Conde Nast Gourmet Travel Guide.
Tags: Reed Richards, Fantastic Four, George Bush, Charlie Chaplin
Duration: 2 minutes, 1 second
Date story recorded: April 2006
Date story went live: 24 January 2008