Though he’s currently one of the hottest screenwriters in Hollywood, Justin Kuritzkes likes to make sure he remembers how far he’s come.
For years, the acclaimed 34-year-old writer of both “Challengers” and “Queer” was a playwright in New York City. But in an interview with CBS Mornings, he said the steady work often wasn’t enough to pay his bills.
“Nobody really gets to live as a playwright, even if you’re really having a great year as an off-Broadway playwright, which is what I was,” he said. “I never had a play on Broadway.”
Instead, he was forced to supplement his income with whatever work he could find.
“Being a playwright also means you’re a dog walker and an SAT tutor and an administrative assistant,” he said.
“It’s interesting being a dog walker and tutor at the same time,” Kuritzkes added. “They’re similar jobs: you get let into people’s homes and have a very intimate experience with someone who means a lot to them. I found that people are a lot more precious about their dogs than their kids.”
Kuritzkes said that one of the “real benefits” of working those jobs was the sense of “perspective” they gave him.
“You know that you’re an artist, but on your tax forms you write ‘dog walker,'” he explained. “Now, I write ‘screenwriter,’ but I’m not dumb enough to think that’s who I am, or that I’m more of an artist now than I was then.”
Not that he’s going to need to walk dogs any time soon. Kuritzkes’ has already reportedly penned a “Sgt. Rock” script that’s in early development for DC Studios.
The differences on his tax forms, he said, are fine by him.
“I just [have to pay more taxes],” he said. “But you know what, that’s okay.”
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