Issue Date: October 29, 2006

INTERVIEW

A life for all to see

The "Running with Scissors" author on the new movie of his memoir

Imagine having your childhood, in all of its hilarious and mortifying glory, in a movie for millions to see. For author Augusten Burroughs, 41, seeing the film version of his best-selling memoir, "Running with Scissors," was a "surreal" and difficult experience. The new movie, starring Annette Bening and Gwyneth Paltrow, doesn't gloss over Burroughs' past of abandonment, sexual abuse and alcoholism. We spoke with the goateed writer in his Amherst, Mass., home.

What was your reaction to the movie?
I was blown away. Even though I wrote the book, I was plunged into the movie like anyone would be. One minute it was funny, the next it was dark, the next it was gross, and the next it was sweet.

What about seeing yourself as a teen, played by Joseph Cross?
I wanted to put my arm around him.

Why did you agree to make the movie?
I wasn't going to, because the book did so much better than I imagined, and I [knew] that a bad movie could damage my career. But screenwriter [and director] Ryan Murphy was a pest, and eventually I agreed.

You felt abandoned when your mother sent you to live with her therapist. Do you have a relationship with your mother now?
No. I think she does recognize my success, but it's hard.

Why do you write?
Back in my 20s and early 30s, I was a horrible alcoholic. If I don't write, I lose track of myself.

What advice do you have for kidsof divorce who feel lost and alone?
Everything terrible has a termination point. You will get through it.

-- Robin Sillau