Terence Winter

I grew up in Marine Park, Brooklyn, which is an area that I usually have to describe by its proximity to other neighborhoods in Brooklyn that people have heard of. You may have heard of Sheepshead Bay, which actually was a an integral neighborhood in terms of prohibition because boats used to come right in there. And that's kind of near Coney Island.

I grew up in Marine Park, Brooklyn, which is an area that I usually have to describe by its proximity to other neighborhoods in Brooklyn that people have heard of. You may have heard of Sheepshead Bay, which actually was a an integral neighborhood in terms of prohibition because boats used to come right in there. And that's kind of near Coney Island.

So, you know, basically blue collar family, blue collar neighborhood. I actually started to be an auto mechanic in high school and that didn't stick. I took a detour into the deli business, eventually figured out that I needed to go to college. eventually went to law school, practiced law for two years, hated it.

So, you know, basically blue collar family, blue collar neighborhood. I actually started to be an auto mechanic in high school and that didn't stick. I took a detour into the deli business, eventually figured out that I needed to go to college. eventually went to law school, practiced law for two years, hated it.

And then my deep, dark secret was I had always wanted to be a sitcom writer, which was something that, you know, on the East Coast in the 70s, you dare not tell your friends that you wanted to go to Hollywood and be anything.

And then my deep, dark secret was I had always wanted to be a sitcom writer, which was something that, you know, on the East Coast in the 70s, you dare not tell your friends that you wanted to go to Hollywood and be anything.

Because it's very difficult for me to talk with that. I do hold the record for the most uses of the word fuck in a movie, Wolf of Wall Street, which I'm very proud of. So it's very hard for me to have a conversation. So that'll slip out occasionally. Anyway, once I came out of the closet as a writer, I just said, I'm moving to L.A. and I'm going to figure this out.

Because it's very difficult for me to talk with that. I do hold the record for the most uses of the word fuck in a movie, Wolf of Wall Street, which I'm very proud of. So it's very hard for me to have a conversation. So that'll slip out occasionally. Anyway, once I came out of the closet as a writer, I just said, I'm moving to L.A. and I'm going to figure this out.

I showed up here in 1991 and I just kind of plunged in and I started out, you know, attempting to be a sitcom writer and then eventually just morphed into drama that kind of had comedy in it. So I just got incredibly lucky and still lucky to be doing that kind of stuff.

I showed up here in 1991 and I just kind of plunged in and I started out, you know, attempting to be a sitcom writer and then eventually just morphed into drama that kind of had comedy in it. So I just got incredibly lucky and still lucky to be doing that kind of stuff.

I was a lawyer in Manhattan. My only ambition as a kid was I wanted to be rich because we were not. And the only two jobs I knew that could make you rich were doctor and lawyer. The doctor was out. And I remember there was a quote by Benjamin Franklin. And he said, pour thy person to thy head and no man can take it from you. And, you know, get an education, basically.

I was a lawyer in Manhattan. My only ambition as a kid was I wanted to be rich because we were not. And the only two jobs I knew that could make you rich were doctor and lawyer. The doctor was out. And I remember there was a quote by Benjamin Franklin. And he said, pour thy person to thy head and no man can take it from you. And, you know, get an education, basically.

Yeah, that's a beautiful quote. I like that. Yeah, I love that. So I took creative writing and eventually I stumbled onto journalism. And, you know, again, you know, my ambition was to make money. That was what a good job was. The concept of liking your job was something, you know, you know, you just want to make money. So lawyer was the thing.

Yeah, that's a beautiful quote. I like that. Yeah, I love that. So I took creative writing and eventually I stumbled onto journalism. And, you know, again, you know, my ambition was to make money. That was what a good job was. The concept of liking your job was something, you know, you know, you just want to make money. So lawyer was the thing.

So I had another professor, journalism professor named Jerry Schwartz, who was a managing editor at the Associated Press. And I asked him to write me a recommendation for law school. And he did. He wrote me this glowing recommendation. He gave it to me in a manila envelope. And he said, there's another letter in there for you personally. And that letter said, please don't go to law school.

So I had another professor, journalism professor named Jerry Schwartz, who was a managing editor at the Associated Press. And I asked him to write me a recommendation for law school. And he did. He wrote me this glowing recommendation. He gave it to me in a manila envelope. And he said, there's another letter in there for you personally. And that letter said, please don't go to law school.

Please be a writer. And I was like, holy shit. This is the second adult who's told me I'm a good writer.

Please be a writer. And I was like, holy shit. This is the second adult who's told me I'm a good writer.

Actually, I should. It might have saved me a lot of time. Meanwhile, all my friends who became auto mechanics were making a fortune. And they all thought I was the biggest idiot in the world, Joe College. I'm already now in the whole student loan-wise from NYU. And I said, all right, there's only one way forward, and that's the law school.

Actually, I should. It might have saved me a lot of time. Meanwhile, all my friends who became auto mechanics were making a fortune. And they all thought I was the biggest idiot in the world, Joe College. I'm already now in the whole student loan-wise from NYU. And I said, all right, there's only one way forward, and that's the law school.