Screenwriter Eric Newman got the idea for the deliciously dark “True Story” tale by simply growing up in Hollywood.
“I’ve been in the business for 30 years,” he told The Post at a recent screening of the Netflix show. “I grew up in LA and I saw a lot of celebrities and I was around famous people and I’ve worked with many of them.”
The limited series, which dropped on Wednesday, concerns a famous comedian called the Kid, played by Kevin Hart in his first dramatic role, and his neer-do-well older brother Carlton, played by Wesley Snipes. Things take a decidedly bleak and violent turn after things go wrong at a party after a concert in Philadelphia. The show is not only deliciously dark and twisty, but it also delves into the subject of fame and how isolating and surreal it can be.
“I’ve always thought it was a strange condition of being in it for all the benefits, I think there are deficiencies and disadvantages,” Newman, who also was an executive producer of “Narcos,” explained. “I think it’s hard. I think it’s hard to know who to trust and obviously, there is no privacy. You are not your own property, you belong to the world.”
“True Story” is ultimately a story about brothers and how fame complicates and ultimately destroys their bond. Again Newman says he’s seen how fame and celebrity have corroded family relationships.
“I think when you’re incredibly successful and people are relying on you, there’s no difference between the people who are working for you and family who feel like they’re owed something.”
Newman explained that the idea of writing about a star who’s come from a “hard place,” surrounded by people “they came up with” and are unsure about who to trust, “seemed like a really powerful place to tell a story.”