On March 2, the USC Libraries honored the authors and screenwriters behind the film American Fiction and the episodic series Slow Horses with the 36th-annual Scripter Awards. The awards and the corresponding black-tie ceremony in Doheny Memorial Library were widely covered in the entertainment press.
Variety's Caroline Brew noted that Percival Everett was the first USC faculty member to win the award:
In his speech, Jefferson recalled his experience reading Everett’s novel “Erasure” in 2020, which he went on to adapt into “American Fiction.”
“It felt like I was reading a book written specifically for me. It felt like I understood what was going on in these characters in the story on a molecular level,” he said. “It felt like somebody crawled into my brain and put it into words on a page. It felt like the book was electrified as I was holding it.”
Jefferson then reached out to Everett about adapting the novel. After a half-hour conversation, Everett agreed to give Jefferson the rights to the book for free for six months — a rare occurrence in the entertainment industry.
“This is not the first time that a book has changed my life. I’m sure it won’t be the last time a book has changed my life,” Jefferson said, wrapping up his speech.
Long before Jefferson ended up winning the Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay, IndieWire's Anne Thompson commented on what Jefferson's win might reveal about that award race:
Jefferson is on a winning streak, taking home wins at the Critics Choice and BAFTA awards; in both cases “Barbie” was competing in the Original Screenplay category. At the Oscars, “American Fiction” will be competing against “Barbie” for Adapted Screenplay.
Several outlets also noted that Mick Herron and Will Smith became the first repeat winners in Scripter history. The Hollywood Reporter's Aaron Couch wrote:
As for the TV winners, novelist Mick Herron, whose novel Real Tigersinspired TV creator Will Smith’s Slow Horses, accepted the honor, become the first to repeat two years in a row at the Scripters. Smith was busy working in Slow Horses and unable to attend, but asked Herron to read a short statement on his behalf: “This award is very important to me, because it also celebrates the author, without whom the show would not exist.”
The Scripter Awards were also featured in Deadline, the Los Angeles Times, and The Wrap, among other publications.