paul laverty

Paul Laverty is a British screenwriter who is mostly known for screenplays he has written for Ken Loach movies. Loach is responsible for movies like I, Daniel Blake, and The Wind That Shakes The Barley.

Laverty is married to Spanish filmmaker Icíar Bollaín, and they met for the first time on the sets of Loach's Land and Freedom. Since then, their relationship has been going strong. Besides screenwriting, Laverty was previously a lawyer.

Paul Laverty And Icíar Bollaín Relationship Timeline

As mentioned above, Paul Laverty is married to Spanish actress and movie maker Icíar Bollaín. Their relationship has been going strong since 1955. However, the two are very private about their marriage, as the date of the lovely couple walking down the aisle remains to be known. 

The lovely couple Bollaín and Laverty shared a love for cinema and have also worked together. They came together to work for the 2009 film, Even The Rain. Laverty worked on the script, whereas his wife directed the film. That's not the only time they came together to work. Bollaín also directed The Olive Tree, and Laverty wrote the film's screenplay.

Education Background

Paul Laverty has taken formal education in Philosophy and Law. In simpler words, he has a degree in both of them. For his philosophy degree, he went to study in Rome, Italy. His IMDb page mentions that he acquired this degree from Gregorian University.

Besides scriptwriting, Paul is also a lawyer by profession. For his Law degree, he went to Glasgow, Scotland. IMDb says that to learn about how lawyers worked, he worked as an apprentice for two Scottish Lawyers. 

Additionally, Paul also has an honorary Ph.D. degree that he received from Strathclyde University in Glasgow. He was honored with his degree in 2003.

The Screenwriter Paul Laverty's Net Worth

The screenwriter Paul Laverty has found a lot of success in movies, evidenced by his net worth of $1 Million, similar to Solveig Karadottir. Most movies he has worked on are indie projects or movies with a small budget. The highest-grossing film from his filmography is The Wind That Shakes the Barley, which made more than $1 Million at the box office as per Rotten Tomatoes.

Laverty's wife, Icíar Bollaín estimated net worth is $1 Million. Movies are also her primary source of income. She has given many profitable films, but as per Rotten Tomatoes, her highest-grossing film is Even The Rain. 

Interestingly, the film Even The Rain script was written by Icíar's husband, Laverty. The 2010 film had a box office collection of around $558,000.

Laverty's Ethnic Background

Even The Rain scriptwriter Laverty's ethnic background is mixed. His genes don't just come from one part of Britain, as he is Irish and Scottish, thanks to his parents. His father is from Scotland, whereas his mother is from Ireland.

Paul's birthplace is also vastly different than you would expect, as he was born in Calcutta, India. His three kid's ethnic background is even bigger as his wife, Bollaín, is Spanish. Thus the kids carry her ethnicity as well as her father's ethnicity.

Paul's Friendship With Ken Loach

Paul Laverty and Ken Loach are the names that always go together. These two have been working together for many years now. They first worked in the 1995 film Land and Freedom and have collaborated on numerous movies.

However, director Loach revealed that these two had worked together for the past two to three years before they collaborated on their first film, Land and Freedom. Loach is known for making movies on hard-hitting subjects. 

As of now, Paul and Ken have worked together on numerous films like Sorry We Missed You, The Angel's Share, Looking For Eric, and My Name Is Joe, the movie featuring actor Peter Mullan.

Laverty's Time In Nicaragua

Looking For Eric writer, Laverty has spent a few years of his life in Nicaragua. He worked for the Human Rights Organization at the time as a lawyer. His main focus was on the human rights abuses that were happening there at the time. 

Paul's time at Nicharuga inspired him to write a story as he and his favorite director Ken Loach came together to work on a project. In his interview with The Guardian, Loach said that Laverty had also learned Spanish during his time in Nicaragua. This led to these two working together in the film Carla's Song.

How Did Laverty Switch From Lawyer To Screenwriter?

Laverty used to work as a human rights lawyer before switching to screenwriting. And it all happened during his three years in Nicaragua. Laverty's first work as a screenwriter happened because of Loach as they worked together on the film Carla's Song. 

The film Carla's Song is about a bus driver, George Lennox, and a Nicaraguan girl named Carla. In the movies, they travel back home to discover her past. 

The screenwriter Laverty was in Nicaragua as a human rights lawyer, where he went to understand the situation of the place. He also traveled to Guatemala and El Salvador when they were going through the civil war. He documented all his experiences; this was when Laverty was intrigued by what he read, and thus, they came together to work.

While speaking to Script, Paul revealed that he had sent the script to Loach and many other people. However, the only responses he received were about the script being about the warzone or the complaints regarding the script being in Spanish. Only his friend Loach invited him for tea to discuss the script he had written; the rest is history.

Laverty Is The Winner Of the Fulbright Awards

In 1984, Icíar Bollaín husband Laverty won the Fulbright awards. This meant he could study film in the United States. That's what the Fulbright program is about.

The Fulbright program helps in providing financial assistance to people from outside the US to live in the states as they are selected based on their skills. Laverty was allowed to study films. He lived in Los Angeles, California, for 18 months.

How Does Paul Laverty Write His Scripts?

Icíar Bollaín spouse Paul has advised people on how to write, giving us an idea of his process while writing his scripts. For him, the most important thing is that story decides the kind of script he wants to write. And then move forward with it.

While writing, listening, and asking questions are the other two important things for Paul. Listening is a very important asset for him. For him, paying close attention and listening to everyone's point of view will help massively understand the subject more deeply. Asking questions is another important thing for him as it will help him to figure out and discover new information related to the subject.

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