We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Matilda Corley Schulman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Matilda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
I grew up on and around horses. And I think the one thing I will forever take with me on the journey ahead that they have taught me, is to always lead with kindness and empathy. I tend to catch ride. So I get paired and show horses that I have no prior relationship with, build a relationship with them as fast as I can, and bring them up the ranks in whatever job they are meant to do in the showjumping world. I think sometimes people forget that a little kindness, a little patience, can go so, so far in understanding another being. And what that kindness or patience can do for that person. People might not remember exactly what you said to them, but they will almost always remember how you have made them feel.
Matilda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a Los Angeles-based writer and actor who tends to direct just a bit (a little more than a bit) — am a former NCAA Division I equestrian (yes, I’m a horse girl). My work tends to be one part heartbreak, one part rebellion, and a little bit of magic. As I put it, I tend to write westerns in every font and am most passionate about telling stories that amplify voices too often told to quiet down—stories that help us all feel a little less alone.
I hold a BA from UC Berkeley (after transferring from Oklahoma State University) and an MFA from USC. My plays, pilots, and features have been recognized by the O’Neill, Stowe Story Labs, Austin Film Festival, Coverfly, Stage 32, and more. I was named to the Coverfly x Tracking Board Next List 2024.
My feature script LARK, a modern western, has been a Finalist for Outstanding Screenplays Features (2025), a Semifinalist at the Austin Film Festival (2024), won the Grand Jury Prize at the Richmond International Film Festival, and was a Top 5 Finalist at the Manchester Film Festival (2024).
My short film HUNGER PAINS (AFF Second Rounder 2024, Top 25 Short Scripts — Roadmap Writers 2025) is scheduled to be directed by Tessa Slovis this fall. To which I will star alongside Tessa.
And my pilot BLOODY NOSES, based on her O’Neill and Mazumdar Semifinalist play of the same name (which had its world premiere at USC in April 2023 under the direction of David Warshofsky), was recently selected for the 2024 Stowe Story Labs Connemara Writers Retreat.
In my free time, you can most likely, as you can expect, find me on a horse, holed up in a coffee shop typing away, or trying to convince you we should all be doing Shakespeare…
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Truly, I always write for my eighteen year old self who had lost her voice for a bit — thought she was alone. If I can make one young woman feel seen through one of my stories, in perhaps a way I longed for and needed when I was younger — that’s all I can hope for.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Valorie Kondos Field, the former UCLA Women’s Gymnastics Coach has given a Ted Talk on the cost of winning — and I think anyone in the creative arts should watch that video. Essentially, and I am horridly condensing her message so again please go watch it on YouTube, Field noticed that we were creating athletes that were walking away from their sports damaged. Truly damaged. Yes, they won. They won everything. But at what cost? I think we can apply this to creating a play, feature, or TV series. Especially, when you yourself are at the helm of the project.
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Image Credits
Eliza Jaye Kuperschmid
Julián Juaquín (USC School of Dramatic Arts)