At the get-together at his house, Tom gave me my script back, and again, he said he thought it was very good. I wanted to ask him whether he’d be willing to pass it on to his producer friend Sid Ganis, but we were all gathered in the living room and I didn’t want to pull him aside or put him on the spot in front of the other students.

Instead, I emailed him the next day. I thanked him again for his support then asked him whether he thought Sid Ganis might be interested in my script, and if so, would he feel comfortable recommending it to him. I reminded him that Sid, as a guest speaker in our class, had specifically mentioned he was looking for a good thriller script, and that he would consider one if it came with a recommendation from a trusted source.

Tom’s email response came quick: “Sorry, but no I don’t show scripts to personal friends. It has a tendency to change the relationship.”

I emailed back, telling him that I appreciated his candid response, and that I understood what he was saying.

That first part was true. I did appreciate his candid response. But the second part wasn’t. I don’t understand how recommending a script to a friend can “change the relationship”.

I more or less expected a “no” so I’m not too disappointed. It’s my job to look under every stone, even if I suspect there’s nothing under it.