Jez Butterworth interview: The Hills of California (The Times)

After writing Jerusalem, Indiana Jones and two Bond films, one of Britain’s leading playwrights says The Hills of California is his way of confronting the loss of his elder sister

When he’s not writing great plays or big-budget Hollywood films, Jez Butterworth loves to go to the theatre as a punter. He sees this as a triumph of hope over experience. “It’s usually boring,” he says. “It’s usually a disappointment. It’s a high-stakes game. If you win it’s a 100-1 shot. But if you win, you win masses.”