Billy Ray (Writer & Director) on The Hunger Games, Great Characters, and the Craft of Storytelling

Wed 2-SEP-2026 | Season 2026 • Episode 98

Billy Ray, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind Captain Phillips, The Hunger Games, Shattered Glass, Richard Jewell, State of Play, Breach, and Flight Plan, joins host Kevin Goetz for a candid conversation about the throughline of integrity in his work and the mechanics of great storytelling. Ray lays out his theory of what every protagonist and villain requires using Jaws, Rocky, The Wizard of Oz, and Ordinary People as case studies, and shares stories from Donald Sutherland, Jennifer Jones, and the making of The Hunger Games.

Integrity and the Stories Billy Ray Tells (01:41):
Ray identifies integrity as the recurring theme in his work, and explains why the best screenwriting is an intellectual exercise designed to create an emotional response rather than an impressive one.

The Untold Story of Ukraine's Abducted Children (10:20):
Kevin and Billy discuss Ash and Crayons, a documentary about children abducted from Ukraine into Russia during the war. He calls it the great untold story of the conflict.

Knowing Your Audience: Messaging and Persuasion (13:35):
A discussion about political communication becomes a broader conversation about audiences. Ray argues that effective messaging begins by understanding where people are emotionally and moving them from there, a principle Goetz connects directly to movie marketing and persuasive advertising.

What Makes a Great Screenplay? (22:38):
Ray recalls being handed Ordinary People by his literary-agent father as the standard to aspire to, and lays out his fundamental rule of character: a protagonist needs an external problem to solve and an internal problem only the story can fix.

Great Characters, Great Villains, and the Cathartic Contract (26:29):
Using Ordinary People, Rocky, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Schindler's List, Ray and Goetz examine character construction. Ray argues a great antagonist needs a defensible point of view.

Outworking the Competition and Shattered Glass (42:01):
Ray discusses early influences including Rod Serling, and his realization that he couldn't control talent or the industry, only how hard he worked. He names Shattered Glass, his directing debut, as the film he's proudest of.

The Hunger Games and the Art of Reverse Engineering (46:30):
Ray remembers reading Suzanne Collins' novel overnight and recognizing its potential. He shares changes that strengthened the adaptation, and the security measures involved in writing the franchise's newest installment.

Failure, Audience Testing, and the Oscar Chase (51:15):
Ray speaks candidly about directing Secret in Their Eyes, losing an investor's money, and his Oscar nomination for Captain Phillips, including why chasing that recognition can be dangerous for a career.

Host: Kevin Goetz
Guest: Billy Ray
Producer: Kari Campano
Writers: Kevin Goetz, Darlene Hayman, Nick Nunez, and Kari Campano
Audio Engineer: Gary Forbes (DG Entertainment)

For more information about Billy Ray:
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Ray_(screenwriter)
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0712753/
Burn the Water (Book): https://a.co/d/0f0raSWF

For more information about Kevin Goetz:
- Website: www.KevinGoetz360.com
- Audienceology Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Audience-ology/Kevin-Goetz/9781982186678
- How to Score in Hollywood: https://www.amazon.com/How-Score-Hollywood-Secrets-Business/dp/198218986X/
- Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Substack: @KevinGoetz360
- LinkedIn @Kevin Goetz
- Screen Engine/ASI Website: www.ScreenEngineASI.com