Bo Burnham won Best First Screenplay Award for his acclaimed indie, Eighth Grade at the 2019 Spirit Awards.
“I was told very often that I was a comedian for 13-year-old girls. and fuck yeah I am! I’m proud of that. They deserve to be paid attention to,” Burnham said.
He also admitted he was intimidated entering Hollywood’s high-art circles coming from his comedy background, and thanked the entire community for embracing him.
He said he wants the film’s heroine, the 15-year-old Elsie Fisher, to direct him. “I’d love to work with Elsie again. She wants to direct so I’d love to switch roles and have her direct me.”
There’s no project with Fisher yet: “She’s 15 so I want to let her have her own life.”
Asked about the biggest challenge he faced as the director, he responded, “The hardest part was child management issues like making sure the kids didn’t drown in the pool scene.”