Published: 6 December 2022
Last updated: 5 March 2024
KELLY HARTOG meets Sydney-born writer Joshua Brandon, who has come home from Hollywood to launch the book he co-authored with the Star Trek legend about his life and insights.
It’s the stuff that dreams are made of: How a nice Jewish boy from Sydney made it big in Hollywood.
This week, Joshua Brandon is back in Australia from his home in Los Angeles for the launch of a book he co-wrote with Captain Kirk himself. Boldly Go, is 91-year-old William Shatner’s latest non-fiction book — part essays, part memoir — where he shares some of the most fascinating aspects of his life and his philosophies.
Born and raised in Sydney, Brandon, 39, ran a theatre company with his cousin, Steven, and was later involved in Kosher Theatre Sports, but always had a dream to write for television. So, at the ripe old age of 24, Josh and his cousin decided to try their luck in Hollywood. “We moved out here in 2008 and then slowly just ground away,” he says.
The grind worked. Brandon went on to write for high-profile shows including Fox’s Houdini and Doyle and SyFy’s Haven, which is where he first met Shatner. Brandon also recently released his first feature film, A Thousand Little Cuts, that he wrote and directed, and which aired on Showtime.
The Jewish Independent caught up with Brandon in Los Angeles, shortly before his Australia trip.
How did this collaboration with Shatner come about?
[In 2014] I was a writer on Haven and he did the last four episodes of the show. I met him briefly when he came into the writer’s room. But I'd stayed in touch with his assistant during the production. And six or seven years later, I had this idea for a book — not a memoir — but [more like] all the things he's done and what he feels, and what his philosophy is.
I thought, “What do I have to lose?” I sent [his assistant] an email. The same day I got a reply: “Hi, Josh, lovely to hear from you. I spoke to Bill. He'd like to call you at three o'clock tomorrow!"
