Kevin Williamson Confirms Netflix’s The Waterfront Was Impressed By His Father’s Drug Trafficking Previous

The Waterfront creator Kevin Williamson has confirmed the Netflix crime drama was impressed by his father’s real-life drug trafficking previous. The upcoming streaming crime drama follows the Buckley household as they arrive throughout laborious instances of their fishing enterprise in North Carolina, main household patriarch Harlan (Holt McCallany) to start trafficking medication for more money. The collection was created by Williamson, who’s finest identified for his work on the Scream franchise, alongside creating crime reveals like The Following and Stalker.

Talking with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan about The Waterfront, Williamson revealed the inspiration for the collection got here from his father’s real-life affiliation with drug trafficking. The present’s creator defined how, within the Eighties, his fisherman father would smuggle medication to make more money. He in contrast his father to Joey Potter’s dad in one other present he created, Dawson’s Creek, whereas additionally revealing the North Carolina setting of The Waterfront was impressed by his real-world experiences. Try what Williamson needed to say beneath:

Ash Crossan: What was your North Star for the present? The place was the nexus of this concept?

Kevin Williamson: It got here from my dad. I grew up in North Carolina, as , in a really, very small city, very a lot Southport, the place we filmed this present. And there was a time — my dad was a fisherman — and there was a time within the ’80s when he did some drug trafficking, was making an attempt to help his household throughout a very unhealthy time. The fishing season, the fisherman profession, had simply tanked, and he began smuggling some medication.

Ash Crossan: That’s SO attention-grabbing, wow!

Kevin Williamson: Yeah. I used to be impressed by my dad, the best man who ever lived, and he was making an attempt to place me by means of faculty. He was making an attempt to help his household, and he decided. And he in the end was caught, and he paid the value, and he went to jail. Very very similar to Joey Potter’s dad did.

Ash Crossan: I had no thought about this lore.

Kevin Williamson: Nicely, it’s like when you watch Dawson’s Creek, Joey Potter’s dad was in jail for conspiracy to site visitors marijuana, extreme 20,000 kilos. That was my dad’s cost. Precisely.

Ash Crossan: So your dad’s like a Harlan kind.

Kevin Williamson: Sure, sure. It’s effectively forged.

What Williamson’s Actual-World Experiences Imply For The Waterfront

The Present Is Instantly Impressed By His Father’s Life

Whereas Williamson’s Scream contributions and lots of TV present creations have outlined his profession, it looks as if The Waterfront goes to be his most private story up to now. Harlan seems to be based mostly on his father, whereas the North Carolina and the household fishing enterprise replicate what he did for work in actual life. The creator is pulling from his previous to create the collection, with parallels already clear based mostly on what he stated about his dad’s involvement within the drug commerce. This private story means particulars of the present may very well be pulled from occasions that truly occurred.

Associated

The Waterfront Stars Tease The Buckley Household Physique Depend: “We’re All Very Good At Disposing Our bodies At This Level”

ScreenRant interviews The Waterfront stars Holt McCallany, Jake Weary, and Melissa Benoist in regards to the new Netflix drama from Kevin Williamson.

There are some main variations already, although, with Williamson’s dad being charged for trafficking marijuana. Whereas these true occasions impressed The Waterfront, the Netflix collection can be specializing in cocaine and opiate medication. This modification is probably not precisely what Williamson’s father was arrested for, nevertheless it does signify the collection’ dedication to each a practical portrayal of drug trafficking, and upping the stakes for drama. How a lot of the present was truly pulled from the creator’s father and his real-world experiences stays to be seen.

Our Take On The Waterfront’s Actual-Life Inspiration

Williamson’s Experiences Can Make The Present Extra Impactful

Holt McCallany driving a boat in The Waterfront

With a lot in regards to the collection that hasn’t been revealed simply but, the reasonable inspiration might result in some attention-grabbing storylines that pull from actual occasions. Nevertheless, it is unclear if Williamson can be using any specifics about his father’s drug trafficking expertise, or if a lot of the story’s modernization will render some components unadaptable. With The Waterfront premiering quickly, it is solely a matter of time earlier than much more particulars in regards to the present’s inspiration are revealed.

The Waterfront arrives Thursday, June 19 on Netflix.