Movies - TV
Cameron Crowe Went Undercover To Write Fast Times At Ridgemont High
By BEN F. SILVERIO
When films are labeled “based on a true story,” most images that come to mind are often epic war stories, uplifting sports victories, or gruesome murders. However, some “true” stories are more light-hearted, as Cameron Crowe shared he went undercover at a California high school to capture authentic details of the teenage experience for what became “Fast Time at Ridgemont High.”
Crowe revealed that he graduated from high school at age 15, and despite being a 22-year-old journalist, he still looked 17 thanks to his long hair and lanky frame. The filmmaker shared, “Until I started to fit in with the students and make friends with them, there was a different book on its way to being written, about me going back to recapture a little bit of my adolescence.”
He continued, “But once I started getting into groups, the more I hung out with the kids, the book started changing. [...] When I saw the inner trauma in these kids’ lives, I started getting excited.” The connections he formed with the students inspired his characters, and while the real people may get older, their stories live on in pop culture thanks to Crowe’s creative investigative journalism.