SALVATORE DELUCIA
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 PictureSalvatore Delucia
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
I live in Wallingford, Connecticut, and I teach high school theater and English in New Haven. Working with young artists every day — whether through playwriting, performance, or storytelling — keeps me grounded in why stories matter. It’s a constant reminder that narrative has the power to shape identity, empathy, and ambition.

Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel?
The seed for Captain Jack was a single line I wrote down in a notebook years ago — an image inspired by the Billy Joel song “Captain Jack.” The idea of someone finding their father floating in a swimming pool stayed with me. It felt haunting, cinematic, unresolved. From there, the story evolved into a crime-noir thriller about a young man, Riley — a Yale graduate who has done everything “right” — being thrust into two worlds he doesn’t belong in: the polished, generational wealth of his ex-girlfriend’s world and the morally gray underworld of Captain Jack and Kaylee. At its core, the script explores identity and agency. What happens when the life you were conditioned to want doesn’t feel like yours anymore? Who gets to define your path? I chose to write it as a screenplay because the story lives in tension, atmosphere, and silence. The quiet exchanges, the moral ambiguity, the slow realization of who these characters really are -- those moments are visual and performative. Film allows the audience to sit in those uncomfortable spaces in a way prose can’t quite replicate.

How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN?
This draft came together in about a month. It poured out of me once I found Riley’s voice. My process is structured but fluid. I typically visualize the beginning and the ending very clearly. Once I know those anchors, I create a loose beat sheet — more of a roadmap than a rigid outline. From there, I work scene by scene, constantly asking myself: If I were the audience, what would I expect next — and how can I either satisfy or subvert that expectation? I’ve spent over two decades studying screenwriting structure, and I respect it deeply. But I also
believe structure is a tool, not a cage. The goal is momentum — emotional and narrative — not formula.

What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
My ultimate ambition is to be a working screenwriter and director, telling human stories across genres. I’m drawn to character-driven narratives — stories that explore the human condition in all its beauty and contradiction. Whether it’s something intimate in the spirit of Little Miss Sunshine or epic and operatic like The Godfather Part II, what matters most to me is emotional truth. I’ve directed theater for years, and I would love to transition into directing film — bringing together performance, structure, and visual storytelling in a cohesive way.
Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice?
I submitted the full script. For me, the emotional arc of Captain Jack — especially the transformation of Riley and the moral ambiguity surrounding Jack — only fully lands when experienced as a complete journey. The script builds deliberately, and I wanted readers to feel the cumulative weight of the choices these characters make.

What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why?
My all-time favorite film is Rocky. In my opinion, it’s structurally perfect. It’s not really a boxing movie — it’s a character study about self-worth. The emotional payoff isn’t about winning the fight; it’s about going the distance. That thematic clarity and structural precision deeply influenced me as a writer. I’m also drawn to work like The Truman Show for its conceptual boldness and humanity, and television series like Mare of Easttown and The Walking Dead, which balance tension with grounded, emotionally layered performances. Across genres — even in comic book storytelling — I’m always looking for strong writing and complex characters.

What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Write the script only you can write. Contests see hundreds of technically competent screenplays. What stands out is voice — clarity of theme, emotional depth, and confident structure. Understand story mechanics. Respect pacing. Deliver on the emotional promise you set up in Act One. But also don’t be afraid to subvert expectations in ways that feel earned. And most importantly: finish the script. Rewrite it. Then rewrite it again.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
I’m currently developing several projects across genres. American Baby is a deeply personal drama about a forty-year-old man who takes his father, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, back to his hometown in Italy. It’s a story about memory, legacy, and the fragile ways we learn who our parents really are. I’m also writing a Kurosawa-inspired addiction drama told from three perspectives — husband, wife, and children — exploring how truth shifts depending on who is telling it. On the genre side, I’m developing a high-concept science fiction thriller titled Horizon Protocol, as well as a character-driven comedy called Cougar that’s gaining early traction. I write across genres, but at the center of everything is the same question: Who are we when the roles we’ve been assigned no longer fit?