Growing Up –
October 19, 2018 – This is FRESH AIR. I’m Dave Davies in for Terry Gross. The new film “Beautiful Boy” stars Steve Carell as a father struggling with his son’s drug addiction. Today we’ll hear from the real people the story is based on. “Beautiful Boy” is the name of the memoir journalist David Sheff wrote in 2008 about the struggles of his son Nic. Nic, who was 25 and two years sober at the time, had written his own memoir called “Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines.”
Terry spoke to them both in 2008 and to David Sheff again five years later when he’d written another book about medical and scientific research into addiction and recovery called “Clean.” We’re happy to report Nic is drug free today. He’s married and has written two novels and scripts for two television shows. He and his father attended the premiere of “Beautiful Boy” in Los Angeles last week. Let’s hear a scene from the new film. Nic, played by Timothee Chalamet, has disappeared for a bit and called his dad telling him he’s sober and asking to meet him for lunch. His father David is played by Steve Carell.
