Confessing that one of his happiest memories was reading a novel by Agatha Christie on a beach, Michaelides knew he would one day write a murder mystery book.
While trying his expertise as an author, he wrote his first novel at sixteen but was discouraged by the outcome. Over twenty years later, he rechased his dream of being a novelist and created ‘The Silent Patient.’
Enthralling as his two famous works are, there are other delightful sides to Alex Michaelides. Discover more in this article.
The Greek-Turkish conflict affected him as a child
The discord between the Greek and Turkish communities in the 20th century affected Michaelides. He grew up in a divided city occupied by external soldiers. These soldiers implied that an invasion could happen whenever. The knowledge of a possible attack made Michaelides perpetually concerned about losing his family, toys, pets, and friends.
He attended Trinity College Cambridge because it was attractive
His cousin attended Trinity College, and so did his sister. At eight years old, he went to visit and was astounded by the beauty of the place. He realized the college differed from Nicosia, Cyprus, where he spent his childhood. His favorite spot at college was a little stone seat at the top of steps outside a hall where he met his friends before lunch.
His movie career was unsuccessful
After he graduated, he ventured into acting. Aware he was too self-conscious for television, he abandoned that path and picked up writing. As a runner for an Oscar-winning film producer, he got finance to create a script he had written at University. This project was unsuccessful but gave Michaelides the knowledge of scriptwriting.
To gain mastery of the profession, he attended the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. The two movies he released after the training were unsuccessful, so he returned to his passion for being an author.
He attempted suicide at twenty years of age
As a shy child, Michaelides constantly struggled with anxiety and fear. At eighteen, he left his birth country, Cyprus. Michaelides suffered intense fright and unease at twenty, leading to attempted suicide. He survived and started therapeutic sessions that lasted about ten years.
Brad Pitt bought the film rights to ‘The Silent Patient’
After its publication in February 2019, ‘The Silent Patient’ appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list as number one. A few weeks later, the film rights got bought by Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures and Plan B, a production company owned by Brad Pitt.
His friendship with Uma Thurman productively influenced his book
Michaelides worked with Uma Thurman on ‘The Con Is On,’ a movie he co-wrote while he was writing ‘The Silent Patient.’
When he told her about the personal project, her feedback was motivating. She explained the importance of the central character, Alicia, having a visually entertaining occupation. The occupation would continue communication when she becomes silent. Michaelides felt the character named Alicia come alive after he made her a painter.
He maintains a low profile
Unlike many famous authors and celebrities who constantly engage the audience, Michaelides has decided to keep a low online presence. However, @alexmichaelides.com is a way to contact him. Also, he maintains active Twitter and Instagram accounts where he shares information about his books.
Some of his lecturers were geniuses
Wishing he could return to take a few more lectures, Michaelides was involved in the drama societies as a student. In his final year, one of his tutors advised that he stop acting to concentrate on other school activities if he hoped to graduate.
The experience of learning at Cambridge shaped Michaelides so much that he visits the city often and even used it as the setting of his second novel, ‘The Maidens.’
In an interview, Michaelides confessed the teaching at Trinity College was spectacular and listed Professor Poole, Eric Griffiths, Anne Barton, and Jeremy Maule as intellectuals.
He meditates before writing
When Michaelides has to write, he takes coffee, works out, and meditates before advancing into the work for the day. He considers writing therapeutic. During meditation, he tackles negative thoughts threatening his confidence and literary competence.
He loves to read about other authors
Once, Michaelides stated that one of the surest ways to become a writer was by reading and writing constantly. The middle-aged author declared in an interview that he loved to read about the lives of other authors. He named ‘The Trip to Echo Spring’ by Olivia Laing as a book he had enjoyed reading.
He stopped studying psychology when he was to take long-term patients
When his career in screenwriting did not pan out how he envisaged it, he turned to therapy. It was no new subject since he underwent therapeutic sessions in his early twenties. He obtained a part-time job working at a secure psychiatric community for teenagers between thirteen and eighteen in North London. Also, he studied therapy at a post-graduate level.
While his time with the teenagers ended because the unit got shut down, he stopped studying psychology when it was time to take on long-term patients. Aside from encountering therapists lacking compassion and basic human decency, he believed he was better as an actor than a psychotherapist.
He is cautious of the influence of modern thrillers
One would expect Michaelides to peruse modern thrillers to improve his writing, but that is far from the truth. Afraid to be influenced by the writing styles of other authors, he only rereads Agatha Christie’s works.
FAQs
What authors influenced Alex Michaelides’ literary career?
The psychological thriller author has named various authors as major literary influences on his works. One significant influence is Agatha Christie. Her mastery of shocking plot twists and ability to create complex mysteries appealed to Michaelides. He named Patricia Highsmith, P. D. James, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Ruth Rendell as inspiring. He also expressed love for Greek tragedies, specifically the works of Euripides and Sophocles.
What are the movies Michaelides wrote?
Before he became famous as a writer, he wrote three movies. ‘The Disappearance of Alice Creed’ did not credit Michaelides as the writer, but he worked as a script consultant. ‘The Devil You Know’ was co-written in 2013 and was directed by James Oakley. The story is about a suspicious woman whose wariness begins after her best friend gets missing stars: Rosamund Pike, Dean Winters, and Lena Olin. ‘The Con Is On’ was a heist comedy film co-written in 2018.
How did Michaelides’ knowledge of psychology impact his writing style?
Michaelides’ knowledge of psychology affected his writing style, especially in psychological thrillers. Expertly, he delves into the complexities of human motivations and behaviors. His works also explore subjects like obsession, memory, and trauma. His understanding of the inner workings of the human mind allows him to concoct realistic descriptions of mental health conditions and psychological disorders.
Was Alex Michaelides a great actor?
Although he loved acting, he was too self-conscious to be a great actor. At Trinity College, he got involved in drama societies and performed in fourteen plays in three years. A tutor told Michaelides in his final year that he had to stop acting and do some work if he wanted to graduate. During recollection, Michaelides stated that he learned a lot about writing from simply acting in those plays.
