Author Augusten Burroughs memoir “Running With Scissors,” has been released as a major motion picture and Burroughs was recently in town for an advance screening of the film and interviews with the press.

Burroughs stated that he was involved with the making of this film a lot more than he expected to be.

“If you’re not writing the screenplay or directing the film based on your book, you often have the sense that you are giving the story away,” Burroughs said. “Ryan Murphy, the writer and director of this movie, kept me involved every step of the way. He called me every other day while writing the script.” Burroughs also recalled being called one day to recall all the minute details of his childhood home. Murphy went so far as to ask about the length of the shag carpeting.

Burroughs was very impressed with the details on his one visit to the set while filming, seeing a plastic GE record player he hadn’t seen since the 1970s and even the pennies in his collection in the movie were of the correct dates.

“Running With Scissors” focuses on Burroughs tumultuous childhood, which included being adopted by his mother’s therapist and his eccentric family. The film features an all star cast with Annette Bening playing Burroughs' mother and Alec Baldwin playing his father. Others in the cast include Gwyneth Paltrow, Brian Cox, Evan Rachel Wood and Joseph Fiennes.

“Ryan had laid out who he wanted to cast in the film and told me his ideas,” said Burroughs. “I never thought we’d be able to get them in this movie.”

Burroughs had no input on on who would play him in the film but he remembers being called by Murphy from a casting call, saying “I found you, Augusten.” Joseph Cross plays Burroughs in the film and when Burroughs met him before filming he saw a lot of the same qualities in the actor that he had while growing up.

“Joseph is very poised, polite and articulate. He’s not as prissy as I was, but he has a certain unflappability that would have served him well if he had grown up under my circumstances,” Burroughs said. He also added that Cox’s performance as Dr. Finch is better than anyone will know. He also credited Bening with capturing his mother’s mental illness very well.

“You can see real mental illness in the eyes, it is often not as histrionic as it is portrayed in other films,” Burroughs said, adding that Bening’s performance feels authentic.

According to Burroughs, having a film made about your life while you’re still alive is a surreal experience. “It’s like a home movie with really attractive people,” he quipped. He has seen the film three times thus far and has found that certain scenes, particularly ones involving his parents hit him hard emotionally.

Several other works by Burroughs will eventually hit the screen, so seeing his life portrayed by actors will soon seem old hat. He has optioned “Sellevision” and “Dry,” and is writing a book about his relationship with his father that will be made into a movie. He is also writing an original series for Showtime that will not be based on any of his books.

The promotional tour for “Running With Scissors” is wrapping up soon and while it has been enjoyable, he is looking forward to a short break and then getting back to writing.

“Running With Scissors” is in select theaters now.

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