The Great Gatsby Script Adaptation
by Rachel C.
Gatsby: (worried) What am I going to do?
Nick: (confused) About what?
Jordan: What’s he talking about Nick? (pauses as she eyes him suspiciously) Nick Carraway. What did you do?
Nick: I didn’t do anything! I swear! I’m just as lost as you are!
Gatsby: You guys! This whole bickering thing isn’t helping me any!
Jordan: Helping you do what?
Gatsby: (his focus shifts as we see him stare at someone far off in the crowd) It’s her.
Nick: (lost) Who’s her?
Jordan: Oh! Her!
Gatsby: Yes, her! (points to Daisy across the lawn)
Nick: (still a little lost) Who? That pretty little thing over there? (Points to Daisy)
The camera’s focus switches to Daisy. She has a drink in her hand and is throwing her head back out of genuine laughter.
Gatsby: YES! (Starts pacing) What am I going to do? I’ve dreamed of this for years! Years, and look at me. Here’s my chance and I’m a complete wreck! (Walks off)
Nick: Well that was weird. Do you have any idea what he’s talking about?
Jordan: (quietly) Yes. (Pauses)
Nick: (zealous) And?
Jordan: It’s Daisy. Daisy Miller, well, Buchanans now.
Nick: (curious) What about her?
Jordan: She’s Gatsby’s old flame.
Nick: You mean they were sweethearts?
(Jordan nods.)
Nick: Really?
(Jordan nods again)
Nick: What’s the story behind those two then?
(Jordan sits down at a nearby empty table, and Nick follows suit.)
Jordan: Before the war, they were in love. She was rich, and had the world at her feet, while he barely had anything to stand on. He looked at her the way every girl dreams of being looked at. Anyways, Gatsby eventually decided to go fight in WWI, and while he was gone, she married Tom Buchanans.
Nick: Just like that?
Jordan: (nods) Just like that.
Nick: That explains why Gatsby’s the way he is! Staring at the “stars” late at night, even when you can’t see any, his behavior tonight towards her, and the way he keeps to himself the way he does. Wow.
Jordan: Gatsby bought this house so that Daisy would be just across the bay, and he throws all of these parties so that maybe, she might come to one.
Nick: Yeah, have you ever noticed that most people here don’t even know Gatsby?
Jordan: Yup.
Nick: How do you know him?
Jordan: Me? (Points to self) I
(Gatsby comes running up two drinks in hand)
Gatsby :( over anxious due to nerves) Hi there old sport! I brought you a drink!
Nick: (slightly confused and bewildered) Um, thanks.
Gatsby: (still over anxious do to his nerves) I brought you one too Jordan!
Jordan: Thanks. (Takes drink)
Nick: Where’s yours Mr. Gatsby?
Gatsby: Call me Jay. Please.
Nick: Okay.
Gatsby: And I don’t drink much.
Nick: Oh, alright then. I (pauses) Where ‘ya been?
Gatsby: My study. I’m not really one for parties.
Nick: (confused) Then why do you?
Gatsby: Look at this Nick. The people are alive here. They’re happy. They’re like characters in a book.
Nick: What do you mean by that?
Gatsby: (Seriously and like he truly means it.) Honestly old sport. Look at these people. They don’t have a care in the world. It doesn’t matter that the money’s running thin, or that there’s a war going on. In their mentality, here and now, this is life. This is real. It doesn’t matter that they’ve already had two drinks, one more won’t hurt them. Tonight, and for tonight only, they’re invincible.
(Nick stares at Gatsby dumbfounded as Gatsby pauses.)
Gatsby: (With the same manner as before.) They’re immune to hate, to love. Life is a dream where nothing hurts, where feelings aren’t real. For tonight, they don’t matter. That’s today’s society. People live in a world of worthless emotion where they don’t care about anything or anyone but themselves, and those who do care try to forget about what they care about, and hide from whatever part of reality they don’t like. Sometimes even the whole thing. These are the people that are living from party to party, drink to drink. That’s what we are. Emotionless creatures. We just don’t care anymore, and those who do are too scared to even realize it.
Jordan: (slightly shocked/amazed.) That was some speech Jay.
(Daisy walks up quietly with a light graceful air in her step. She’s serious, like she’s on some sort of mission.)
Daisy: (curiously but serious) Is that what you really think Jay?
Gatsby: I could so no, but that would be lying.
Daisy: (Still curious) So this is how you’ve been.
Gatsby: (serious) This is how I’ve been.
Daisy: (stares at Gatsby, her eyes conveying an emotion that can’t be deciphered. Somewhere between curiosity, and the rekindling of her love for him.) Did you learn nothing from me?
Gatsby: (surprised, yet confused.) What do you mean?
Daisy: (with the same emotion.) When we were together. Did I teach you nothing?
Gatsby: Well of course I learned something from you! How could I not?
Daisy: (defiantly) Good. (Curiously) What did you learn?
Gatsby: I learned that…
(The camera facing their backs. Nick gets up and motions for Jordan to follow, which she does; As they walk away, we hear Gatsby’s previous line. Jordan slips her arm into Nick’s.)
Nick: I figured that they needed some time to talk.
Jordan: (shrugs.) Yeah, I guess you’re right
Nick: (looks at Jordan quickly, confused.) What do you mean you guess?
(Both stop walking and face each other.)
Jordan: Well I’m going to hear about it tomorrow anyways.
Nick: (lost) What do you mean by that?
Jordan: Well Daisy’ll tell me tomorrow.
Nick: (surprised) Oh. I didn’t you that ya’ll are friends.
Jordan: Yeah we are. (pauses) Why do you seem so shocked?
Nick: Well she’s kept her distance from you so far.
Jordan: It’s because I’ve been around Gatsby all night.
Nick: (confused) But then why did she just come over?
Jordan: (confidently) Because of what Gatsby said about people.
Nick: About how people don’t care? I still don’t understand.
Jordan: What’s there left to understand?
Nick: Why would that make her come over?
Jordan: Because Daisy’s very opinionated, she just doesn’t want you to know it.
Nick: (trying to process it all.) But that doesn’t make any sense.
Jordan: That’s just Daisy. Only certain people get to know her like I know her.
Nick: How did you meet her?
Jordan: We went to school together.
Nick: Daisy doesn’t seem like a book person to me.
Jordan: That’s because she’s not. She’s a social butterfly.
Nick: What about Gatsby?
Jordan: What about him?
(They walk on the dance floor and begin to dance. It’s a slow song.)
Nick: What’s he like?
Jordan: Oh, wow. That’s a hard question to answer. (Pauses for a moment.) He’s very….seclusive, very…secret. If he likes you, you’re an elite. You become a sort of social God if you know the “Mystery Man.”
Nick: Is that what he’s known as? (Spins Jordan.)
Jordan: That, and a murder.
Nick: I don’t want to know.
(We hear Gatsby hollering Nick’s name trying to find him.)
Nick: Over here Jay! (Waves an arm in the air.)
Gatsby: (Comes up.) Sorry to interrupt. I’ll leave.
Nick: No! (Lets go of Jordan.) Gatsby turns back around.) How’d it go?
Gatsby: Well, very well.
Jordan: Do you still?
Gatsby: (quickly) Yes.
Nick: Did it ever go away?
Gatsby: No, it never went away.
