It absolutely helped - to write the father in both 'Juicy' and 'Beasts,' I had to see the whole story from his point of view. All of a sudden I understood more of what my own father must be going through - the fear, the frustration, the anger... the hope that he'll leave a legacy.
I didn't really want to be the coach who wins but the coach who educates.
It was always disappointing to see that what I could really master in terms of form boiled down to so little.