Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa All About ‘Jerusalem’: Jez Butterworth Answers Your Questions
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Apr 21, 2026 
Jez Butterworth, award-winning playwright and screenwriter behind Jerusalem and The Ferryman, joins to unpack his process. He traces the idea back to New Year’s Eve 2000. He reveals why the play got its name, which scene was hardest to write, and the rituals he uses to begin writing.
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Origin Moment On New Year's Eve
- Jez Butterworth first imagined Jerusalem on New Year's Eve 2000 when ideas about outsiders and divided states coalesced into a single powerful concept.
- He felt terrified by how big the idea was and knew it would take about ten years to realize it into the play.
Why The Play Is Called Jerusalem
- Jez chose the title Jerusalem in 2003 despite feeling like a fraud because the name stuck and felt both appropriate and defiant.
- He linked the title to William Blake's themes and compared naming the play to naming children or dogs where some names simply stick.
Hardest Scene The Advice To His Son
- The scene Jez found hardest to write is The Advice to His Son because of the personal weight of a parent having only one chance to impart guidance.
- He described that idea as unbearable for many personal reasons.
