Have you ever read a screenplay where, at the beginning of a piece of dialogue, just under the characters name, there’s a bracketed phrase like, for example, “(under his breath)” or “(fear-induced autopilot)”¹? These parantheticals are often known as “wrylys” (or wrylies - not sure what the plural is) because, apparently, it’s very common for a (novice) writer to put “(wryly)” before dialogue. Now, I gather that parantheticals are often frowned upon by script readers for a start but I’m guessing that they’re even more frowned upon if they actually put “wryly” in a parenthetical, before a piece of dialogue.

I was reading the screenplay for “Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods” tonight - the legendary screenplay by Frank Darabont that, so it goes, Spielberg and Ford said was one of the best screenplays they’d ever read² but George Lucas apparently dismissed and summarily fired Darabont from writing duties for no reason that’s even been put forward. There, on page 3 of the script, for all to see is a parenthetical before a piece of dialogue that simply says “(wry)”. One of the best scripts Spielberg has ever seen and there’s a wryly on page 3.

Fuck you Syd Field - it’s my screenplay and I’ll use a wryly if I want to!

¹ A real one from the screenplay for “The Bourne Ultimatum” by Gilroy, Burns and Nolfi
² Yes, that scene is still in it.