Diane Warren, the subject of the new documentary Diane Warren: Relentless (which is in theaters from tomorrow and streaming on MasterClass starting January 16), is one of the most prolific and celebrated songwriters of all time, with a four-decade track record of writing mega-hits for industry giants. Boasting 15 Academy Award nominations, an Honorary Oscar along with Grammy, Emmy, and Golden Globe Awards, Diane has etched her name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame and is responsible for some of the most iconic songs of our time. She has penned nine #1 and thirty-three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and is tied for having written the most #1 songs as a sole writer in Billboard history. Her distinguished catalog features beloved songs including “Only Love Can Hurt Like This,” “Un-Break My Heart,” “If I Could Turn Back Time” and “Rhythm of the Night.” She is the sole owner of her publishing company Realsongs, the most successful female-owned and operated business in the music industry.
I love The Six Triple Eight, Tyler Perry’s movie, because it’s a great true story with a really good song in it that I wrote called “The Journey,” which is shortlisted for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards. I have a personal reason to love it, but it’s also just a really great movie and a story that I was very surprised had never been told before. I thought A Real Pain was excellent, and I also loved My Old Ass, which I think should have had a better title. I just like interesting movies and good stories.
The other movies I loved in 2024 are mostly ones that no one knows about, like Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story. It’s a documentary about a man who finds a baby otter, and I thought it was lovely. On a similar note is My Penguin Friend, which I also loved. I have a farm animal rescue ranch and a cat rescue, so I love animals. I’m a vegan and an animal activist, and I love any movie with animals. Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story and My Penguin Friend are beautiful stories about someone rescuing an animal, who rescues them. They will make you feel good.
It feels like there’s a lot of movies right now that are degrading to women, so often I just want to watch something that makes me feel good, something that makes me happy. Films with a story that’s beautiful aren’t usually the ones that get a lot of attention, but those are the ones I like. I also like stuff about serial killers and cults, too. Heretic was a brilliant movie. Hugh Grant was really great and played so much against type, a character that you just wouldn’t expect him to play. He didn’t hurt any animals. He wasn’t that nice to people, but I love movies like that. They’re fascinating. Isn’t a villain a lot more interesting than a really beige person? I mean, they might do horrible things, but you really want to know what makes them tick.
I can go pretty easily from watching animal movies to the serial killer stuff. I can’t watch anything where someone is hurting an animal, but a serial killer killing people, I can.
As told to Nick Dawson by Diane Warren.
