There is a lot to live up to when the first script you ever write is nominated for an Academy Award. Call it beginner’s luck if you’d like, but screenwriter José Rivera knows the hard work it takes to make something like that happen.



In 2004, Rivera, who worked as a playwright before adding screenwriting to his repertoire, earned an Oscar nomination for “The Motorcycle Diaries.” The film was an adaptation of two books – Che Guevara’s Notas de Viaje and Alberto Granado’s Con el Che por America Latina – about Guevara’s road trip with his best friend across South America in the 1950s.



In his latest project, Rivera, 55, has co-written “Letters to Juliet,” his first romance for the big screen. The film tells the story of a young American girl (Amanda Seyfried) vacationing in Verona, Italy, who helps a woman search for her long, lost love after Seyfried discovers a letter the woman wrote 50 years prior.



During an interview with EXTRA, Rivera, who is of Puerto Rican descent, talked about what still makes letters a special way to correspond with loved ones and what he has experienced writing his own love letters.



“Letters to Juliet” opens May 14.



EXTRA: What was the experience like writing your first romance for the screen?

José Rivera: It’s my first romance film, but definitely not my first romance ever. A lot of my plays tend to be romances. When I heard about the story, I was amazed. It seemed so old-fashioned. I was fascinated by it.



With e-mail, texting and video conferencing, people don’t write as many letters as they used to 15 years ago. Why do you think there are still some ...