Here [in Wonder Boys] I had this group of characters where you didn't know which were the important ones or what direction they were heading.

Hollywood, of course, is the city of illusion.

I had always wanted to tell a story that was set in Los Angeles in the '50s, because that's where I grew up, and it was the city of my childhood memories.

I was a journalist and wrote about filmmakers, but I didn't review movies per se.

Consequently, their school [film-school ] was the school of life, and it was very much reflected in their work.

Whereas to write, all you need is paper and an idea, so I felt that writing might be my stepping stone.

You can imagine what it was like for me to actually be sitting in a room with matching typewriters, working under the tutelage of this guy I so admired, both as a filmmaker and as a man.