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 look for characters that interest me, and a story that keeps me involved and makes me want to know what happens next.

Hollywood, of course, is the city of illusion.

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.

Put simply, there are many people who want to make movies and very few opportunities for them to do it.

A day doesn't go by when I don't get a compliment on L.A. Confidential, for example.

I stopped doing that [photojournalism] and wrote some screenplays on speculation, because even though I wanted to direct, to direct you need a lot of money. Even for a cheap movie, you need film stock and equipment and actors.