That love of movies is very much alive in me.

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.

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.

The challenge was the opportunity. When I read the first draft of Steve Kloves' fabulous adaptation - I hadn't read [Michael] Chabon's book at that time - what I was immediately captivated by was this group of characters that were at once so engaging and so messed up.

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

I didn't look at it as a transition so much, because I never intended to have a career as a journalist, writing about people who make movies.

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.