Well you know I've been fan of Tony Hillerman's books for years.

I changed my major to English literature, which was on the advice of my father. I finally said, "You know, Dad, to heck with it: I'm just going to be an actor. But I'm going to go to school." And he said, "Well, if you're going to go to school, then major in English literature. Those are the tools you are going to be working with as a man who's going to be acting in English, one would assume."

My first feature film was a movie called 'A Gunfight,' with Kirk Douglas, Johnny Cash, Karen Black, Jane Alexander, Raf Vallone... It was shot in Santa Fe, Mexico, in 1970, and it was directed by Lamont Johnson. It was the first gig I did when I got to California from having done 'Hair' in New York on Broadway for a year. It was a Western, though! But that film was not a successful release.

One can't help but bring one's own personality into what one is doing, and it's certainly true of us actors and it's true of writers.

Well you know I've been fan of Tony Hillerman's books for years.

The Western genre is certainly something with which I'm familiar.

You have to realize that Mel [Gibson], he's a funny guy. He's got a wicked sense of humor.