As a bookish child in Calcutta I used to thrill to the adventures of bad girls whose pursuit of happiness swept them outside the bounds of social decency. Tess of the d'Urbervilles Emma Bovary and Anna Karenina lived large in my imagination. The naughty girls of Hollywood films flirted and knew how to drive.

A few months after graduation I was working in films. It took off pretty quick.

In feature films the director is God in documentary films God is the director.

My first film as an actor was 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High ' a glorious experience that spoiled me for future films.

The action films I will make in the future will be more believable and character-based. I am now on my second cycle of fame and I want to make films that smell real and are truthful.

It seems like the studios are either making giant blockbusters or really super-small indies. And the mid-level films I grew up on like 'Back to the Future' and all those John Hughes movies the studios aren't doing. It's hard to get them on their feet.

Hollywood films have become a cesspool of formula and it's up to us to try to change it... I feel like a preacher! But it's really true. I feel personally responsible for the future of American cinema. Me personally.

When I was a kid I thought movie stars were women and men who were in these great films that we still look at now. But I don't think there are too many films coming out these days that we're going to look at in the future and say 'This is one of the great ones.'

It's funny: I've been very successful and done a lot of films and I don't really have an agent - I don't really pursue jobs I let people come to me.

I like all Jim Carrey films. They're really funny.