Before "A.I.", were you a big Spielberg fan?
Oh yeah, I've seen most of his movies. The "Indiana Jones" trilogy has always been a favourite with me, and I also really liked "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".
Spielberg did a good job of preserving the Kubrick vision. Did he discuss Kubrick's influence with you?
Yes. Before we even started shooting, Steven had been talking with the actors about how he planned to communicate Stanley's ideas into the film, even though he [Spielberg] was directing it.
He has a real talent for extracting excellent performances out of children. What's his secret?
You know, he's such a down to earth person. He's like a family member when you work with him on set. Steven really understands people, and that's one of the reasons why he's such a great director. When you work with him on set, he knows what you're feeling, not only in what your character is doing in the scene, but for you personally in that moment.
What was your favourite acting scene in the film?
I really liked the whole part in the lion building, when he finds the other Davids. That was probably the most interesting to portray. Fun-wise, it was very cool to do the running about in the woods. Getting chased by motorcycles was pretty good.
Was the underwater stuff scary?
That was actually some of the most fun we had. I'd never scuba-dived before, and I had to learn to do it for those scenes - because they put you under water with a regulator so you don't have to keep going up to the top between shots.
You're trying to make a film with your friends, aren't you?
Yes, we've been trying for a little while, but eighth grade is a tough year in school, and trying to find the time to actually shoot the film is difficult. You'd think it would go faster when you don't have to do lighting and such things, but it does take time to do a full-length film. We've started, but it's sort of hard to finish it.
What genre is it?
We started out with a horror movie and then we stopped that one because we didn't have the budget, you might say, to make it look real. So now we're starting a sort of comedy.
One day we might see you behind the camera then?
Yes, very possibly.
The "A.I." DVD is released in the UK on Monday 18th March 2002.
