CletusHemingway

Hi Paul, thank you so much for doing this. Few questions:

• What's it like to work direct non-actors like James Deen and Lindsay Lohan? I kid, but really, did you find it more challenging or was Deen more open minded, enthusiastic then some classically trained actors?
• Who are your influences as a filmmaker and writer?
• Finally, was Taxi Driver a hopeful film to you, or a way to exorcise thoughts of depression and nihilism? Or both?

Thanks again!

Do you believe that Bobby Beausoleil was really responsible for the Hinman murder and, if so, was it a planned act? Or do you think that he was someone manipulated into a bad situation and exploited?

What role did drug abuse play in the family and, more specifically, the murders? Where they all high at the time? Did their drug abuse cause a break with reality or were Charlie and his followers simply socially alienated and mentally ill?

In your mind, did the acts of Charles Manson and the Family really signify the symbolic end of the hipppie movement of the 60's? Was he the harbinger of doom, or a result of deep problems in the movement?

Thanks for taking time to do this. I still find him fascinating and I'm excited to see new work dealing with him, the Family, and the time period. Fascinating!