We talked on the phone a few times, and he told me ideas he had. We just discussed this guy, Jan the Actress, and Mickey was so committed to the part that he did his own nails and showed up with them done. He brought his own wardrobe, helped do his own makeup and designed the whole look. He even wrote that monologue where Jan the Actress is jabbering on about wanting to become a butterfly and fly away to Paris. He wrote that on the day we did the table readings. I really wanted to use it, but I wasn't sure how. Then I finally found the right scene. Mickey gave so much -- it was a brave performance.

You had a great cast for both this film and your first directorial effort, "Trees Lounge." Does being an actor help in getting the participation of these kinds of talents?

Sure. I work with a lot of people that I've known for years, people like Mark Boone Jr., whom I used to do a lot of theater with in New York in the '80s. Also Rockets Redglare, Seymour Cassel and my brother Michael. So I know that these are really good actors I can trust. I think being an actor gives me an advantage in recruiting other actors because I've worked with so many over the years. I can just call them and ask them to read a script. Casting is something I pay particular attention to. Having the right actor for the part is half the battle.

Tom Arnold's performance as menacing redneck Buck Rowan was truly frightening. Was the bathroom scene where he attempts to rape Edward Furlong's character difficult to get, especially that sense that something horrible is about to happen?

I had one rehearsal with Tom, and I just knew he was going to be very scary on-screen. In view of Tom's size, I knew that there was no chance that Edward was going to get out of that bathroom. There's always a concern in a scene like that, which gets violent, that the actors don't get hurt. Because they really were struggling and throwing each other around, I tried not to do that many takes. But both actors were prepared and gave it their all.

At 95 minutes, "Animal Factory" is kind of short for a feature film. I came away wanting to see more of some of those performances. Are you happy with the length as it stands?

I feel it came out the right length. Of course, we had more material. But I think the danger in making it longer is that since the film doesn't rely so heavily on plot, it could make it seem meandering. I didn't want the film to move too briskly, and I don't think it does. We stay on scenes a long time and focus on characters so the audience has plenty of time to absorb those characters and situations. I guess it's good that you feel like you could have watched it longer -- that's what I wanted the audience to feel.

The location seemed pretty gritty. Was that an actual prison?

Yes, Holmsburg State Prison, outside of Philadelphia. It's a prison that's no longer active. We had the full support of Pennsylvania's prison commissioner, and he helped us get the cooperation of the convicts in the surrounding prisons. So every day we brought in real prisoners, nonviolent offenders, to be used as extras in the film. That gave the film an instant air of authenticity.

Why did you decide to move toward directing, or is that something you always wanted to do?

It's the sort of thing I used to do with Mark Boone in the '80s. We'd write, perform, produce and direct our own theater pieces. Then when I started getting work in film, I missed having that creative input. I wrote "Trees Lounge" more as a vehicle for myself and actors I knew in New York -- a way to generate work for ourselves. Then I later decided to direct it because the directors I would've wanted only direct their own work. I had done a short film before that, and I've directed a few episodes of TV since -- one episode of "Homicide" and two of "Oz." I found I like directing; I enjoy having that responsibility. It's something I want to do more of.

Was "Trees Lounge" based upon your own experiences?

Yeah, from when I was much younger. The whole idea for that film was sort of "What if I hadn't gone into acting and was still living in Long Island?" When I was there, I was driving an ice cream truck and hanging out in bars. That was the genesis of the film. Though the story of the film is completely made up, it's based on what my reality was at the time.

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