Alright, I just gotta know. You're a young filmmaker and you've got your first film going, and it is for DreamWorks, which is of course run by Steven Spielberg. What was it like having to screen it for him? Did he see the film, and was it an out-of-body experience?

He did. Actually, he saw it with his 15 years-old son. Which is so awesome, and he loved it. And I should say thankfully he brought his 15 years-old son, because I wonder his reaction if he had been sitting alone! He and his son watched it in the screening room at DreamWorks, which is right next to where we were editing. And I'm going, "Oh, my god! Hope his kid has a sense of humor!"

Well, 15 years old is probably the perfect audience for Road Trip.

Yes, it is absolutely perfect! As a filmmaker, obviously you understand the gravity of that situation and how amazing it is. (Laughs) I mean, I was going crazy just hearing when we were shooting Road Trip, and I'd hear from somebody at DreamWorks that said, "Oh, Steven watched some of the dailies and he's really happy." And I'm thinking "Oh, my god!"

You know, but that that's the thing about DreamWorks. You really feel it is a studio run by a filmmaker. They totally respect the process, and I would be happy just doing movies there forever, because with the whole company, you feel that vibe. And I think that is why they are getting a lot of big directors there.

After Scream revived the teen horror genre, I think I've noticed a revival of sorts of teen and young adult comedy in general. But aside from perhaps American Pie, Road Trip is one of the few comedies I can think of lately that has really hit with audiences. We're you surprised by the reaction to the film?

Once you start test screening, then you know "Oh, okay, this is working." When I started the process, I was surprised, but then when it came out, we had already test screened it a number of times, so I sort of knew the vibe of the movie. I was able to have kind of an idea of how it was going to do.

You perhaps first gained attention wit your documentary Frat House, and obviously you're dealing with a similar culture, if you will, in Road Trip. What is it that appeals to you about this milieu?

It is not necessarily the fraternal society that I'm interested in, it is more college in general. To me, Road Trip is not really a "fraternity movie." I went to NYU, and I don't think I had a real "college experience." I mean, you're walking to your dormitory in the middle of Manhattan! So I feel like you sort of get gypped of that campus life (at an urban university), an experience that seemed to me to be so much fun. So I don't know, I think it is more just that, the revisiting of an idealized college life that interests me.

I attended USC here in Los Angeles, and I processed my experience in a similar way. It was kinda of an urban school, and I never felt I had that real college experience either...

It's never like it is in the movies. I was just over in London doing press (for the movie), and the people over there, they just think, "Is that what American colleges are like!?" (Laughs) And I'm like "Yeah, absolutely!" So I really think they missed out on something.

Well, that's good, at least I can point to those in the UK and feel like I didn't miss as much, haha. How was the reaction to the movie do over there?

It did really well there. In fact, it did really well overseas in general. We're dong exactly what we did here, which for a comedy - generally they do maybe 50% overseas of what they do in America - we've done 100%, which is really phenomenal.

It is interesting, because obviously Road Trip is a very American movie.

Exactly, that is the thing. It's a road trip, and they don't have road trips in the UK, because it is only a 3-hour drive across the whole country. (Laughs)

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