It's a picture book. No story. Just photographs of a little boy growing up with a cheetah. We had to concoct a story. Actually, I stole part of the idea of the trek from a movie that I got fired off of many years ago, 'A Far Off Place,' where a boy takes a travel trip with a little Bushman guy.

(He) just walked in, hugged the cheetah, was great friends with him. They were buddy-buddy in a minute.

I tried to make a film that was not a lot of empty (garbage). To me, the film is about the relationship between the boy and a black guy - he comes to see him for what he really is. That's the most rewarding part of the film. Most of the credit goes to Eamonn Walker, who is one of the greatest actors alive today.

I'm sick and tired of making animal movies.

It throws me in the toilet. I'm going to have a lot of trouble getting another picture.

Republicans were kind of in vogue and some Democrats wanted to make overtures to the new governor. This made it a lot easier to deal with. We were able to play on one side of the aisle.