Of the last ten years, director Richard Linklater has become one of the cult favorites of independent film. His early movies "Slacker" and "Dazed and Confused" were responsible for making his reputation. Linklater in recent years made "Waking Life" and "Tape." Last year, he made a venture into big studio filmmaking and the result was the Jack Black comedy hit "School of Rock." His newest film is a smaller picture called "Before Sunset" which is a sequel to his 1995 breakout success "Before Sunrise" and reunites Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, whom also collaborated on the script. In the original film, Hawke and Delpy spontaneously get off a train after meeting briefly and have an all-night romantic tour of Venice. The sequel is a reunion of the characters after not having seen each other for nine years, this time taking place in Paris.

Q: At what point did you decide you wanted to revisit these characters?

RICHARD: We were all talking about it. Maybe a year after the first one. First you joke about it, and then you take it more seriously. These characters are still alive and well. They might still be interesting.

Q: Since the first film was so good, were you concerned about making a sequel that could live up to the original?

RICHARD: I think that is why the sequel took so long to get made. I wouldn’t say the first one is perfect or anything. There is a certain fear of messing up and ruining the original. Yet the more we talked about it…

Q: How collaborative was the screenwriting process?

RICHARD: As the credits says, the three of us wrote it.

Q: Did you all sit down together and –

RICHARD: Yeah, we all did. First we talked about it for years and then we had finally sat down together in a room for four days and did a very specific outline. The beginning, the end, the emotional beats. Then we went our separate ways for a year and each wrote are own parts, and monologues.

Q: How crucial to success was it to take a year to write it over a gradual period of time rather of rushing it in a short period of time?

RICHARD: Well, we probably could have rushed it because we knew those characters so well. But it is helpful to have time. Regardless of how long it took us to write it, once we got into official rehearsals is when the characters really took form.

Q: What’s the shooting schedule like on a small film like this?

RICHARD: Usually we were limited to only a few hours a day. On any scene with the exception of the café and the bookstore, we had limited time due to the sunlight and other issues. When the light was right, we had about two hours to shoot! Thankfully, the scenes were very well rehearsed. We were able to shoot at the maximum seven or eight takes on every scene.

Q: This movie is much more focused on intimate conversation than it is on any specific action, was that your intent?

RICHARD: In the first film, the characters have interactions with people and they go to clubs. This movie, the characters didn’t have anytime for that. It’s just them. But that’s how life is.

Q: Any plans to revisit these characters when they’re in their forties?

RICHARD: No specific thoughts really. We wouldn’t do it unless we had an idea that was worth developing where these characters are still alive and in a situation that’s interesting enough to make a film about.

Q: Do you think you will want to do it again in ten years?

RICHARD: Not really. These two movies are really nice companion movies. If it never went beyond this it would be fine with me.

Q: The ending of your film is so understated and indeterminate. Didn’t you ever have the compulsion to say more?

RICHARD: It ends on a point that makes sense as long as you are open to think about it.

Q: Some audiences however don’t trust their own imagination. Mass audiences these days seem to want total interpretation, don’t you think?

RICHARD: Well, let’s face it. This movie is not for them! The audience that doesn’t understand it would have walked out already after the first 20 minutes.

Q: What filmmakers of the past have influenced you and your work?

RICHARD: Um, well, everything I’ve ever seen, all 20,000 movies or whatever. I don’t know, specifically? We didn’t screen a movie for this, but I’m inspired in general. Um, I like movies. That’s what I do. Name any director, name any film and I could talk about that.

Q: What has been the greatest influence overall in your entire personal life?

RICHARD: Starting with genetics and parents. Every book I’ve ever read. It’s one of those overwhelming questions that I couldn’t ever answer. It’s about everything.

Q: Some of your movies like "Slacker" and "Dazed and Confused" found the majority of their audience not in theaters but on home video. Are you grateful for the home video medium?

RICHARD: It’s nice to live in an era where there is a shelf life available. Back in the 1960’s or ’70’s a film would come out and not catch on and would disappear. Maybe a cult revival or midnight movie would keep its name alive. We can all say that about literature and music, we live in an age where you wonder, ‘Why didn’t that catch on?’

Q: What are your box office expectations for a movie like this?

RICHARD: My ideal audience doesn’t necessarily have a tub of popcorn in their hand and show up on opening weekend. They’re not going to be there for me. I’m going to appeal to somebody more thoughtful. Moviegoing is a big deal. You pay $10 a ticket, hire a babysitter… it’s a commitment to go to a movie. People are sort of conditioned to being throttled by something with a big story or big media attention. I’m surprised any small film makes it the way they play for one week these days.

"Before Sunset" opens in theaters July 2nd.