Smash hit

Certainly. I don't think there are any rules to film-making that you can't break. If the story is absolutely compelling, it can get made. You should never limit yourself to what you think the marketplace requires. It's much better to be creative, witty and original.

How did you get started as a writer/director? Was it difficult to keep both routes open rather than be pulled towards one or the other? Jim Mutombo, London

It was very difficult. I always saw myself as a film-maker and I always wanted to write and direct, but in Hollywood, they like to compartmentalise you. There are major obstacles for writers to become directors.

First-time directors have to prove that they can do it without actually having done it before. First you have to cast around to see if they like your ideas, and then you have to find out whether there is going to be the opportunity to direct - it's a bit like a poker game.

I got my first big break with the screenplay for Mindhunters, which is due to be released in Britain in November. I wanted to direct it, but they offered me money for the script, and I needed some money, so I took the attitude that I should sell that one and stick to my guns for the next, which was The Cooler. Consequently, on The Cooler, I was in a position to say 'if you want the script you have to take me as director too'.

The strategy worked, but it shows you that if you want to become a director, you have to become a commodity that people need. I had to put up with a lot of years of poverty and pitching. You have to do the song and dance, but behind it you have to have a lot of passion and enthusiasm and you have to really tell yourself 'I can do this.'

Where did the idea for The Cooler come from? Do you think real coolers have actually existed? Tim Allen, Kingston

Real coolers did exist. They were hired by casinos to distract people and put them off their games. A lot of gambling is psychological, if you think you're going to be unlucky, you probably are.

Frank Hannah, my co-writer on The Cooler, used to lose at the craps table a lot, and he never wanted to blame it on himself - he would always find someone else to blame. That's where his idea came from. He pitched it to me and I thought it was brilliant.

Did you have to do a lot of gambling as research for the film, and did you have any luck? Phil Whitley, Derby

I did, and I had no luck. I come from a family known for its bad luck! I don't really like to lose, so I don't play a lot. I'm more a person who goes and studies other people who are actually playing. Frank (Hannah) is much more hands-on.

How important is music to a movie? As a director, how much attention do you pay to getting it right? James Rowe, Southampton

Music is essential to me. Working on the music is one of my favourite things about directing a film - and getting it right takes the film to the next level. I'm a film score junkie - I have a collection of about 5,000 scores.

I really wanted Mark Isham to write the score for The Cooler, and I think he delivered one of his best for this film.

Is there a book that you would particularly like to make a film from? Jackie Osbourne, Edinburgh

My dream book to make a film of would be The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand. There was a version starring Gary Cooper in 1984, but that didn't do it justice. I think that book is a film just begging to be made.

What are you working on at the moment? Tess Guilding, Winchester

I'm in the Czech Republic directing a film called Running Scared, which is a gritty mob thriller about two ten-year-old kids who find a dirty gun. It stars Paul Walker from The Fast and the Furious. We're doing a lot of the work here in Prague, and the rest in New Jersey.

The Czech Republic is a great place to make a film because the studios are very good and you get more for your money.

The Cooler opens on Friday June 18.

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