A happy-go-lucky Keith Gordon gathers his things, readying himself for a plane trip to Seattle for more promotion of the new film. The phone rings (it's me):

KG: Hello?

RA: Keith, Ross Anthony.

KG: Hey Ross.

RA: Got time for a couple of quick interview questions?

KG: Sure.

RA: Here's the big one. The most distinctive thing about "Waking the Dead" is that it made me miss being in love...

KG: That's great. That's really nice. That's wonderful. I mean, I guess it's not wonderful in one way, but in another way if it puts you in touch with that feeling then that's a good thing ... I think.

RA: I read your production notes about this issue, so I just wanted you to talk about love. What do you have to say about love?

KG: Wow. To me, love is the one thing that I truly believe is a redemptive power. I'm not particularly religious or even spiritual in any kind of obvious way. But just in my own experience and what I've gone though with my wife, ah, I've seen how really having someone love you very unconditionally and very hard and long (not to sound too sexual, I just meant like - well, it's probably a bad choice of words) just to have someone's intense unconditional love has really changed my life. I mean, I was someone who really tended towards melancholy, depressive, nihilistic ways of looking at the world. And in the years that I've been with Rachel I've seen my world outlook change. I've seen my way of relating to other people change. And I feel like I'm a much happier person, a more effective person, and a better director and a better human being. I was someone who was pretty cynical about anything having that effect. So for me, love is rather magical because without having to believe in a specific deity or having to follow very specific theories of ways to live it opened my heart to all sorts of other things and other people and it's been kind of amazing. So that was part of why making a movie about love was so appealing to me because it was something that I experienced first hand.

RA: Wahoo! Great answer.

KG: Well, good.

RA: Also, how was working with Jodie Foster?

KG: Really nice. I gotta say she's a very sweet person. You know sometimes the really really powerful people, not the middle level, but the top people like her. They're powerful enough to be nice. They don't have anything to prove anymore. She's just really sweet. She's just this kind of normal person ... always sweet and supportive. Really the film wouldn't have gotten made without her. I mean, the single biggest thing she did was getting the money people to say yes. Which is like the single biggest thing [for a film production]. People say, "Well wasn't she the creative producer?" Well, yes, she certainly had notes, but don't undersell the importance of going out and getting someone to write a check for 8 million bucks. It's so weird how people don't take that part seriously. That's the hardest part! That's harder than making the movie!