He was one of the Hollywood's raging bulls during the 1970s before a spectacular fall from grace. Only now is Peter Bogdanovich ready for a comeback, writes Pavel Barter.

Peter Bogdanovich sidles up to the table with a muskrat grin. 'You're Irish? I think I was Irish once. I don't know what the hell I am now, though.' With thick-rimmed glasses framing a face that recalls Woody Allen by way of Rick Moranis, the 67 year-old actor/director/writer possesses a charm that could kindle fires. With his laidback manner and stories of beauty and horror, this old raconteur is a fantastic companion in conversation, although at times he seems a little fragile and exhausted – not from a busy night before, more so a life that has spun in tumble-dry cycles.

Bogdanovich has been enjoying a renaissance of late playing psychiatrist Elliot Kupferberg in TV drama The Sopranos, and has four movies currently in production. He also plans to direct a few films that are 'very personal'. Top that with television hosting, book publishing, and two documentaries – one, a revised version of Directed by John Ford (1971), the other a 30th Anniversary on-the-road diary of rock 'n' roll outfit Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – and we're left with the most active pensioner since Hugh Hefner.

However, Bogdanovich approaches movie biz work with gritted teeth. 'The business has become stupid. Most films are quite bad. It's an unfortunate world that we live in, in terms of American movies. This whole concept of having to open a picture wide immediately, having to appeal to 4,000 screens, is a crazy way to make movies. It's a box office hit parade.'

The full article is printed in Film Ireland 112.