I hear that this film has taken quite a chunk of time to make. Why is that?

The whole process took about 24 years. The story came to my attention when I was teaching at Yale in the late '60s. In 1972 we put an ad in the New York Times after I optioned the book (In to It by Eddie Pomerantz) that said "soon to be a major motion picture." Looking back on it, it's really funny that we were that naive and that out of touch. We saw other people doing it. I don't know what we expected. I guess we were convinced a big investor would call us up and ask how to get involved. The only people who called us up were our friends.

What was it that prompted you to actually make the film?

Sometimes the process was like a dead fish that I wished would go away. We'd work on it for a few years and then abandon it. Sometimes it's so difficult to get people to help you make a film when they don't necessarily see it as you do. At one point, I decided I simply had to make it and that I couldn't abide by other people's rules and judgments. I'm actually glad it took so long to make the film, because now it actually feels right.

Why did you choose to cast two Latinos in these roles which don't necessarily have anything to say about their particular culture?

First of all, the country's changing. Originally the story had centered around Anglos. It takes place in New York in a place called Washington Heights. That area is now Hispanic. And a lot of things have changed in America since the story was first written. I think it's fresher and more interesting. And also, isn't it about time that someone casts Hispanics in roles where the primary ideal isn't being Hispanic? They are just dysfunctional Americans like everybody else.

That's a very good point. Do you think you will set some kind of precedent in regards to typecasting?

Well it's not as if I'm a trailblazer, but I think that people like Eddie and Maria are kind of ghettoized. If it's a Hispanic story, then they call them in. But if it's an ordinary housewife or lawyer, then why not Eddie or Maria?

Were you ever at any time pressured to put an Anglo in one of these roles?

People would've preferred it, because then the film would have seemed like a more mainstream film. Which I think it is. I have the advantage of knowing Eddie and Maria, having worked with them. Out of all the actors I know and have access to, I simply thought they would be better for the part. Of course there are a lot of reasons not to choose them with regards to box office draws. Unfortunately, a lot of casting choices are made with the intention of marketing. That doesn't always allow room for the best choices to be made.

What special techniques do you utilize when making a film?

One of the things I did with Caught, was to film in chronological order where as most films aren't. Most everyone in the business believes this process to be more costly and time consuming, but we were able to extract deeper performances and take certain scenes one step further. We also saved a lot of film from ending up on the editing floor.

What can we expect next?

I have about six scripts that I have right here ready to go. If you have the financing we can produce them right now. I just spent my pension fund on this one. It's similar to how I produced my other movies. I've been very lucky so far. I don't plan on ending my movie career any time soon. So hopefully there will be more surprises.

Robert Young's visit and premier showing of Caught was sponsored by the Taos Talking Picture Film Festival. You can catch Caught at the Guild Theatre starting Friday, Nov. 16.