Both Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are now directors as well as actors; they're more experienced than they were 10 years ago. What was it like working with them this time around?

We had a great time 10 years ago. Obviously, we wouldn't have come back if we hadn't. But this time, it was transcendent. The thing we were afraid of -- could we capture magic again? Would we risk tempting the film gods by going back in? But we kind of looked at each other and knew that we wouldn't let one another down.

And now we're all lighter on our feet in a way. The humor in the movie is kind of our humor -- we're more open, more honest. We were just getting to know each other back then. Julie and Ethan are both just really honest artists -- they're not hiding anything, which is rare, I think. They're not looking for anything to hide behind.

This time around was even more intense -- it was harder work, but it was also more exhilarating. And it gave us hope: It was like, wow, that's our future. That can be life -- it can be even better. Everyone I know who's in their 30s or 40s, they always say, "I'm so much happier than I was in my 20s!" You just let go of so much stuff. If I really analyze it, I'm just so at peace on so many things that screwed me up back then. But like Jesse says in the movie, "My problems technically are deeper, but I'm more equipped to handle them."

What's next for Celine and Jesse? With "Before Sunset," the expectation of further sequels is floating out there.

Yeah. Because we've done a second movie, it necessitates the question -- it's on the table early. Currently, though, we don't have a story. It's too soon. We wouldn't do it until there was something that these two people had to go through or say. Who knows the future?

"Before Sunrise" wasn't particularly profitable in theaters. But after it was released on video, people started finding it, talking about it. It blossomed in the margins.

It's funny how films have their lives. You have to have faith that they'll eventually find their audience. I knew at the time we were making "Before Sunrise" that we were making a film that had nothing to do with that moment in time. It could have been made 30 years before, or 30 years after. It was made in the middle of this ironic Gen-X stuff, and it wasn't an ironic movie. It was very sincere; it didn't have pop culture in it. It didn't have anything to do with its pop-culture moment. And I think that's what people want to pay to see -- something that's "zeitgeist."

I wasn't so surprised that it didn't catch on. But then, I wasn't surprised when people started responding to it when they finally did see it. It's honest, in that way. So it bodes well for a shelf life.

Last time, it was all about what "Before Sunrise" wasn't. It wasn't "Four Weddings and a Funeral." It's boring, people talk, there's no action. This time, because of that precedent, it's all about what it is. No one is going, "Hey, there's no car chase!" And they know these people, Celine and Jesse, and this is what they expect from them. It's kind of wonderful.

"Before Sunset" was a film no one wanted to make. We couldn't get financing for it for the longest time. Over the years we had tried various ways and nothing happened. It's when we pared it down to nothing -- no money, a 15-day shoot -- that we could get the little bit of cash it took to make it. And we were grateful for it. Every day we'd look at each other and go, "I can't believe we're getting to do this! This is amazing!" So we were always very grateful and remain that way.

Yeah, we're lucky, so lucky. It feels like the movie has already done well -- not even in terms of money, but just that the people who financed it are just really happy with it. And we're happy with it. You can't let the lack of box office slow you down. And we do have that perverse pride -- "the lowest-grossing film to ever spawn a sequel" kind of thing. We're liking that.

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