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Born and raised in New Jersey, 22-year-old Michael Pitt was spotted whilst acting in an Off Broadway play and was cast as Henry Parker in the TV series Dawson's Creek. The actor's diverse film credits have subsequently included Hedwig And The Angry Inch, Bully, Finding Forrester, and Murder By Numbers. In Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers, he stars as an American student in 1968 Paris, who becomes involved in a ménage à trois with twins played by Eva Green and Louis Garrel.

What attracted you to The Dreamers?

First of all Bernardo. I had a meeting with him before I knew who he was. I wasn't very educated about his films or who he was, and I thought, This guy is cool, whoever he is. He's an old man, and I sat down and had a conversation with him, and he's talking about all these contemporary artists, but not in a parental or a patronising way, but like they were equals. He loved Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, and he really enjoyed Harmony Korine's films.

Did you do much research into the events which form the backdrop to the film in 1968 Paris?

I did some research, but I didn't want to do too much research, because I wanted my character Matthew to learn about things along the way. My knowledge of 1968 and its politics is primarily what was happening in America. After I looked it up, I found out there were riots and movements and political changes that happened in the world, and not just in France and America. There was something in the water at that time.

Were you concerned about the number of nude scenes involving your character?

I was nervous for the sex scenes. It's tough for an American actor, because it can be looked upon very badly. It's a serious risk to take in your career. It's risky with the studios and with the American public. It's looked down upon in American culture at a serious level. It could be perceived not as work but as pornography. Every time I was nervous about it, I would remind myself that possibly I was going to be a part of something that was going to change those attitudes. I don't agree with those values at all. It's totally fine showing someone getting their head blown off in America and you can't show the human body. I think that shows something about the culture.

Much of the film takes place within the confines of a Parisian apartment. How did acting in such a space affect your performance?

I loved it. One thing it did for me is that a lot of time on a film you're moving from one place to another, and you're constantly thinking about the space you're in. In keeping it to one space, you weren't thinking about moving and you weren't changing your environment. Mostly you were thinking about the psychology of the character. All these directors who do different locations forget that one room can be shot from a million different angles and a million different ways. When I direct a movie, I'm going to use that.