Adam Rifkin grew up in Chicago and has been making a name for himself (and his pseudonyms) in Hollywood for quite some time now. He wrote "Mousehunt" and "Small Soldiers" and is indulging his inner child with work on "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" and "Underdog", as well as the forthcoming comedy "Homo Erectus", in which Rifkin himself plays "A philosophical caveman (who) yearns for more out of life than sticks, stones and raw meat." (Favorite lines from the trailer: "Really, it's about time we start thinking out of the box here, people." "What the hell is a box?") Just one perk of starring in one's own movie: being able to cast "Legally Blonde" beauty Ali Larter as your love interest.

We were huge fans of the cartoon Underdog growing up. What can you tell us about writing the live-action film version, which will be out this August?

Unlike the cartoon show from the 60's, the live action Underdog feature is not set in a universe of talking dogs. Instead it's set in contemporary Washington D.C. and basically follows the exploits of a very ordinary dog who is bestowed with extraordinary powers after being bitten by a radioactive flea. Before I even started thinking about a story line, the image of a real dog wearing a baggy superhero suit doing Matrix style martial arts on someone just struck me as being funny. That image was my inspiration for the film.

What's the difference between an Adam Rifkin project and a Rif Coogan project?

When I was young, some other filmmakers and I had a great time cutting our teeth on some low-budget B-movies. Rif Coogan was my nom de plume for a couple of those early flicks. They were a blast because the expectations were so low. If a special effect didn't work right of a performance was wooden we would just laugh. Conversely, when I'm making a movie that's meaningful to me, I sweat every detail and obsess over every shadow, every word spoken, every edit. Both kinds of movies are fun but for entirely different reasons. One day I'd love to make another Rif Coogan movie.

Tell us about your experiences with public access television. Is it the golden ticket to superstardom that everyone says it is?

This little tidbit of erroneous information somehow made its way onto IMDB and I'm not entirely sure how. (Editor's note: stupid IMDB.) When I was about 15 a friend of mine had a little Chicago cable access show and I did happen to appear on it a couple of times as Chef Otto, but that's really it. It was a fun thing to do on a couple of afternoons after high school but I don't believe it paved any sort of pathway to my current Hollywood experiences. In my opinion, cable access as a concept never fully lived up to its intended potential. People never really bothered. YouTube has finally taken over where cable access once dreamed of going but never quite got to.

In your experience, how much of being creative and doing things like making movies is a business proposition and how much is "the fun part?"

They're not mutually exclusive. Just because making movies is in large part business doesn't mean that the business side can't be fun just like the creative side. If it's called show business, and you've gotta deal with equal parts show, and equal parts business, it's best to find a happy medium with both.

A lot of your work has been aimed at young audiences: "Small Soldiers," "Mousehunt," this summer's "Underdog," and the forthcoming "He Man and Masters of the Universe." Do you find it easy as a writer and director to open a line to a part of your childhood self, and create things you know kids will enjoy?

I have a problem with maturity so accessing my juvenile side has never been that far of a reach.

You and partner Steve Bing put up a million bucks of your own money to cast two unknowns, Vinny Argiro and Donnie Montemarano, in "Night at the Golden Eagle." (Bing also put up about $80 million of his own money for 2004's Polar Express, starring Tom Hanks, and directed by Robert Zemeckis.) That's putting your money where your mouth is. Can you tell us a little about that choice?

Nobody in their right mind was gonna finance a dark drama with a downer ending, starring two 60 year old non-actors. It was a script I was passionate about making and if nobody else was gonna pony up, I figured the only way to get it made was for me to write the check myself. Once I told Steve of my plan he agreed to go in 50/50. Sometimes you just have to roll the dice and put your money where your mouth is. I still haven't recouped all of my cash, but I wouldn't change the fact that I did it. We're all really proud of the film.

We heard your new film "Homo Erectus" was well-received at the Slamdance Film Festival a few weeks ago. What can you tell us about the movie, and when can we see it?

Homo Erectus is a comedy set in prehistoric times and I play Ishbo, a philosophical caveman who believes that we as a species have the ability to evolve way beyond sticks and stones to great heights. The only problem is, the rest of my tribe think that I'm an idiot and that all my forward thinking ideas are the ravings of a loon. Ali Larter plays the object of my affection but she's in love with my big, dumb brother played by Hayes MacArthur. David Carradine plays my dad and Tom Arnold plays the first gay caveman. The film was a big hit up at Slamdance and we're anticipating a theatrical release later this year. Be on the lookout!

- Elizabeth McQuern