Q: In the film, you often frame Walt with a lot of empty space around him. The movie is in a way a paean to a vanished America: The neighborhood he lives in almost seems deserted. Walt's way of life is practically an anachronism in the area where he lives.

A: Even before the problems auto workers are having right now, you could see Detroit was almost becoming an obsolete place. Ford and GM and Chrysler were not having the illustrious years they've had in the past. Highland Park, which is the neighborhood where we shot, is an obsolete place. It was a neighborhood that had mid-range executives from Chrysler and GM, and it was a nice neighborhood. And then they had riots in the 1960s, and everybody took off. There are a lot of nice people trying to bring it back today, but it still has a lot of crackhouses and a lot of problems that sum up exactly what you're saying. It's a time in America that's gone now. I don't know if it will ever come back.

Q:The filmmaking in Gran Torino has the feel and rhythm of Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby. It looks from the outside fairly effortless. Has telling stories of this kind of small scale become second-nature to you over the years?

A: If it looks easy, that's good. Whether it's easy or not, I don't know. I think it's easier for me now than it was years ago because I'm just enjoying myself now, telling the stories I want to tell with no regard for anything else. The one thing about getting to the age of 78 is you figure, ''Well, you know, people can get mad at you, but what can they do to you?'' [laughs] All they can do is call you an old guy and obsolete. That's no big deal.

I'm at a time in my career when I can tell a lot of stories like Letters from Iwo Jima and Changeling and things they wouldn't expect [me] to do. Younger directors have to worry about a good Friday night opening and having a strong opening weekend. But I don't have to worry about that. Naturally, I'd like the film to open well and for people to see it. But it's not the main consideration.

Q: You're somewhat of an anomaly among Hollywood filmmakers in that you've continued to direct -- and receive great recognition for it -- way beyond your supposed prime.

A: That's true. People being put out to pasture has happened a lot in the past. Billy Wilder stopped directing in his 60s. Here's a guy who had done some wonderful films and lived well into his 90s. What the hell did he waste all those years for? I knew Frank Capra pretty well socially: I always liked him a lot. He was a lucid guy as an older man. He made some wonderful films, and I always wondered why it couldn't just go on. But once he did Pocketful of Miracles, and that didn't do very well, he just backed off. You can't be discouraged if one thing doesn't work.

Q:You've won Oscars for Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, but you've never won one for acting. If Gran Torino really is your swan song as an actor, then this is your last shot at a Best Actor prize. Is that something that's important to you?

A: I suppose I wouldn't mind. [laughs] I've gotten a few for directing and producing. But I suppose most would love to have one in their first profession, which for me is acting. But you don't really think about that. It's hard to say. Naturally, you don't want to be disingenuous and say, ''Who gives a crap?'' But just the fact that someone is saying we appreciated that, and that's fine. Yeah, that's OK. I don't put people down for that. Then again, an awful lot of bad films have won Oscars. . . . It's just a matter of what captures people's imaginations at the time and who campaigns the best. And having just watched a two-year presidential campaign, the idea of launching another campaign myself is a bit much.

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