LOS ANGELES -- In 2001, I got the chance to photograph Gene Hackman. The shoot took place Nov. 17 in a penthouse suite at the Regent Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills. I met with the publicist, with whom I had worked with many times, and I had carte blanche because she liked my photography.

I set up my lights in a couple of places. My main location was a bed that was covered in gold blankets, adorned with golden bedposts and backed by golden drapes. It seemed like a location from "The Royal Tenenbaums," one of the three films in which Hackman had starred that year.

Hackman arrived and filled the room with his presence. He was very tall, so I literally looked up to the man. I greeted him and thanked him for all his great performances.

I talked about some of my favorite films of his, and he listened patiently. When I mentioned the 1974 thriller "The Conversation," he gave me a most subtle grin and said, "What would you like to do?"