Director David Gordon Green (pictured above, right) is a rare breed among filmmakers, someone who can jump from a smaller independent drama to a huge Hollywood blockbuster without a second thought.

To hear him explain it, “movies are movies and some just happen to be larger in scope.” These are interesting words from an undeniable talent who is best known for incendiary character pieces.

His credits include the independent dramas George Washington, Snow Angels and Undertow while his Hollywood resume boasts movies like Pineapple Express and Your Highness. A mixed bag for sure but also thrown into the mix is the hugely popular HBO show “Eastbound and Down.” He along with the show’s other co-creators Jody Hill and Danny McBride have been making films together since college and it’s that camaraderie that keeps him grounded.

Today he has come to San Francisco to promote his new movie, Prince Avalanche. It’s a return to his smaller, independent background but this time he’s brought along Hollywood talent in the form of Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch.

They play blue-collar workers in the 80s tasked with painting safety lines along a distant Texas highway. It’s monotonous work for the pair but as they begin to bond to pass the time, unexpected moods and revelations create one of the most genuine and fun movie-going experiences of the year.

The following is a transcription of my conversation with David Gordon Green where we discuss the new film, the ups and down of making a popular TV show and his views on filmmaking as a whole.

Q: You’re obviously going from city to city promoting this movie. Is that something you can get used to or do you see it as part of the job?

David Gordon Green: I don’t mind it because at this point I have friends in every city I travel to. I get them into the screening and then go out to dinner and grab some drinks afterward. Then I go to the next city and do it all over again the next day, I love it.

Q: I’m sure traveling with the film from festival to festival gives you more of that experience.

Green: Yeah, well at this point I know which festivals I don’t like. I only go to the ones I like. (laughs)

Q: Some filmmakers feel that screening their films at festivals is an unofficial test screening process because they show it to an audience and get a reaction. Do you feel that way with your films?

Green: With my non-studio films, I never test screen them. I just show them to my friends and when we all like it, we’re done. With these smaller films where I have less financial responsibility and more control, I don’t need the opinion of the masses. Bigger movies need the opinion of the masses to reinforce the budget of the film. But with a little movie, I make it for myself and in the case of Avalanche, when you find out it’s a crowd-pleaser it’s surprising.

Q: Because of this film’s smaller budget, how easy or difficult was it to put together talent and financing?

Green: It was very easy because it cost so little (laughs). Some people just want some money to go make their movie, I want the appropriate money. I want the person writing the check to understand what kind of movie I want to make so there’s no false pretenses and misconceptions.

Q: Does that stretch into something like Eastbound and Down? How much input does HBO give you when you’re going into each season?

Green: The beauty of that show is people don’t watch it with an audience. If you saw that show in a room full of 600 people, they would all be very uncomfortable. But we can push the envelope and get away with stuff because people watch it privately or with small groups of buddies. We are able to get away with being vulgar and dramatic, something that is easier to do in a smaller format and much tougher in a larger format.

Q: Does that go back to having more freedom because you’re dealing with a smaller budget?

Green: Yes. This is one of those shows where people at first didn’t like the lead character but over time realized there is a degree of sympathy to him, so people start to fall in love with someone they hate. It becomes this strange tug of war with their own ethics. We’ve built a fanbase from that and now HBO lets us be as weird as we want to be. Eastbound breaks a lot of the rules of comedy and it pisses people off.

Q: That’s what I love about it! I’ll be happy as long as you bring Ashley Schaeffer back.

Green: Hey, I met a girl at a bar the other day named Ashley Schaeffer. She says the show’s ruined her life (laughs).

Q: You’ve been working with the same group of people since college (director Jody Hill, actor Danny McBride, cinematographer Tim Orr). What do you look for in your crew to feel more comfortable as a director?

Green: Trust, mostly. Trust me to take you to dangerous places. I just finished filming a movie with Nicolas Cage who is an incredibly brave actor, he is so trusting to the point that he is willing to pick up a venomous, cotton-mouth snake and use it as a prop. But it was only there because we trusted each other. I trusted him not to die and he trusted me not to kill him.

Q: How do you deal with the opposite of that, when there isn’t trust on the set?

Green: I’ve only had that a couple of times and it makes me very upset. Not upset at them but at myself, because whatever I’m projecting, they’re not trusting me. One time we fixed it very quick. I lost the battle but we became great friends. The other time, I won the battle but we did not become good friends.

Q: I love your debut feature George Washington and I’m curious if there has been any progress with it getting a Blu-Ray upgrade from Criterion.

Green: You know what? My producer is meeting with them on Monday to talk about that. We’re trying to figure out how to do it but the hope is that it happens. Funny timing for that question [this conversation was recorded on May 3rd].

Q: Is it a possibility to bring some of your other movies to the Criterion Collection, namely Undertow and Snow Angels?

Green: That would be good. Once you sell your movie to some of these domestic distributors they don’t make as much money when they license it out to Criterion. Especially on the small movies where they try to recoup as much as possible or the big movies where they try to exploit as much as possible. It’s hard but they do the best work so I hope something like Avalanche can fall into their library.

Prince Avalanche is now playing in limited release.