Roth's horror flicks have proved box office hits

Horror movie director Eli Roth has revealed that he once worked as a sex chat room operator, posing as a woman.

The 37-year-old film-maker, whose credits include horror movie Hostel, said the student job helped him finance his early screen efforts.

"They hired guys because guys know what other guys want to hear," Roth said in an interview with the New York Post.

Roth had an acting role in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds alongside its star Brad Pitt.

'Dream actor'

He also played cameo roles in his own films, including Hostel and its sequel, as well as his 2002 movie Cabin Fever.

Roth added that his former job consisted of three men in their college dormitory and that he "could type 120 words a minute" while on duty in the chat rooms.

He said that he became proficient at cyberchatting to several people at once, but refused to disclose what his chat room name was.

"There were ads for me in magazines too!" he joked.

"The creepy thing was, because this was in 1991, we only got doctors and scientists because they were the ones using the Internet."

Roth went on to discuss his role in war movie Inglourious Basterds, calling it "a once in a lifetime opportunity".

"I wanted to make it great, make it memorable. This was my chance to create a classic Tarantino character.

"So I dropped everything, put on 40 pounds of muscle and was completely in character the whole time. I wanted to be the dream actor I always wish I had.

"It was one of the greatest experiences of my life," added Roth.