Now playing in theaters is director David O. Russell’s comedic drama American Hustle. The story is based on the Abscam sting operation that uncovered widespread political corruption in the late 1970s, and Russell’s fantastic ensemble cast is led by Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jeremy Renner. The film is definitely an awards contender, landing a Best Picture award from the New York Critics Circle and many nominations from a number of other groups, including the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild. For more on the film, here’s all our previous coverage.

At the New York City press junket I landed an exclusive video interview with David O. Russell. He talked about his style of directing and how it’s changed over the years, how his assembly cut was over three hours, deleted scenes, what will be on the Blu-ray, future projects, and more. Hit the jump to watch. Finally, if you missed my video interviews with Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, or Christian Bale, click the links to watch. David O. Russell: Plugs his new website davidorussell.com

Has he always directed by standing close to his actors when they’re working?

Does he like doing a few or a lot of takes?

How long was his assembly cut on American Hustle? Says it was over 3 hours.

Deleted scenes talk. Says there are a lot of them that will be on the Blu-ray and talks about a few of them.

What is he thinking about for his next project?