File photo of actor David Carradine arriving at the Entertainment Tonight Emmy party September 19, 2004, in West Hollywood, California.. Photo Credit: REUTERS/John Hayes

By Belinda Goldsmith

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - From guru to assassin to artist. It is a heck of a trip.

American actor David Carradine, 69, is planning his first art exhibition next year, branching out after a 45 year acting career that has included starring in the cult television series Kung Fu and appearing in over 100 movies.

Los Angeles-based Carradine, who has just published his fourth book, "The Kill Bill Diary," a day-to-day account of making the Quentin Tarantino "Kill Bill" movies which put him back in the spotlight, spoke to Reuters recently about painting and the ups and downs of his career:

Q: When did you start painting?

A: "I have always drawn. I started to paint when I dropped out of college and was living in a basement, making a living by working in a pool hall racking up balls. Maybe I have only attended about a month of arts classes in my whole life. I painted about 52 paintings at that stage but I have no idea where any of them are. Then I went traveling. I didn't paint again until about seven or eight years ago."

Q: How would you describe your painting?

A: "Eclectic. Someone described it as Expressionism meets Impressionism with a bit of the surreal. It is all people. It is fairly realistic and very stylized. I have about 15 to put on show but I have done about 70."

Q: Does this mean you will act less?

A: "No, not at all. I've done about six movies so far this year. I can't see myself ever stopping working. I made a decision a long time ago, when I started to become marginally successful, that I don't want to do anything for a living except act. I don't want to sell things. I've only been in three adverts and that's because I thought they were funny."

Q: In "The Kill Bill Diary" you say that Tarantino makes movies featuring cult people who can't get work. Was this the case for you?

A: "I actually stalked him for about four years, catching him everywhere I could to try to work on him. I am pretty realistic. I was doing autograph appearances and making exploitative movies. Since 'Kill Bill' studios are not jumping at me but the quality of the work I am doing is so much better."

Q: Are you saying you were in rut before "Kill Bill"?

A: "During the exploitative stage I did 19 movies in 18 months at one stage. It all started by accident. I was naive and didn't realize that making movies that went straight to video was going to make me not acceptable to the studios. I thought I should so everything. Since 'Kill Bill' I have decided that I won't make a movie that I don't want to go and see. That really changed my outlook on life."

Q: When did this exploitative stage start?

A: "Years ago. I realized to get out of this kind of work I needed to do another TV series so I made 'Kung Fu the Legend Continues.' That took about four or five years (in the early 1990s), filming in Canada. But then I got divorced. All my money and my property disappeared. I had nothing but a nice car, a big dog and $8,000 in my pocket. I had to work so I got back into it again. I have never put enough money aside so that I can get through the dry periods."