Eli Roth Talks Job for Sex Chatline, Being Fired by Famous Director (VIDEO)

Actor/writer/producer and director Eli Roth had some creative ways of funding his film projects, he told Jay Leno on 'The Tonight Show' (weeknights, 11:35PM ET on NBC).

While at NYU, he was hired by a men's magazine to have "sex with people over a computer," said Roth. Armed with an 800-speed modem, "I would pretend to be a very sexy girl. There were ads in the magazine for me -- that for 50 cents a minute you could talk to me."

Roth had three personas: a 22-year-old bisexual French woman, an East Village slut or a divorcee pursuing a writing career. (You can guess which persona was least in demand.)

He also worked in film production as a stand-in, replacing an actor while lighting and camera crews set up the scene. The director (Martin Brest) saw him in action and promptly fired him. Is he bitter? "No, I hold no grudge because he made 'Gigli,' and that's really the greatest revenge," Roth joked.