I’m Paul Thomas Anderson, writer and director of PHANTOM THREAD, AMA!

What made you choose Brahm's Violin Concerto in There Will Be Blood?

It's fucking rad! And sounds great played loud.

Hey Paul, big fan!

1. Actor/actress you want to work with, but haven't yet?

2. Which of your own movies are you the most proud of?

3. Favorite Stanley Kubrick movie?

1. Tiffany Haddish
2. The Master 3.DrStrangeloveLolitaFullMetalJackTheShining - all one word

What made you switch between anamorphic lenses on your earlier films, and the spherical lenses on the later films?

Nerd Questions! My Favorite! Well, the first time we shot spherical was on the Master...it seemed like a good fit, evoking the old 50s films like Vertigo and North By Northwest...large format films but in a boxy frame....it was a nice change from the earlier films....I wanna shoot scope again though...maybe next time...

Hey Paul!

How did you and Jonny Greenwood first meet and decide to collaborate? You're both geniuses at what you do and this ongoing collaboration is an absolute treasure.

Big fan of your work, keep it up.

PS. Favorite Radiohead album?

Favorite Radiohead album...........ugh...i Hate this game. today....In Rainbows....tomorrow....something else...KId A perhaps?

When you're writing scripts on MS Word do you use the screenplay template or do you write out the characters names every single time?

P.S. That scene in the Master when Freddie rides off in the desert is hilarious.

HA! I write their damn names out every time! Feels good.

If you could go back, what’s one thing you’d tell yourself while making Magnolia?

Chill The Fuck Out and Cut Twenty Minutes

Hey PTA.

When I think of dialog, it sounds good in my head. But when I put it on paper it becomes garbage. How would you solve this problem?

hmmmmmm. good question. what's it sound like when you say it out loud? it doesn't need to look good on the paper if it's a script....a novel maybe, but a script is just a temporary thing....good for the actors, not for reading....

Have you ever had a milkshake with Daniel Day-Lewis? If so, did he try to drink yours?

He'd drink mine for sure.

What's your favorite memory of David Foster Wallace?

He turned me onto Don DeLillo. And he looked at us like we were all failing him....sweetly.

Hi Paul!

What was the main lesson you took away serving as your own (collaborative) DP on Phantom Thread? Will you continue to shoot your own movies in the future?

My main takeaway was hire extreme proffesionals to surround you and point like you have a lot of confidence and know what you're doing. Would I do it again? I think I might.....but I also wanna work with Chivo, Bob Richardson...tons of others...

How often does Maya make you fall over laughing?

every day

What was Thomas Pynchon like when you met him (if he's actually real)?

Who?

Werner Herzog says you can't be a great filmmaker if you don't read, read, read. Any books currently sitting on your nightstand?

The stack next to my bed is embarrassingly High. the one on my desk right now is "3 Ingredient Cocktails" by Robert Simonson. Great Read!

Did Daniel Plainview ever truly love H.W or was it always just a facade?

For sure he loved him. for sure, for sure. don't you think? He just didn't know what to do when HW grew into his own man....

Hi, have you ever been to Ireland, did Daniel invite you when you were working on Phantom Thread?

Great question! We wrote a lot of it in Ireland as a matter of fact! Just the two of us sitting at the Kitchen Table. Long walks and naps and lots of daydreaming. A great memory to have with me when I think of making this film.

There's a song credit at the end of Phantom Thread for a Jonny Greenwood piece called "Puck Beaverton's Tattoo" (obvious reference to Inherent Vice) that doesn't appear on the release of either OST.

Any story here? Just a left-over piece from IV?

Well, yes.....good spotting....it's an Adaption of an old cue....Jonny took it and played it with an orchestra - instead of his computer....we fleshed it out and made it sound spooky ....

What was it like making Junun? Did you like the digital filmmaking process and making a documentary for the first time?

It was so much fun. I loved working with my little Blackmagic camera and filming people pay music...it was stress free and inspiring...more of a home movie than a documentary. I"m so happy you saw it - wish everyone would see it. I'm really proud of that film.

Paul Thomas Anderson, the only God I believe in. Do you have any advice for a near broke 18 year old filmmaker?

Get a job? Make some money? Get a haircut?

Hi Paul!

You once said Magnolia is the best film you will ever make. Do you feel you have since topped yourself? If not, will you?

Junun is better!

Paul, I've always loved your story about leaving film school and the films you've made since then, so I have three tough questions for you:

1. Was Phantom Thread primarily inspired by your marriage?

2. Would you ever consider making a television series?

3. What does a PTA story need to have?

1) Inspired by my marriage? Not really. But kind of sort of....we're not that weird.

2) Yes, television. sounds good. but....I like makin' movies more i think.

3) What does it need? hmmmmm. Characters. good venue. and some tasty tunes by Jonny G?

Hi Paul! Do you have a go-to "comfort" movie?

The Birdcage! or anything by Steven Spielberg.

Have you reconciled with David Fincher and Kevin Smith?

We're all good.

Hello Paul! So excited to read your responses to these great questions.

1) What do you think the filmmaking industry will look like in 50 years? Do you care?

2) What's your favorite film from the silent era?

Lemme get my crystal ball........

it says, we'll all be watching movies in Movie Theaters...on film....weird.

2) Sunrise!

Hi Paul. You've worked with a lot of the same people since your early 20s (Bridges, Elswit, Tichenor, Sellar etc). Did you pick these people very carefully out of admiration for their work, or was it more coincidental? Especially with Elswit - did you immediately know this was your guy?

Elswit was the only one who had a resume. The rest of us all found each other and started getting to work - big dreams and all...

Elswit was nice enough to work with me and teach me everything. He was and is my hero.

What are some 2017 movies that stood out to you?

Call Me By Your Name. City Of Ghosts. Wonder Woman. The Post. Lost City of Z. Star Wars. Baby Driver. I'm missing some and haven't seen a lot....I"m still catching up....

Hey Paul, Phantom Thread was a Beautiful film. I was lucky enough to see a 70mm screening of it.

1) why did you choose to shoot in 35mm and then blow it up to 70mm?

2) Jonny Greenwood's score gorgeous, maybe his best yet. I noticed that there are 1-2 pieces of non-original music that you used in the film: some oscar peterson and debussy’s string quartet. Those pieces blended in really well, to the point where if i didn’t know jazz and classical i wouldnt have noticed that they weren’t Jonny’s music. Was this intentional? did you pick the Debussy quartet? i was really excited to hear it pop up!

3) I love those “Thom, Jonny and a Cr78” videos that you made with radiohead. What was their reason for making those? What was the process like? How much work did thom and jonny do to prepare those new musical arrangements?

1) We didn't want to shoot 70 in the first place - not the right feel for this one. Blowing up to 70 gives you a really nice grain structure and a sturdy print - and there are lots of great places to play those prints now thanks to the master, hateful 8, dunkirk - it's the new 35! 2) thanks for that compliment.....yes, it's nice that they sit side by side together well - that was the idea - but also to have a little break here and there from jonny's score was good too - i picked debussy...it's a good one 3) those are my favs! great memory of filming in my backyard when they came through town on tour - just a couple cameras, a couple takes as the sun went down - the real reason was for posterity - and fun - maybe we should do some more....

we all know you love some goood screenplays--- who are some of your favorite AUTHORS (short stories, poetry, novels...)??

Chester Himes! Thomas Pynchon (obviosuly) john o'hara..John Steinbeck...George Orwell....Shirley Jackson! Caroline Blackwood

Hi Paul, proud three time owner of TWBB here.

Early last year I spoke to a crew member on the set of Phantom Thread and essentially begged them for a job as a runner.

It didn't lead to anything unfortunately, but it did motivate me to go and make my own short film that I'm now about to put out into the world.

My question is, when you were first starting out how did you go about breaking into an industry that is seemingly closed off to outsiders? Is there a way you think would still work in today's age for getting noticed? (One better than walking onto one of your sets).

Stoked to see PT!

• Jonathan

It seems to be that the most sought after position in Hollywood with the least amount of competition is...writing....writing is the best job if you can get it....people are hungry for scripts...keep writing. Writing, writing, writing....

Any advice for the lazy aspiring writer?

keep sleeping.....then get off the couch.

Are there any plans for Hard Eight Blu-ray release?

2nd this!

No. That would be great wouldn't it? I'm working on it - have to find some elements hidden deep in the basement....it'll happen, just need some time to dig it all out....

Favorite David Lynch movie?

Blue Velvet Wild At Heart

Hi Paul!

You wrote a draft for a RDJ-led Pinocchio movie. Have you written or doctored any other scripts in between your directorial projects?

We talked about doing it - and still might - it's a great idea but very hard to get right. I'm an RDJ fanatic. Here's hoping.... I don't have much that I haven't filmed already....one or two things....(that should probably stay hidden in a drawer...)

Thoughts on "Lady Bird"? Maybe cast Greta Gerwig in your next film?

I haven't seen it yet - but it's next in the que. Greta I love! Greta Greta ! she's amazing.

Exactly how close did you get to filming Freddie decapitating Master?

Deep Cut Question! I forgot about that.

We didn't get very close at all. Ditched that idea in pre production.

If you could raise one actor from the dead to work with, who would it be?

Oh ! Oh ! Humphrey. Cary Grant. Ida Lupino. Joan Fontaine. Charles Laughton. Myrna Loy. Carole Lombard. James Mason!!!!!!! We don't have enough time to play this game. Jason Robards!

Hi, Paul! I wanted to ask you about romantic love in films. How do you show relationships in movies and people falling in love without going into cliched elements like montages? How do you portray love and how is it influenced by other artists?

Thanks in advance, I'm looking forward to seeing Phantom Thread when it premieres in Colombia.

I think Hitchcock had a good idea - he said shoot Love scenes like Murder Scenes and Murder Scenes like Love Scenes..maybe he felt that falling love was scary as shit.....? I think we've all felt that way sometime...

Hey Paul, You're a huge music fan and it shows through your films, so I'm curious what the record was that meant the most to you in your teenage years?

I loved listening to John Williams music as a teenager. (nerd) I loved Oingo Boingo, X, The Specials, The Motels -- all the great new wave stuff here on KROQ in Los Angeles.

Why don't you participate more in the blu-ray releases for your film? Why is Boogie Nights the only movie you ever did a commentary for?

I'm lazy and the sound of my own voice makes me ill....

But I recorded a 5 minute commentary for the Phantom Thread disc!

Who is the Master? Is it Freddie or Lancaster?

Peggy!

hello paul! huge fan. who is your fav female director?

Kasi Lemmons! Kathryn Bigelow.

Paul!

Huge huge fan. Thank you for doing this. Saw Phantom Thread last night, listening to the soundtrack as I type this (holy shit Jonny), astounding stuff. I have a few questions:

1) How much of yourself do you see in Reynolds Woodcock? I was troubled by how much I identified with him by the end of the film.

2) Are you currently working on (or are there any plans to begin work on) any new editions with The Criterion Collection? I want to buy them all.

3) We're you at LAX the week of May 22nd of last year wearing a SF Giants cap? If so I'm sorry for staring, I wanted to come say hello but I could've sworn you were a Dodgers/Angels fan.

Thanks again for doing this, and for all of your work.

1) I see lots and a not much. I'm not as fussy but I do like to be in charge 2) No Criterion plans. would be nice to do another one... 3) I wouldn't be caught dead in a SF Giants hat. I bleed blue.

Hi Mr. Anderson! I’m the manager of a non-profit art house theatre in Princeton and we would love to have you visit us during a screening of Phantom Thread (or any film you’d like!) if you’re ever in the area.

Additionally, what has been your favorite movie-going experience in a cinema?

Don't get out too much but thanks for the offer.
My fav movie going experience? ARGH. Um......... Raiders of the Lost Arc at the La Reina Theater. 1980. Friday Afternoon. Opening Day.

Do you ever watch your old movies if they come on TV?

usually for a split second ...and then....switch....

I love you Paul. Have you ever heard about Lisbon & Sintra Film Festival in Portugal? Would you consider visiting Portugal in the near future?

I love Portugal was there a few years ago.
was in Porto many years ago and loved it. ever heard of the festival - but it sounds nice - i'll bring my bathing suit.

What is your favorite DDL performance? (other than TWBB and Phantom Thread)

Bill The Butcher!

I have always enjoyed the "Transportation" Documentary you made on the set of Sworn To Vengeance as a PA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuyEi7cBbMc

Who was behind the camera doing all of the filming? A number of internet sleuths think it is John C. Reilly, but I didn't see him listed on the credits. Also, are there experiences and lessons you remember from being a PA and working on sets that impact how you make films today?

Phantom Thread comes out in my town this week, and I can't wait to see it. I'm a huge fan of your films, thanks for all the years of great movies.

A HA AHA AH! Yes, that was filmed by a guy named Devon who worked on the crew with me....I hadn't met John C Reilly at that point....

What's your favorite Altman film???

Nashville!

Where can you get the best sandwich in LA?

Wallys!

What is your favorite cinema and why is it the Castro Theater in SF? (Norcal represent!)

I"m kinda partial to the Aero. So Cal represent. Against all my better judgement I like the Castro....because I love San Francisco..but hate the Giants. I"m sorry, but that's just the way it is....

You have expressed interest in working with Tiffany Haddish. Any specific plans in mind?

Thinking.....thinking...thinking....

Hiya PTA! You're known to be one of the premier directors working in the industry today that balances Hollywood-esque appeal and art house sensibilities. Would you ever consider leaning more towards traditional art films or do you feel at home in the position you're in now? Thanks!

Traditional art films? You mean, like, weirder than they already are? I wouldn't mind doing that.....but I can never tell....sometimes I think we've made a blockbuster and other people say, "no this is the weirdest one..." oh well.