Paul Thomas Anderson
On The Similarities Between Him and Reynolds Woodock from Phantom Thread
We are similar in how seriously we take the work, but not at all similar in how seriously we take ourselves, I would say. Reynolds needs silence. I grew up in a house with nine kids, and I have four of my own, so the working environment is drastically different, and I probably make the most noise at breakfast. Still, there are very strong parallels when you care about your work so much, and your work and your life are one and the same. They’re very difficult to separate. There’s no separation for me. I don’t have any hobbies besides doing this. This is what I do. This is my life.
On Whether He Believes Daniel Day-Lewis Will Never Act Again
Sadly, I do believe it. Luckily we’ve got a long line of DVDs and Blu-rays that we can all go back to and be happy that we have. What can I do about it? At the moment, nothing. Maybe when the smoke clears, I’ll try to talk him back into something, but at the moment we’re all just going to have to grin and bear it. It is sad to think about it, but we should all be incredibly happy with what he’s given us. It’s kind of amazing to think about. He’s been acting since he was a child, so it’s been a long and amazing career. I’m so happy that we, as audiences who love the movies, have been able to be alive in this time where we got to see Daniel Day-Lewis movies in the theatre.
Director Paul Thomas Anderson speaks onstage at the Outstanding Directors Award Panel during the 33rd Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Photograph by Matt Winkelmeyer
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