In This Feature
Oscar Should-Be Winners: Paul Thomas Anderson
by
findingDulcinea Staff
The young American Paul Thomas Anderson has been an award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter for over a decade. But his finest hour is now: his most ambitious project yet, “There Will Be Blood,” has been nominated for eight Academy Awards.
Essential Facts on P.T. Anderson
- Born in 1970 in Studio City, California, Anderson is the son of voiceover actor Ernie Anderson, who is known for his role in “The Love Boat.” Paul was very influenced as an artist by the San Fernando Valley, where he spent his youth.
- In high school, Anderson made a short film, “Dirk Diggler,” about a well-endowed porn star. This film was the seed of “Boogie Nights,” Anderson’s first Oscar-nominated project, for which he wrote a 300-page script.
- Anderson attended New York University for a semester and dropped out, disliking the formulaic nature of the school’s curriculum.
- He debuted with a short film, “Cigarettes and Coffee,” at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, and was mentioned as a filmmaker to watch.
- Anderson released his first feature-length film, “Hard Eight,” to mixed reviews, and was tormented by the fact that the film was recut by its distributors. Anderson explains the dilemma in this interview.
- Anderson was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for “Magnolia” (2000), his sprawling plot-twister inspired by the music of Aimee Mann. The film “layered multi-character narratives into a tapestry of near biblical proportions," and made use of some seasoned Anderson actors, such as Julianne Moore (of “Boogie Nights”), John C. Reilly (of “Boogie Nights” and “Hard Eight”), and Phillip Baker Hall, the star of “Hard Eight.”
- Anderson won the Best Director award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival for “Punch-Drunk Love,” which he also wrote. The lead character was written for Adam Sandler, whom Anderson successful transformed from goofy, slapstick-prone comedian into a complex, emotional young man bullied by seven older sisters. Watch a clip of the film here.
- Anderson is nominated for both Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars for “There Will Be Blood.”
- Anderson was linked to the singer Fiona Apple in the late 90s, but has been dating longtime “SNL” star Maya Rudolph for several years. They have a daughter, Pearl Bailey, and reside in New York City.
Anderson’s Colorful Filmography
Anderson is a passionate student of film to whom many of his actors become indebted. Daniel Day-Lewis, in accepting Best Actor awards for “Blood,” mentions Anderson as a creative force who introduced him to an entirely new world. These unique and fascinating microcosms exist in each of Anderson’s five feature length films, which the writer Matt Zoller Seitz lovingly discusses in a recent “New York Times” article. Seitz encapsulates the shining moments of Anderson’s directorial breakthrough, “Boogie Nights,” the mold-breaking romantic comedy “Punch-Drunk Love,” and the dense plot tapestry of “Magnolia."
Source: The New York Times
Read more about Anderson’s early immersion in the world of film from the All Movie Guide’s thorough biography of the director.
Source: All Movie Guide
There Will Be Oscars
“There Will Be Blood,” based loosely upon Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel “Oil!," was both written and directed by Anderson. Coincidentally, 1927 was the same year the book “The Gangs of New York” was published, though the Scorsese film was made from a different writer’s script.
In this interview at the Variety screening of “There Will Be Blood,” Anderson discusses the difference between directing an “ensemble,” required of him in “Magnolia” and “Boogie Nights,” to directing one-man bands like Adam Sandler and Daniel Day-Lewis. Anderson also discusses the work ethic of Day-Lewis, who completely immersed himself in the role. But Anderson explains that Day-Lewis is anything but aloof. In fact, the two became very close, both reporting that working together day in and day out for three months was a highlight in their careers.
Source: YouTube
Anderson admits that he had Day-Lewis in mind for the role while writing the script, but did not get his hopes up, knowing that Day-Lewis was a deliberate chooser of roles. However, Day-Lewis had openly been a fan of “Punch-Drunk Love,” which encouraged Anderson. That admiration paid off, making “Blood” far and away the best-reviewed film of 2007.
Source: Metacritic
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