Movies

Paul Thomas Anderson Takes Part In Online Q&A, Wins Internet

paul thomas anderson q&a
By Chris Evangelista/

Folks, not only is Paul Thomas Anderson very good at making movies, he's also very good at the internet. The acclaimed filmmaker is out there promoting his new masterpiece Phantom Thread, and in a series of recent Q&As, via Reddit and Twitter, he proceeded to charm the hell out of everyone and offer some good advice (to others, and to himself). See the results of the Paul Thomas Anderson Q&A below.

Paul Thomas Anderson took to the internet this week, and proceeded to politely (and hilariously) answer various questions. This is all part of Anderson's promotional tour for his great new movie Phantom Thread, a film that is quite funny despite its stuffy-looking trailer. In keeping with the hilarious tone of Phantom Thread, almost every answer Anderson gave during his various Q&As resulted in pure gold.

First up: when someone on Anderson's Reddit AMA (that stands for Ask Me Anything, in case you aren't hip) asked the filmmaker "If you could go back, what's one thing you'd tell yourself while making Magnolia?", in reference to Anderson's lengthy multi-narrative drama, Anderson offered some pointed advice to himself:

Comment from discussion I'm Paul Thomas Anderson, writer and director of PHANTOM THREAD, AMA!.

When someone asked Anderson why he doesn't partake in director's commentary tracks on his Blu-rays, Anderson was honest, while also revealing he recored a (somewhat brief) track for Phantom Thread:

Comment from discussion I'm Paul Thomas Anderson, writer and director of PHANTOM THREAD, AMA!.

Reddit wasn't the only place Anderson took questions. On the official Phantom Thread twitter account, the filmmaker also took some time to respond to fans, and there, too, the results were delightful. When someone pointed out that there was never a Saturday Night Live: Best of Maya Rudolph (aka Anderson's wife) release, the There Will Be Blood director was shocked:

Not all of Anderson's answers were joke-based. He also took time to provide encouragement to someone who asked, "I've written like 4 scripts that have never seen the light of day. How does a nobody get a job as a screenwriter?":

At least ten different people kept trying to make a joke associating Anderson's hashtag (#askpta) with the Parent Teacher Association. The best of the bunch was when someone asked the filmmaker if Anderson was a member of the PTA at his children's school:

Nothing but respect for my president.

Perhaps the best answer came when someone posted a less-than-flattering paparazzi photo of Anderson and wife Maya Rudolph out for a stroll:

Anderson seemed to be having so much fun with the Twitter Q&A that even after he seemed to sign off with this Tweet, he continued answering questions for another half-hour.

Phantom Thread is now playing in select theaters. It expands everywhere on Friday, January 19, 2018.

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