Interview Quotes

Appreciation for Paul Thomas Anderson's Craft

"I mean, I've been such a massive fan of Paul Thomas Anderson's work. Ever since he started, he creates these incredible worlds that, as a fan, an audience member, you're just enveloped into them."

— SPEAKER_07 • 00:11:23

"He creates characters that, however flawed, you feel like exist in the real world. I have a competition in me. And they just come to life."

— SPEAKER_07 • 00:13:21

"So, you know, when Paul Thomas Anderson calls you to be a part of his filmography, you jump at that opportunity."

— SPEAKER_07 • 00:15:45

"You know, he's got an incredible detector of BS, as they say. And I think everyone, there's just an ecosystem on set where everyone's at the top of their game."

— SPEAKER_07 • 00:17:26

"But more so than the takes, I just love how flexible he is to new ideas. And a lot of the actors came on board with a lot of ideas."

— SPEAKER_07 • 00:22:23

"We took a whole side trip and Paul's very flexible. Once he hears a good idea, he's willing to change the entire narrative structure."

— SPEAKER_07 • 00:30:50

The Influence of "The Dude" and Iconic Performances

"But I want to give you a massive compliment because I kept thinking after the movie of one of my favorite characters in cinema, the dude. The dude."

— SPEAKER_06 • 00:40:48

"The dude, to me, is one of the most iconic performances. I would never try to duplicate that. But there's definitely an element of the dude in this character."

— SPEAKER_07 • 00:46:27

"And Paul set up a character similar to the dude in the sense that, does he make all the right decisions? No. But the dude abides."

— SPEAKER_07 • 00:48:47

"And in this character, Bob, you know, he makes all the wrong decisions. He can't even remember the password to get his daughter back."

— SPEAKER_07 • 00:49:16

"I have abused drugs and alcohol for the past 30 years, man."

— SPEAKER_07 • 00:49:45

"And you think you're going to have this sort of traditional espionage thriller of a father utilizing his skills from the past to save the day, but he can't get over the first hurdle."

— SPEAKER_07 • 00:51:10

"Yeah, well, like, that's just your opinion, man."

— SPEAKER_06 • 00:54:50

The Art of Acting and Learning from Mentors

"I was actually thinking about, uh, movies that I watched for this performance. And another one was, uh, Dog Day Afternoon, uh, Al Pacino."

— SPEAKER_07 • 00:57:18

"The first one that comes to mind when I was young was East of Eden, James Dean. That performance really moved me."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:00:04

"I've gotten to meet a lot of incredible people in this industry. And, you know, I think it's less of picking their brain and just watching what they do, how they approach their work, learning by example when you get to work with them."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:06:07

"But off camera, it's just their choices that they've made, their specificity and their courage and going for the unexpected that I've learned the most from."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:07:01

"There's never been anyone that's ever sat me down and said, this is how you approach a character, this is exactly what you do."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:07:34

"And I hope this again comes across as a compliment, but I love it when you're angry."

— SPEAKER_06 • 01:09:04

"A frustrated Leo on screen is just a delight."

— SPEAKER_06 • 01:10:27

Collaboration, Improvisation, and the Joy of Filmmaking

"It's very difficult to make good movies. Go in there with the best intentions. You head your bet."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:13:24

"And once upon a time in Hollywood, that moment of him not remembering his lines was another one that came from discussions and workshopping with Quentin."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:17:16

"And he beats himself up like in that trailer moment, which was a lot that was improvised."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:18:29

"And that's the beauty of being able to collaborate with directors that are open to new ideas like that."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:19:04

"I think that the directors have to create that ecosystem for you. They give you the setup for those characters, and they allow you to sort of fly."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:23:35

"And Paul loved to laugh. Quentin loved to laugh. But, yeah, there were a few moments, certainly when you're talking about Once Upon a Time, that I remember them being off-camera snickering."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:25:35

"That sequence, funnily enough, I thought was going to be very short. And when I did it with Marty, he had 50 shots set up."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:27:40

"But when I chose the car, I really liked that car that we had. I forget what it was. But I realized too late that the door opened up. So I looked at Leo and I said, what are we going to do? I said, you still have to open the door. He says, I'll use my foot."

— SPEAKER_01 • 01:29:46

Personal Reflections and Cinematic Treasures

"I have a film that, you know, you think about films that you've worked on and you, it's hard to have a detachment from the filmmaking process. So for me, that one would be The Aviator, I suppose."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:31:30

"I always try to take a specific prop home that relates to my character. And my mom's a bit of a collector, so she likes to hold on to these things."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:34:46

"But my first film that I did called This Boy's Life, my first starring role, was opposite De Niro."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:39:39

"And Michael Caden-Jones, the director, to me, in a very tough scene, said to me, pain is temporary, film is forever. And I said, okay, got it. And that has resonated with me the most, I think."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:41:08

"I've watched Bicycle Thieves over and over again. 2001, Space Odyssey, over and over again."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:44:19

"I've watched The Big Lebowski over and over again. Goodfellas about a thousand times. Taxi Driver hundreds of times."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:44:57

The Enduring Magic of Cinema

"It's the communal act of being with other people in the theater as well. Like I said, it's very hard to make a good movie. But it's very hard to connect an audience and put them in a set of circumstances where they have empathy for a character or they're on that journey."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:47:25

"And it's one of the most immersive art forms there is."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:49:18

"And I, and I hope, uh, I hope it stays alive."

— SPEAKER_07 • 01:50:04

"They call it the empathy machine and it feels right. I like being made uncomfortable. I want to be challenged. I think cinema does it better than anything else."

— SPEAKER_06 • 01:51:37