Paul Thomas Anderson on Inspiration: “The Rainbow Is Right in Your Living Room, Idiot!”

Paul Thomas Anderson is calling from the Valley. “Where else would I be?” the Oscar-nominated writer-director exclaims when I ask. He’s lived in this slip of Los Angeles for much of his life and set several of his genre-defying, rabidly obsessed-over films there, including his most recent—the ’70s-era coming-of-age story Licorice Pizza. It’s an endearing, risqué tale about Gary, a 15-year-old boy (Cooper Hoffman, son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Alana, a 25-year-old woman (Alana Haim, of the sister-trio rock band Haim) who form an immediate, curious bond that borders on an inappropriate romance. Gary’s charm and hustle,… Read Full Article