Following an impressive awards season run for Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film “One Battle After Another,” the director/writer decided to look back at his beginnings in a special Q&A held in Palm Springs.
The recent Oscar winner was in town for a sold-out screening of his first film “Hard Eight” on Thursday, May 14, at Festival Theaters. Afterward, he chatted with film critic David Ansen and answered questions from the audience about lessons he learned from his feature directorial debut, his writing style and his frequent collaborators.
“Hard Eight,” released in 1996, stars Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson and tells the story of veteran gambler Sydney (Hall) as he befriends a down-on-his-luck young man named John (Reilly) and teaches him the tricks of his trade. Their relationship comes with a number of surprises over the years, however.
Anderson admitted that he “didn’t know” what he was doing while making the film, but many themes explored, such as male relationships and mentorship, would find their way in his later work. What he didn’t expect, however, was that he would be involved in a major battle with production financiers who took over editing of the film. He fought for a year to regain control and recut it himself. The film was originally titled “Sydney,” but after so much drama, he decided he was OK with it being renamed “Hard Eight.”
That film was the beginning of a long collaboration between himself and Philip Seymour Hoffman, who also starred in “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia,” “Punch-Drunk Love” and “The Master” before he died in 2014. In “Hard Eight,” Hoffman plays a cocky gambler who keeps testing Sydney in the casino one evening. Anderson said much of Hoffman’s dialogue was improvised by the actor.
“I obviously fell in love pretty hard that night,” the director said.
One highlight during the Q&A was when Anderson revealed his preferred martini type, referring to his best picture Oscar speech when he told the crowd, “You guys, let’s have a martini.” He said the glass and gin have to be freezing cold, and he likes it with a lemon twist, but only if it’s a Meyer lemon. Occasionally he’ll have an onion, which is known as a Gibson.
“Like John Steinbeck said, the first sip of a martini is like a bite from a vampire bat, and kind of like the first sip of coffee, it just goes downhill after that,” Anderson said. He also called it a “sin” to serve a martini in too big of a glass.
“Hard Eight” will screen at Festival Theaters through at least Wednesday, May 20, according to its website.
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Paul Thomas Anderson visits Palm Springs, talks ‘Hard Eight,’ martinis
Reporting by Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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