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Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson
Bros./Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

You may not be able to make a movie like Paul Thomas Anderson can, but chances are very likely you are using streaming platforms just like the “Phantom Thread” and “There Will Be Blood” director. Anderson admitted in an interview with The Playlist that he’s never paid for Netflix a day in his life. Like so many others, Anderson streams by using a friend’s password.

“The thing I like about Netflix is I’ve never paid for a day of Netflix in my life, I just have someone else’s account and their password. It’s free! Which is great,” Anderson said. “Which makes me wonder, how the hell are they paying for all these expensive movies? I’ve never paid them once.”

Anderson has long been a proponent of shooting on celluloid and releasing his films theatrically, which puts him on an anti-streaming team that also includes directors like Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino. Anderson doesn’t have anything against Netflix, he just prefers movie theaters. And while Anderson uses his friend’s password, he admits there’s not too much content on Netflix he’s interested in.

“Netflix is Netflix and it’s not a movie in the movie theater, so it’s just another outfit, right? You can call it the devil if you want, but it’s just another supermarket with shit in it,” he said.  “I don’t need to get mad it [laughs]. I don’t need to shop there if they don’t have what I need.”

Anderson returns to theaters on Christmas day with his latest drama “Phantom Thread.” The movie reunites him with his “There Will Be Blood” star Daniel Day-Lewis and has earned rave reviews from critics. IndieWire named “Phantom Thread” one of the best films of 2017 earlier this month.

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