Paul Thomas Anderson Is Working On A Family-Friendly Script With His Eight-Year-Old Daughter
Zack Sharf
Paul Thomas Anderson makes adult dramas that often earn their R rating, which is something his four children aren’t necessarily happy about. Imagine your dad being one of the world’s greatest filmmakers but not being allowed to see any of the movies he actually directs. Anderson recently admitted to The Los Angeles Times that his dark tendencies often get the best of him, which has become an annoyance to his children.
Anderson’s son, for instance, walked into his editing suite one time while Anderson was working on promotional spots for “Phantom Thread” and noticed the R rating. His son let out a sigh and an exaggerated, “Aaaaw … c’mon!” Anderson has never gone family friendly in his 22 years making movies, but he may be finally ready to pull a Wes Anderson and make a more light-hearted film. The director confirmed to the Times that he’s been working on something with this daughter, Lucy.
“Well, I’m working right now on a story with my daughter Lucy. She’s 8. She has taken it upon herself, realizing that if I wasn’t going to do it, she would do it with me,” Anderson said. “We’re trying to hash out something right now. It’s a good collaboration too. It keeps you on your toes.”
Anderson explained that, per usual, he was trying to take the unspecified story to darker places but that Lucy prevented him from doing so.
“I was trying to guide the story to something a little bit darker, where my instincts wanted to take it, and she was politely, very sweetly reminding me I was aiming it that way and brought it back,” he said. “We had a good run at it and took a break. We’ve got to get back to it.”
Anderson should have more time following Oscar season, in which his new film, “Phantom Thread,” is up for six Academy Awards this year, including Best Picture and Best Director.
