Paul Thomas Anderson Reveals Fave Films Of 2017, Praises Tiffany Haddish, Wants To Work With Tom Hanks, More

This weekend, Paul Thomas Anderson‘s elegantly weird and gorgeously strange “Phantom Thread” goes into wide release and it truly cannot be missed. It’s another completely singular work from the filmmaker, with a story that has plenty going on beneath its refined stitching. The release of the movie means that the director is doing some final press rounds, and perhaps chattier than ever, he’s got plenty to say.

We’ve known for a little while know that Anderson wants to work with “Girls Trip” breakout star Tiffany Haddish, however, on the Nerdist podcast, he’s reveals just how much he admires the actress’ talent.

“I dare anybody to try and do what Tiffany Haddish did in [‘Girls Trip’]. That’s like a fucking magic trip how good she is in that, and I dare anybody to try and go take after take — or do one take as good as she does. She is a fucking force. She’s such a great performer,” he enthused.

But it’s not just newcomers Anderson is putting on his bucket list. In a conversation spurred from a discussion about the comedic and dramatic talents of Adam Sandler, the director talked about the broad range of Tom Hanks and the tremendous skill he brings to the table in almost every project (don’t forget, PTA is big on “The Post” too).

“Tom Hanks is somebody who has successfully confused audiences — I mean that as a grand compliment — in that we expect a lot from him because he’s so fucking good, he’s hilarious, and when he started out, it was ‘Bachelor Party,’ ‘Turner & Hooch‘ and ‘Splash,’ ” Anderson said about Hanks’ career and evolution. ” ‘Big‘ was the thing that was something besides just wacky [comedy], but he’s hilarious in it as well. And then on another level was when you saw him in ‘A League Of Their Own.’ That was — and still is, I don’t know if you’ve seen that performance lately — fuck, it’s so good. And then you get to the more capital D dramatic stuff….I’d love to work with Tom Hanks.”

You can listen to the full Anderson conversation right here:

Meanwhile, the director sat down in front of the keyboard for a Reddit AMA, where he game for almost anything. Once again, as part of a three pronged question, he listed Tiffany Haddish as an actress he wants to work,  in addition to the film he’s most proud of, and his favorite Kubrick pics:

Anderson also had some advice he’d go back in time to tell himself during the making of “Magnolia”:

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Wondering about his favorite David Lynch films?

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Anderson is still catching up (he’s yet to see “Lady Bird“), but here are his favorite films of 2017:

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Which of his movies is better than “Magnolia“?

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Anderson also revealed his favorite moviegoing experience:

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And in case you’re wondering why he doesn’t do director’s commentaries, he explains why, but “Phantom Thread” will have a very, very short track you can listen to:

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Naturally, the whole chat is worth giving a scroll through. “Phantom Thread” unravels this weekend.