Paul Thomas Anderson Gave John Krasinski The Best Life Lesson

At this point, even if you aren’t a fan of any of his film work, there’s no denying that Paul Thomas Anderson is not only a true film fan but also a great person. Every story we’ve heard endears us more to the filmmaker. Whether he’s preaching his love for “Big Daddy or playing pranks with John C. Reilly, everything the man does is gold and the industry should be thankful he’s a part of it. And with this new story from John Krasinski, it’s about time the film industry officially gives Anderson his sainthood.

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In a new interview with the New York Times, Krasinski talked about his career, his success with “A Quiet Place,” and, of course, Paul Thomas Anderson. And the stories he shares about the filmmaker are truly priceless and sweet.

“[Paul] emailed me [after seeing ‘A Quiet Place’] and said, ‘You need to call me,’ and we talked on the phone and he was so specific and so honest about the movie,” said Krasinski. “He’s been so kind to me through my career, but we were talking like we were on an even playing field and that tripped my wires. What I love most about Paul is that he loves movies.”

Krasinski goes on to explain a “life lesson” that Anderson gave to him that can probably be said to any film fan, especially if you plan on becoming a filmmaker yourself – never say a film is bad.

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“I’ll tell you a big life lesson,” Krasinski explained. “Paul was over at my house, I think it was my 30th birthday party, and I had just seen a movie I didn’t love. I said to him over a drink, ‘It’s not a good movie,’ and he so sweetly took me aside and said very quietly, ‘Don’t say that. Don’t say that it’s not a good movie. If it wasn’t for you, that’s fine, but in our business, we’ve all got to support each other.’ The movie was very artsy, and he said, ‘You’ve got to support the big swing. If you put it out there that the movie’s not good, they won’t let us make more movies like that.’”

He continues, “Dude, Paul Thomas Anderson is out there on the wall for us! He’s defending the value of the artistic experience. He’s so good that maybe you project onto him that he’s allowed to be snarky, but he’s the exact opposite: He wants to love everything because that’s why he got into moviemaking. And ever since then, I’ve never said that I hate a movie.”

We don’t deserve Paul Thomas Anderson. But we are genuinely glad he’s here.