Michael B. Jordan

Welcome back.

My guest tonight, a director and a screenwriter known for such films as Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and There Will Be Blood.

His latest is The Master.

Please welcome Paul Thomas Anderson!

I don't even know where to start.

So I'm just going to start.

I'm an enormous fan of yours.

And I'm just going to start on the performance end of it for the actors.

Forget about the beautiful writing, the shooting, the cinematography, all the things that you do.

The performances you get from the actors that you have, and obviously, they're great actors.

As a director, how do you feel like you're able to empower these actors to get the kind of performances you get?

Do you stop?

Do you, like, in a scene after a take where you cut, walk out there and be like, this woman look mad?

You know, that kind of thing?

Like, is there, on set, do you get maniacal?

Do you get, what's your temperament?

Do you complete the writing process in your mind and then become the director?

Or as you're writing, are you, you know, I find it's very difficult to, the difference between writing for the page and writing for the performance is a very different art form.

Do you do that as you're writing or do you have to transition that?

You just throw it out the window?