A slice of ‘Licorice Pizza’ with director Paul Thomas Anderson

Director Paul Thomas Anderson discussed the creative decisions and inspirations behind his new film “Licorice Pizza” at a virtual college roundtable Nov. 19. Photo illustration by DANIEL PEARSON, Photo Editor

Starring alongside Bradley Cooper in your first professional film role is intimidating enough. But when your first scene is alongside the A-list actor berating and threatening to kill your brother in character as Jon Peters, it makes sense you’d be shaking from nerves. 

For eight-time Academy Award nominee director Paul Thomas Anderson, it was his job to guide first-time actors Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim through their “welcome to Hollywood” moment. 

“My job was to settle them down, and if anything, make sure that I was filming what was happening with them,” Anderson told the Panther. “Maybe my job was to not help them so much but to let them be out there and see. Once they got that scene under their belt, they had formed a bond. They had survived Bradley Cooper as Jon Peters.”

Anderson, known for directing classics like the 2007 hit “There Will Be Blood” and “Magnolia” (1999), met with a dozen colleges across the U.S. Nov. 19 at a virtual roundtable event to discuss the direction behind his latest work, “Licorice Pizza.” The film is set to open nationwide Dec. 25, but roundtable participants were provided the opportunity to view the film prior to the event. 

Though Anderson conceded he could teach the first-time actors small tricks, such as how to grab a glass or how to pace themselves within a scene, he emphasized they still had to survive on their own once the cameras were rolling. 

“They had to know their lines, they had to be connected to each other, and they had to concentrate over 65 days of shooting. I couldn’t do that for them,” Anderson told the Panther. “I can’t save an actor if they’re not there for their performance. If I look like a good director, it’s because the actors are doing a good job.”

The film revolves around 15-year-old Gary Valentine (Hoffman), a child actor and entrepreneur who encounters unmotivated 25-year-old Alana Kane (Haim) working as a portrait photographer at Gary’s high school. Gary pursues a romantic relationship with Alana but is repeatedly shot down as the two navigate the cultural and political phenomena of 1973 in the San Fernando Valley. 

The director said the age gap between Gary and Alana was the basis for a terrific dilemma. 

“It reminds me of what you would see in the old screwball comedies,” Anderson said. “This insurmountable thing between two characters that keeps them apart. Once you know that that is the playing field, you can have fun with it, because you know that they're never going to be together. This is a line you do not cross. It's inappropriate. It's wrong. What's fun is seeing (how) Gary continuing to try and Alana shutting it down creates endless dramatic and comedic opportunities.”

Filming began in August 2020, and the entirety of production took place in the San Fernando Valley — where Anderson hails from. Anderson has set multiple of his films in the San Fernando Valley and claims to gravitate toward stories that take place there. 

“You're making a film and you're asking audiences to care about it, so I have to care about it,” Anderson said. “I care about where I come from, I care about these people, I care about these locations, I care about this place where I live and where I'm raising my kids. I want my love for it to be evident on screen, and hopefully, an audience can feel that.”

The title “Licorice Pizza” is an homage to an old SoCal record store chain that closed in 1985. Anderson includes iconic locations of the San Fernando Valley such as Cupid’s Hot Dogs and the Tail O’ the Cock restaurant and bar, which was a prime hangout spot for Hollywood stars. But he admitted recreating the past was a bittersweet process.

“It was a combination of great joy and great melancholy when we went to look for locations, because many of them weren't there,” Anderson said. “Many things in the valley have changed, and that makes you melancholy. But you're always thrilled when you find pockets of it that haven't changed.”

Anderson was a frequent collaborator with Hoffman’s father, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who passed away in 2014 after appearing in five of Anderson's projects. He also collaborated with Haim on nine projects for her pop-rock band HAIM, which features her two sisters, Danielle and Este Haim who also starred in the film. Anderson said Haim was always the inspiration behind Alana Kane and based aspects of the character on her real-life traits.

“(Haim) has a very ferocious protectiveness of the people she loves and that's a very similar quality,” Anderson said. “Both Alana's swear quite well. She's great at saying ‘f*** off’ or any kind of foul language. It comes off Alana’s tongue beautifully.” 

The director’s filmography is generally known for its use of heavy subject matter and damaged protagonists — like “The Master” (2012). However, “Licorice Pizza” marks a unique shift for the director, instead carrying a tone of nostalgia and hopefulness. 

Contributing to this tone is a 20-song soundtrack of songs from artists that the director said put him in a good mood such as Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters, The Doors and Nina Simone. 

“Many years ago when I started writing this, my life was good; it was stable,” Anderson said. “There was a lot happening in the world politically that we were all very confused and scared about, so ironically, maybe my way of dealing with it was to write something optimistic, sweet and nostalgic in a good way.”

Anderson drew inspiration from films with lighter tones, such as the works of Billy Wilder and Preston Sturges, during his writing process for “Licorice Pizza.” He likened his storytelling approach to theirs, stating he intends to use his writing to be truthful rather than push an agenda.

“There's the center to the story about how we connect to people, how we find people we never saw coming or how they find us,” Anderson said. “In the case of this film, I suppose what I see now is a film that is about hopefulness and optimism ... You just start writing an honest view of two characters who are just trying to get through their day or not kill each other ... and all of the affection and love that they have for each other.”

“Licorice Pizza” is a love letter to the San Fernando Valley — Anderson’s home — and the film, more holistically, is an embodiment of the director and his personal world. By making “Licorice Pizza,” the director said he’s “letting it all hang out” in an attempt to connect with an audience through vulnerability and light-hearted fun.

“I’m just sort of shrugging my shoulders, saying, ‘F--- it, I gotta be me.’” Anderson said. “I don’t know anything beyond that.”

Correction: A previous version of the article referred to Jon Peters as John Peters. This information has since been corrected. We regret the error.