Actor Rami Malek Calls The Experience Of Working With PTA Staggering

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MTVNews caught up with "Twilight" actor Rami Malek at the premiere for the latest installment of the undead franchise and was thoughtful enough to ask about his involvement in the (still untitled?) PTA film. The MTV news correspondent (who, sidebar, goes to the same gym as me), called Paul "the greatest filmmaker alive" and tried digging for details on the film.

Malek: He, to work with is staggering. Staggering man. I play Philip Seymour Hoffman's son-in-law in the movie and... [it was] one of the best experiences of my life.

MTV: Not about Scientology, to put it to rest, right? [pause] Or is it?

Malek: I'm not allowed to talk about that one either. That's one I really have to keep tight-lipped on.

MTV: Okay, well I can't wait to see that one.

Malek: It's going to be really good.

MTV: I know it will, I know it will.

Thanks Xixax for the tip. We also noticed a small shoutout during Morgan's Spurlock product placement doc, "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," where "Friday Night Lights" director Peter Berg cites Radiohead and Paul Thomas Anderson as being two artists who aren't going to compromise their art to appease brands. Trudat.

As much as we hate to give it any more attention, we should also mention that there was yet another incident recently where someone pretending to be Paul was trying to drum up some attention on Twitter even briefly dragging Julianne Moore into his shenannigans. Please ignore this kind of thing in the future as it's very unlikely that Paul is going to start tweeting in the first place and if he did, we'd be sure to give you a heads up.

In the meantime you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates. Please tell your friends.

PTA Acts As A Minister; Producer Kevin Walsh Joined Cast of ‘The Master'

Not the news we expected to wake up to this morning, but hidden in a Variety article about one-time assistant to Scott Rudin, now producer Kevin Walsh is the following gem:

Walsh even inadvertently nabbed a plum acting role when he attended a wedding in which helmer Paul Thomas Anderson officiated as minister. Anderson liked Walsh's retro looks and cast him in his upcoming period drama "The Master."

We would have loved to be at that reception. Anyone have pics? (via xixax)

On a completely unrelated note, if you've ever wondered what Paul looked like in high school click here. And as always, stay tuned on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.

PTA Moderates ‘Hugo' Q&A! Updated ‘Master' Synopsis! More!

It may not be terribly exciting, actually it's even less interesting than the one that debuted over the summer, but the above image is a brand new promo poster for Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Project which was spotted at the American Film Market by Collider. The site has also brought us a (slightly modified) synopsis:

Written and directed by Academy Award nominee Paul Thomas Anderson (the acclaimed director of, There Will Be Blood, Magnolia and Boogie Nights), this story stars Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) and Academy Award-nominee Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line). Set in America in the years following World War II, a charismatic intellectual (Hoffman) launches a faith-based organization and taps a young drifter (Phoenix) as his right-hand man. But as the faith begins to gain a fervent following, the onetime vagabond finds himself questioning the belief system he has embraced, and his mentor. A truly one-of-a-kind drama, which promises magnetic virtuoso performances, the film marks the fifth collaboration between Anderson and Hoffman, following Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch Drunk Love.

Now many of you are probably asking, why is it being billed as "Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Project" after we thought it had been titled "The Master" back in June? Well, we're not sure actually. In June @TheInsneider at Variety said it was confirmed (and we figured Variety was a pretty legit source) but it seems very possible that may not be the final title after all or maybe Paul's just keeping his options open. It would definitely be a little strange at this point to start referring to it as something else, especially after a year of it being "The Master" but trust in Paul, all will be revealed.

Albert Brooks Turned Down Burt Reynolds Part In ‘Boogie Nights'

It's always fun to think about the things that might have been, particularly when it comes to casting. We already know that Paul had originally wanted Leonardo DiCaprio for Dirk Diggler in "Boogie Nights" but according to a recent interview with Collider, it looks like Albert Brooks (seen most recently in this year's excellent "Drive") says he had to turn down the part of Jack Horner because he was in preproduction on his own movie (looks like either "Mother" or "The Muse").

Is there a part over the last decade or two that you were offered that you turned down and still think about?

Brooks: Well, I turned down so many parts. I couldn’t even begin to tell you. Dead Poets Society and Big and Pretty Woman. One part that I actually wanted to play, and I was in pre-production of my own movie, just because I thought I wanted to work with Paul [Thomas Anderson] was the part that Burt Reynolds got in Boogie Nights. I liked that whole ensemble. When I read that script, I really liked it. But I couldn’t stop, I couldn’t shut down what I was doing. But, regrets are stupid; they don’t mean anything and they don’t add up to anything.

No new news on "The Master" front. But you can check out "The Master" cast here. And for some reason if you like sitting through commercials, AMC is airing "There Will Be Blood" this Saturday where it will be edited and likely still 4 hours long.
Stay tuned on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.

Laura Dern Talks ‘The Master,' Working With PTA

As you know, things have been very quiet on "The Master" front for quite some time now. Principal photography is finished and the cast have all moved on to other projects. But lucky for us, those projects will inevitably include interviews in which some intrepid journalist will ask the actor in question about the mysterious 'Master.' Actress Laura Dern, who plays a still unknown role in the film, is currently promoting her new HBO series "Enlightened" when she was asked by The Press Assocation (whatever that is) about her experience on the project.

"It's an amazing experience. Joaquin's such an incredible actor and Philip Seymour Hoffman was in the film, they're doing such incredible work. I think [Paul's] so brilliant and one of our most important visionaries ever in film."

And there you have it, the vault once again becomes sealed. As always, more information when it arrives.

Ambyr Childers Joined ‘The Master' As Elizabeth

You may have noticed it's been a while since our last update but fear not, we have not gone on hiatus. The film, which wrapped up principal photography a few months ago, is now in post-production which means Paul and co. have basically gone into hiding. But just believe that it's killing us as much as it's killing you. But to tide you over until we see some sort of official look at the film, we do have a bit of late-casting news via The Playlist. Ambyr Childers, a vet of daytime soap "All My Children" was cast as Elizabeth, the daughter of Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) in the film. You can now see her in our updated "The Master" cast.

In other news, The AV Club recently had an interview with "Hung" star Thomas Jane. He talks about peeing in Paul's lawn and choosing to do a Gene Hackman movie over a second role in "Magnolia." You will probably want to read it.

If you've been following our Twitter account you'd already know that you might want to check out "Elmer Gantry" for a bit of inspiration. Carry on and stay tuned on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.

‘The Master' Wraps, Probably Isn't About Scientology Still

One of the single, most common things in sports is having the general manager come out publicly and start insisting that whatever rumor about this player or that manager is dominating the press is 100% not happening or untrue. And then a week or two later, whatever was reported usually happens.

At a wrap-party for Ides Of March, one of the writers from Hollywood Elsewhere caught up with Philip Seymour Hoffman (allegedly known as "Philly" in that group) and he asked him directly about some of the endless Master/Scientology reports. Their conversation:

PSH: "It's not a scientology film."

HE: "But I've read an early draft and it seems to be about a Scientology-like cult...and I've read about the parallels."

PSH: "I don't know what you've heard and what script you've read...Trust me, it's not about Scientology."

So there you have it officially from The Master's mouth. It is, or is not, about Scientology. Sleep well until around December when we'll actually have the answer and perhaps the first teaser trailer.

It's A Boy!

Major congratulations are in order to Paul & Maya on the birth of their first son, Jack. Congrats guys! People Magazine writes...

The Bridesmaids star, 38, and director Paul Thomas Anderson welcomed their third child, son Jack, on July 3, her rep tells PEOPLE.

Jack – who is home and doing great – joins big sisters Pearl, 5½, and Lucille, 20 months.

While pregnant, Rudolph said she was especially excited to discover the sex of the baby, which she and Anderson chose not to find out prior to the delivery.

"The exciting part is not knowing who's coming," she explained. "You have to wait nine months for a surprise, but then it's a good payoff because it really is a surprise."

Feel free to leave them some well wishes in the comments on the off-chance that they might read them. Though we can only imagine how stressful it is having a baby while filming your movie, things have been very quiet since "The Master" moved to LA. The only thing of note we've come across is a short piece on Hollywood Elsewhere that points out the script's similarities to Herman Melville. Very interesting indeed.
Once again, congrats to Paul & Maya from C&RV and stay tuned on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates (and babies).

Sound Mixer Michael Semanick Talks ‘Magnolia,' ‘There Will Be Blood'

Quiet week for news on "The Master" as we hear filming has moved to LA for the remainder of the shoot so it looks like we've seen the last of our set images until Paul decides to release one of his own. If you follow us on Twitter you'll see we had heard from one of the extras working on the final days of the Bay Area shoot that Paul was "very hands-on, very present" while filming and not content to hang out in video village.

In lieu of any new news, site contributor Zablotny recently pointed us to this video interview with two time Academy Award winning Sound Mixer Michael Semanick who has worked with Paul on all of his films since "Magnolia." You can check out the full video above though we've transcribed the PTA-related bits. At about the 32:45 mark, Michael spoke a little bit about working with Paul on "There Will Be Blood"