Threading the tale: Paul Thomas Anderson

Paul Thomas Anderson has long been regarded as one of the greatest film directors of his generation, with modern classics such as There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights and Magnolia on his CV

Paul Thomas Anderson on the set of Phantom Thread Pic: Mark Tillie
Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis in conversation at the Academy Awards in December 2017 Pic: Getty

‘Come on, then,” writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson calls out from across a plush room in a London hotel. “Ask the question.”

“Which question?” I shout back, as he stands from the couch and walks across the room with a relaxed smile on his boyish, bearded face. Still only 47, the Californian has made eight feature films ...