A conversation with director Paul Thomas Anderson about his film “Boogie Nights”, which looks into the gritty world of the adult film industry of the 1970’s.

It will always boggle my mind that Paul Thomas Anderson made Boogie Nights when he was 27 years old, but it is a fact — one that’s hammered home when you watch old interviews of a young, nerdy-looking Anderson discussing the movie. Here’s a great two-part interview Anderson did with Charlie Rose around the time Boogie Nights arrived on the scene. During the chat, Anderson talks about Leonardo DiCaprio turning down the lead role in order to make Titanic, and how it was DiCaprio who suggested Anderson go meet with Mark Wahlberg. Years later DiCaprio would call that decision his “biggest regret” even though Titanic turned him into a megastar. “My biggest regret is Boogie Nights,” he said back in 2010. “I’m a huge fan of Paul Thomas Anderson but the first time I met him for that role I hadn’t really seen much of his previous work. Now I love that movie.”

The interview also touches upon Anderson’s fondness for shooting long takes, why he thinks film school is a waste of time, and, my favorite part, the origins of Rollergirl. Turns out Rollergirl is based on a character Anderson watched in a real porn movie that was hidden inside Robert Redford’s private stash. Wait, Redford has a porn stash? How Anderson wound up watching Redford’s porn movies is a funny story, and you can watch the filmmaker tell it below. Erik Davis

Charlie Rose: What was the most important thing you learned from Robert Altman?
Paul Thomas Anderson: How to giggle and give in.

My filmmaking education consisted of finding out what filmmakers I liked were watching, then seeing those films. I learned the technical stuff from books and magazines, and with the new technology you can watch entire movies accompanied by audio commentary from the director. You can learn more from John Sturges’ audio track on the ‘Bad Day at Black Rock’ laserdisc than you can in 20 years of film school. Film school is a complete con, because the information is there if you want it. Paul Thomas Anderson

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