“There’s not much there”: how Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Punch-Drunk Love’ baffled its stars
If there’s one thing Paul Thomas Anderson is not going to do, it’s box himself into one genre. From an epic drama about 1970s porn, a British period drama about an uptight dressmaker, to a violent depiction of a businessman’s quest for oil, the filmmaker has never limited himself to certain genre-related restrictions.
Anderson’s first film, Hard Eight, was a crime drama, and while it was praised, it wasn’t until he released his next movie, Boogie Nights, that he would become widely known in the industry. The filmmaker often works with ensemble casts, inspired greatly by Robert Altman, and typically imbues his films with a distinctively American sensibility. Subsequently, he has become a well-loved figure in Hollywood, praised for his ambitious approach to cinema.
In 2002, he surprised many fans when he chose to cast Adam Sandler in his romantic comedy Punch-Drunk Love. The actor had become known for comedic and wholly unserious movies like Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy during the ‘90s, but Anderson knew he had it in him to do dramatic parts, too. Sandler ended up being the perfect choice for the character of Barry, who suffers from social anxiety and loneliness. The movie follows him as he falls in love with Lena, a co-worker of his sister’s, played by Emily Watson.
Not only did Sandler prove that he was more than a comedic, one-dimensional actor, which subsequently led to future dramatic roles, but Anderson also showed that he knew how to make a good romantic comedy, blending absurd elements into the narrative.
For Watson, playing the character of Lena was also very different to what she was used to. Having made her film debut in Lars von Trier’s Breaking the Waves, the actor was no stranger to starring in controversial projects. Thus, Watson was required to approach the film differently, although she ended up finding the script baffling.
Speaking to the BBC, she explained, “I was baffled. In a funny way there’s not much there. I am so used to really challenging ‘acting’ roles, whilst with Lena everything is veiled and very subtle for lots of different reasons. Her language is oblique and strange and sideways. In a way she’s somebody’s dream, she’s not really a real person.”
She continued, explaining her interpretation of Punch-Drunk Love. “The film is about how you see the world when you’re in love. You don’t necessarily see somebody’s psychological baggage, you see the person walking out of the light.” Additionally, Watson initially struggled to adapt to Anderson’s directorial style.
“He doesn’t tell you what he wants. He lets you battle yourself into doing something. We struggled to communicate at first. I wanted him to direct me, to be an actors’ director, and he would just say things like, ‘These are not the drawings you are looking for.’ I understood him in a subtle way.”
However, Watson soon got to grips with the film and Anderson’s way of working: “You have to give yourself up to this. You have to let yourself be quite stupid and chuck everything out and see what happens. If you practise that, it gets easier.”
