20 facts you might not know about 'The Master'

When the first murmurs of The Master began, the speculation was that Anderson was making a movie about Scientology. This, obviously, garnered intrigue. However, Anderson was apparently influenced by hearing that post-war periods were often fruitful times for new spiritual movements. Some aspects akin to Scientology are in the story, but it is not some thinly-veiled story of the history of L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology.

When Anderson began writing The Master, it was something of a vague idea in his head. Instead of having a clear storyline, it was more a mixture of disparate scenes. Anderson was also pulling from all sorts of sources for his scenes. Yes, some of them were based on the life of L. Ron Hubbard, but he wasn’t the only one. Anderson also took stories from the life of John Steinbeck and stories that actor Jason Robards had told him about his time in the Navy while they were filming Magnolia. Also, some unused scenes from There Will Be Blood ended up in the mix.

Hoffman was one of Anderson’s great collaborators, and the director had him in mind for the role of Lancaster Dodd from the beginning. Hoffman signed on with his old friend and also provided feedback on the script as it was being written. It was actually Hoffman’s idea to focus less on his character and more on Freddie Quell, who would be played by Joaquin Phoenix.

Phoenix’s name was bandied about for Freddie from the beginning, but he wasn’t the only one. James Franco and Jeremy Renner were also both rumored to be up for the role during the casting process. In the end, Phoenix did get the role.

Things were weird for Phoenix prior to his signing on for The Master. It was his first movie since 2010, and his first “normal” movie since 2008. What do we mean by that? Well, in 2010, I’m Still Here came out. That’s the infamous mockumentary where Phoenix grew a beard and claimed he was becoming a rapper. You know, with the bizarre Letterman appearance and all that?

Before Adams took the role of Peggy Dodd, it was reportedly offered to Reese Witherspoon. Witherspoon didn’t take the role, but evidently, Anderson kept her in mind. She would end up appearing in Inherent Vice, which means she still got to act alongside Phoenix in an Anderson movie.

Anderson pegged a future star for the role of Val, Lancaster’s son. He’s played by Jesse Plemons. For the role of Elizabeth, Lancaster’s daughter, he cast Ambyr Childers. She had to beat out some significant competition for the role. Both Amanda Seyfried and Emma Stone were evidently considered as well.

The Master has a distinct look, and Anderson’s eye for filming plays a role in that. So does the fact it’s shot on 65mm film. It was actually the first fiction film shot on 65mm since Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet in 1996.

For the scenes shot on board a ship, an actual ship was used. Specifically, Anderson filmed on the USS Potomac. This was Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Presidential yacht, which was a good choice for a movie that takes place in the aftermath of World War II.

Phoenix is known for being an intense actor, and The Master was no different. He lost weight to play Freddie and also came up with a specific way for him to walk. According to Anderson, Phoenix stayed in character for three months. The director seemed to appreciate the commitment, though, as he allowed Phoenix to improvise during filming.

Phoenix and Hoffman had different approaches to the film, and their characters are also quite different. In order to explain the dynamic between the two, Anderson used tennis as an analogy. Specifically, he compared Phoenix to John McEnroe and compared Hoffman to Bjorn Borg.

After There Will Be Blood, Universal wanted to be in the P.T. Anderson game. They were the original producers of The Master, but they eventually passed on the project due to concerns with the script and the projected budget. The movie ended up being financed by the newly formed production company Annapurna Pictures, making it one of their first films.

If Universal’s concern was making their money back, they may have been justified. The Master was made for a budget of $32 million, but it only made $28.3 million in the box office. That’s not bad for an idiosyncratic indie film, but it still failed to make its money back.

The movie debuted at the Venice International Film Festival, where it won Best Director and Best Actor — the latter award shared by Phoenix and Hoffman. Reportedly, it was also set to win Best Film, but the festival wanted to spread the wealth and gave that award to another movie. It was also named the best movie of the year by The AV Club, Indiewire, Sight and Soud, and The Village Voice in their end-of-year polls.

Anderson apparently was quite happy with The Master. Though he has also said he’s “not sure it’s entirely successful,” the director has repeatedly called it his favorite film of all the movies he’s made. He’s even gone as far as to say, “I think that won’t change.”

The Master is an acting showcase, and the nominations from the Academy Awards is indicative of that. All three of the nominations it received were for acting. Phoenix, Hoffman, and Adams all got nods, but none of the three ended up winning.

Though The Master is not a beat-for-beat adaptation of the story of Scientology, it does have its parallels. Tom Cruise, the most famous Scientologist, had previously starred in Anderson’s film Magnolia. Anderson evidently screened the film for Cruise, and there have been reports that Cruise was not happy with some aspects of the film. Although, Anderson said after that “everything is fine” between him and Cruise.

In the film, a psychologist administers a Rorschach Test. You know, the test with the ink blots where you say what they look like to you. The blots used in the film were real card from the Rorschach Test, but apparently they skip from the first card to the fourth card. You are supposed to use the cards in a specific order, and failing to do so is a violation of the rules of the group that administers the Rorschach Test.

When Freddie is in his jail cell, he has a freak out. Remember when we said Phoenix was allowed to improvise? Well, he improvised that scene, including the part where he broke the toilet. Not only was that a real toilet, it was considered a “historical” piece of the building, which means breaking it caused trouble. Phoenix said that he didn’t mean to break the toilet, and in fact had not believe it to be possible.

Anderson is a comedy fan and has cast comedians and comedy actors in unexpected roles. For example, Paul F. Tompkins has a role in There Will Be Blood. Jillian Bell has a role as Susan Gregory in The Master, and Anderson spotted her in an unexpected place. He was a fan of Comedy Central’s raunchy comedy Workaholics, which Bell acted on.