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There is perhaps no nicer man in Hollywood right now than Paul Walter Hauser.
Its unusual to meet an actor with such a complete lack of cynicism, but its incredibly welcome.
Nevertheless, Hauser was pretty pleased when Disney asked him to audition anyway.
Every job is precious hes not going to blow it.
Lets get right into it: What came first, the director or the Dalmatians?
Oh, boy, I love dogs.
I do have a great affection for all things canine.
Obviously, Im a fan of Disney and much of what they put out.
How familiar were you with the very specific, bold culture of the movies 1970s London setting?
I wasnt very familiar with the era or the geographical place.
I had never been to London, or anywhere in Europe, before I shot the film.
For me, it was a lot about leaning into the timelessness of Horaces behavioral patterns.
Hes really good at a few things, but hes also kind of absentminded like myself.
Theres something inherently playful to him, even when its criminal or dark.
Who and what did you draw from to really nail it?
Ive been a fan of accents my whole life.
Was it a case of Joel being your unofficial tour guide around London?
He doesnt show up trying to impress or steal the show.
Hes a very smart, thoughtful, internalized actor who also just happens to have great comedy chops.
Its kind of like Christopher Guest.
People who have met Christopher Guest probably said he seemed a little straightforward.
And then you see him in his roles, and hes just off-the-wall bonkers and hilarious.
We are very proud of our Indian food in London.
I went to a place called Dishoom and had a really great meal.
I love Indian food.
And then Joel took me to this bar called the Spanish Bar.
Its just a little hole in the wall down an alleyway.
It was just so cute and quaint, totally off the grid, with no tourists there.
Was it as dystopian as it sounds?
That was an interesting thing that happened last summer.
That was the height of the pandemic where everyone was literally standing ten feet away from each other.
It was so bizarre.
Its 130 pages, so its kind of epic think Marvel meets the Bible.
Thatll be my 20th screenplay Ive ever written.
That matters to me.
Do you have anyone else in mind that youd love to show the world next?
Another one would be this wrestler named Arn Anderson.
Social media seems to play a big part in your decision-making process and general existence in the film industry.
Do you still feel like the internet is an asset to your career?
Ive tried to learn how to balance it.
But now Im back.
Some people have been hitting me up like, Hey, you didnt follow me back?
Or Hey, did you check the message?
And you feel thats quite demanding of you?
Yeah, very, very much so.
Im happy that people are enthusiastic and that they like the stuff Im taking part in.
On Twitter, you posted a pretty recent list of ten movies that you say blew your mind.
Do you have any additions youd now like to make on the record?
Like, its kind of crazy how many things went right that could have gone amiss.
Then I also lovedThe Fatherwith Anthony Hopkins; that blew my mind from an acting standpoint.
Anthony Hopkins is just a genius and did something thats incredibly tough to do as an actor.
I also really enjoyedNobody Ithought it was a cool, different take on the action genre.
Could you see yourself in a role like that?
A very grisly action lead with little comedic value?
I would love that.
Are there any classics youd be particularly keen to remake?
And they said, Man, we could totally see you in a movie like this.
Maybe Robert Pattinson could be [Robert] De Niro and were on the run for the whole film.
Thats just a simple, cool action film.
Studios overcomplicate movies now.
You dont need a $70 million budget.
You dont need 90 famous people in your movies.
Youve just got to do something simple really well.
So lets end things simply.
Who would win in a fight: Emma Thompson or Emma Stone?
Shes a very peaceful woman.
Emma Stone is younger and has a fire about her.
So Im going to pick Emma Stone on this one; Im going to say Cruella de Vil.
