Inside Maya Rudolph and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Private World

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Paul Thomas Anderson’s films often explore troubled relationships, self-absorbed creative types, fading ambitions, and characters facing desperate situations that push them to extreme lengths.

So, no wonder home is a respite for the 55-year-old.

The creator of One Battle After Another, who is up for nine awards at the 2026 Golden Globes on January 11th – more than anyone else – has four children with his partner, Maya Rudolph. That explains why she accompanied him to the Gotham Awards last month.

Although they’ve occasionally worked together—with the Saturday Night Live graduate appearing in small but memorable roles in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice and Licorice Pizza—they don’t fit the typical Hollywood couple mold.

Anderson admitted he was “quite nervous” when he heard the media had started calling them celebrity royalty back in 2018, as he shared with the Los Angeles Times. He also found humor in a paparazzi photo taken without his knowledge during a doctor’s visit, describing it as both “horrifying” and “hilarious.”

Oh my gosh, I totally remember that moment! I was watching and just thought, ‘Seriously? Is that even humanly possible? We could never look like that, could we?’ It was breathtaking, honestly!

While they don’t avoid red carpet events altogether, Paul and Rudolph haven’t been a constant presence at them over their twenty years together. She frequently joins him at the Oscars—and fans always hope she’ll host someday—and it’s expected she’ll be by his side again in March when Anderson is likely to receive his fourth Best Picture nomination for One Battle After Another.

Anderson grew up and still lives in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley with his family. They are parents to four children: Pearl, 20, Lucille, 16, Jack, 14, and Minnie, 12. Their youngest daughter, Minnie, is named after the late singer Minnie Riperton.

Anderson described the atmosphere as reminiscent of the famous family from The Sound of Music, though he admitted he wasn’t very familiar with the film. He explained it felt similar to a scene in You Can’t Take It with You, where a woman walks into a house full of dozens of family members all making noise. ‘It’s a little like that,’ he said. ‘Everyone’s just making a lot of noise – someone’s at the piano, someone’s on the drums, someone’s singing. It’s very chaotic.’

He said he’d lived in the San Fernando Valley most of his life because of his strong personal memories and his desire for his children to create their own memories there too.

All four of the musically talented children appeared in the 2021 film Licorice Pizza. Additionally, Pearl also had a role as Sister Coco in One Battle After Another.

Rudolph, originally from Florida, quit Saturday Night Live when her daughter, Pearl, was two years old. She was exhausted from traveling back and forth between New York and Los Angeles.

The popular comedian explained to the New York Times in 2018 that parenting was incredibly challenging. He felt people without children often didn’t understand or empathize with the difficulties. He described a situation where friends, excited about seeing Justin Timberlake and his son’s involvement in a performance, asked what he was up to, while he was dealing with his daughter being ill and needing to go home. He recalled giving them a distant, preoccupied look as he explained the situation.

Being a mother to four children made it clear that she couldn’t possibly do everything, but the actress, known for her role in Loot, realized that as long as her kids felt loved and well-cared for, she could balance work and the guilt of being away from them.

In 2019, Rudolph explained to People that she focused on creating the best possible situation for her family. She also said she began to feel less guilt, as she was proud of the wonderful children she was raising.

Saturday Night Live has brought together many couples, including Paul Rudolph and Bridget Anderson, who met at an after-party in 2001.

In a 2024 interview with Town & Country, Rudolph shared that her husband once told her he’d seen her in a drawing and decided she was the one he wanted to marry. However, she jokingly questioned if the story was true, saying she wasn’t even there at the time and he might have just been trying to be charming.

That’s the gist of it. Anderson really loves comedy, and when he finally had the opportunity to impress someone he admired, he absolutely nailed it.

He recalled meeting Molly Shannon, who invited him to observe the making of a film. He was writing Punch-Drunk Love at the time and was particularly fascinated by Adam Sandler’s previous work on the show, so he happily accepted her offer to get a behind-the-scenes look.

After spending a week at Saturday Night Live and directing a short film, Anderson felt overwhelmed. He remembered thinking it was a fantastic experience, but one he wouldn’t want to repeat due to the sheer amount of work involved.

Then, someone showed him a note mentioning that Maya Rudolph would be joining the cast the next week.

He told Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes that he remembered seeing her name written down somewhere. He described the feeling of seeing something that instantly makes you realize your life will never be the same, even if you don’t understand how or why.

He recalled feeling a strong impulse – that inspiring feeling anyone can experience if they’re receptive to it. This led him to start following a particular show, where he was captivated by one of the performers. He kept in contact with some people involved with the show and was deeply impressed by this woman’s talent.

He went back to the film set for a meeting, but immediately after, he had to travel to London to begin work on Punch-Drunk Love. Once there, he realized something wasn’t working and decided to return to New York.

After which he asked her out and they’ve been together ever since.

Though not legally married, Rudolph and Anderson call each other husband and wife. Rudolph explained to the New York Times that referring to Anderson as her ‘boyfriend’ felt strange after they had a child together.

She explained that ‘husband’ signifies a deep commitment: he’s the father of her child, they share a life together, and they’re committed to staying together for the long term.

I’m so excited – it looks like they might be at the Golden Globes tonight! I’ve been checking out the seating chart – it’s out now, if you want to see where everyone will be for the show on January 11th.

Singer Charli XCX, along with actors Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams from the show Heated Rivalry, will be attending the 2026 Golden Globes.

All Her Fault star Sarah Snook and Bugonia star Emma Stone can trade haircare tips.

Hamnet costars Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are keeping it classy at their corner of the table.

Leonardo DiCaprio can share some laughs with fellow tablemates Miley Cyrus and Marlon Wayans.

Kate Hudson, Chris Pine and more stars will be sharing a few sushi bites together.

Their table also includes more big names like George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Pamela Anderson.

Melissa McCarthy and Joe Keery, known from Stranger Things, will likely have Kyra Sedgwick laughing all night long.

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2026-01-11 20:19