Seven empty chairs line the stage, waiting to be filled. Camera flashes light up the room, and excited chatter from reporters who flew in from all over the world can be heard. Tension builds as the crowd anticipates being among the first to hear from iconic Hollywood stars about their latest project. 

At a press conference on Sept. 11, the cast of Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film “One Battle After Another” sat down to answer burning questions about the action-packed movie.

“One Battle After Another” follows Bob, an ex-revolutionary who lives off the grid with his daughter, Willa. The two are struggling to coexist with each other due to their generational differences and Bob’s state of stoned paranoia. When his long-time enemy resurfaces and Willa goes missing, Bob is forced to confront his past and reunite with old connections in order to find her.  

The movie is being described as Anderson’s most ambitious project yet, car chases and martial arts being a large step away from his more visually laid-back works. However, “One Battle After Another” has no shortage of the emotional turmoil and character dynamics he’s known for. 

When asked by conference moderator Erik Davis what he learned about himself as a filmmaker when creating his big action sequences, Anderson replied, “I learned that it’s a lot more boring than it looks when you see it on the film. It certainly doesn’t give you the intense satisfaction that it does working hand-to-hand in a scene with actors, that’s the most fun that you can have and the most satisfying.” 

Anderson went on to describe how small, intimate scenes with actors have a greater payoff because you can see the results before your eyes, but when you’re shooting cars driving fast, you have to wait until you get to the cutting room to see the vision unfold. 

Teyana Taylor was also present, and she brought a beautiful, electric energy to the interview, illuminating the stage with her natural humor. She portrays the character of Perfidia Beverly Hills, a name she drew inspiration from after Anderson played a Spanish song called “Perfidia” for her. 

Taylor explained how the girl Perfidia in the song is described as selfish and manipulative, but also bada**.

“And it’s like we don’t always agree with the things that she do, but we see a woman in survival mode and we see a woman literally show up for herself, which is a rare thing because we’re forced to be strong,” Taylor said. 

Taylor did admit that she didn’t feel ready for the more physical elements of her scenes, stating, “I wasn’t prepared for the running, I wasn’t.”

Film legend Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays the film’s leading protagonist, Bob, was asked at the conference about his most fulfilling moment on set. 

DiCaprio revealed that it was when they had the opportunity to work with locals at their filming locations. 

“There were real shop owners, real soldiers, real correction facility people, corrections officers, nurses, all that stuff. The integration almost felt like doing a documentary simultaneously, because those locations informed the narrative and the culture of what this movie and who our characters were,” DiCaprio said. 

While the cast could think of many unique moments during the filming process, DiCaprio and Anderson had trouble recalling any challenges they faced, except for getting room service late at night. 

“I hear the word challenging and it doesn’t compute, thinking back at the experience, it was just joy to go to work, and frustrating to go to sleep and exciting to wake up the next day for another day’s work,” Anderson explained. 

“One Battle After Another” is actress Chase Infiniti’s film debut. She plays Bob’s daughter Willa, a young woman who is struggling to connect with her ex-revolutionary father due to their generational gap. 

When asked about her process to becoming the character Willa, Infiniti responded, “I think more than anything, what I wanted to do was hone in on her feeling of not fully knowing a bit of her story.”

Despite it being her first project, Infiniti tried not to let her nerves get the best of her because she wanted to be a strong scene partner for her fellow actors. 

The entire cast urged viewers to see the film in theaters, as the movie begs to be experienced in a communal setting, on the biggest screen possible. “One Battle After Another” comes to theaters Sept. 26 .