The Originals #18 Paul Schrader

A deep, dark, sometimes unsettling look into the mind of writer, director Paul Schrader, whose new film The Card Counter, starring Oscar Isaac and Tiffany Haddish hits theaters September 10.  The First Reformed and Affliction director bears all—his bleak Calvinist upbringing, how his dad felt about his "porn" film, the days spent driving around LA with a fifth of liquor under the seat and a gun in the glove box while writing Taxi Driver. Hear about his unwelcome correspondence with would-be Reagan assassin (and Jodie Foster fan) John Hinckley. Why Scorsese, unlike he, just couldn't be trusted with Scarface piles of coke. Plus: blunt reviews of Joker and The Irishman--and a surprising admission to Andrew about his pre-premiere mindset.

Click here to read Stephen Rodrick's unforgettable 2013 piece about the making of The Canyons, Schrader's crowdfunded erotic thriller starring Lindsay Lohan and porn star James Deen. (New York Times sub. req.)