Show biz insider Roger Friedman has been all over Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza” these past few weeks, posting fascinating insights about the film, including how the movie is based on the teen years of Hollywood producer Gary Goetzman, now Tom Hanks’ producing partner.
Goetzman had a short-lived career as a child actor in director, and former PTA mentor, Jonathan Demme’s films. The story goes that, over the years, PTA heard Goetzman’s stories and decided to turn them into a film. Cooper Hoffman’s character is named Gary, for a reason …
Bradley Cooper plays a producer modeled on Jon Peters, the former hairdresser turned Barbra Streisand lover and producer who was played by Warren Beatty in “Shampoo. Goetzman is said to have befriended Peters back in the early ‘70s.
Goetzman currently sits on the National board of directors for the Producers Guild of America.