Claim: Paul Thomas Anderson was the lead in Inherent Vice.
Evidence: His seventh film , the crime comedy-drama Inherent Vice , based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Pynchon , was released in 2014 , to general acclaim.
The work went on to receive a number of award nominations , including two Oscar nominations and a Best Actor Golden Globe Award nomination for Phoenix.
The seventh feature film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson , Inherent Vice was adapted by Anderson from the novel of the same name by Thomas Pynchon ; the cast includes Joaquin Phoenix , Josh Brolin , Owen Wilson , Katherine Waterston , Eric Roberts , Reese Witherspoon , Benicio del Toro , Jena Malone , Joanna Newsom , Jeannie Berlin , Maya Rudolph , Michael K. Williams and Martin Short.