What Wes Anderson thinks of social media imitations of his aesthetic

Wes Anderson has such a distinct style across his films, from The Royal Tenenbaums to The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Moonrise Kingdom, up to and including his latest film, The Phoenician Scheme, that many have tried to mimic his aesthetic online.

Wes Anderson Palettes on Tumblr focused on the colors the celebrated American filmmaker favors. On Instagram, Accidentally Wes Anderson highlights locations in the real world that seem to fit perfectly into Anderson’s filmic universe. And in 2023, TikTokkers made a trend of framing themselves as a character in an Anderson film.

But what does Anderson make of all this? Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? Or is it flattening the art of his films into a superficial trend?

Wes Anderson responds to social media imitations of his aesthetic.

Wes Anderson on the set of “The Phoenician Scheme.”
Credit: Do Minh / TPS Productions / Focus Features

While interviewing Anderson about The Phoenician Scheme, I asked what he makes of the online fervor around his films’ looks. I specifically mentioned Accidentally Wes Anderson, as Focus Features teamed up with the Instagram account for a pair of advanced screenings of The Phoenician Scheme.

Of that account, Anderson said, “Well, the Accidentally people, they tend to [post] landscapes and objects and things. And they’re all these kind of great pictures. I see them, and I get it. I understand the connection, and I’m interested. I’d like to visit this place or that place. They’re just good.”

However, he’s less fond of other attempts at capturing his style. “If it’s somebody who’s imitating me [and my work], but making the people just stoic, dead expression,” he said, “I don’t feel that’s what I do. I wouldn’t print [that] take, right?”

Benicio del Toro and Mia Threapleton in “The Phoenician Scheme.”
Credit: Courtesy of TPS Productions / Focus Features

Anderson went onto explain he’s not very online, saying, “I’m on, like, Wikipedia, and I do a ton of emails. I mean, we do so much work by emails, but I don’t have any social media. And if somebody tells me, look at this thing [on social media] —  I can’t even. It doesn’t even tell me how to get into that. I don’t have any password.” His awareness of the online memes and accounts about his work is something he is mostly aware of because of friends sending him screenshots.

Still, he mused about such fan reactions, “But then I think, ‘Well, what is it that I’m doing that makes you think that’s what I like?’ But I get, I understand. There are things that maybe if you reduce them a little bit? But whatever it is, mostly it’s nice to have people be interested.

“If somebody’s inspired to make something because of something I made, I like that. Because I’ve been inspired to make things by things other people have made. That’s my main reaction, and beyond that, my main reaction is, I never look at any of this stuff.”

The Phoenician Scheme is now playing in theaters everywhere.