The director of Gladiator II says the experience taught him to “never trust what people write about you.”
Most people frame awards or diplomas, but director Ridley Scott has a 42-year-old review framed in his office—a review he says “destroyed” him.
While talking to Entertainment Weekly about his new movie Gladiator II, Scott brought up the framed review while discussing the huge expectations for the sequel to the 2000 hit Gladiator, which won Best Picture.
Advertisement Well, you might not agree, but as a director at my age, I’ve stopped reading reviews. I haven’t read any since Pauline Kael’s review of Blade Runner, Pauline Kael completely tore apart Blade Runner 42 years ago. I was so upset by it that I framed her four-page review from The New Yorker. It’s in my office now to remind me never to trust reviews, whether they’re good or bad. That’s why I don’t read them anymore.
he shared from his LA office.
Pauline Kael had a lot of harsh opinions about the 1982 sci-fi movie Blade Runner. While she admired its unique style, she criticized it for lacking emotional depth. In her review, she wrote,
Blade Runner doesn’t offer the audience anything—not even a moment to feel sad for Sebastian. It doesn’t feel like it was made with real human emotions in mind. If someone ever invents a test to find humanoids, maybe Ridley Scott and his team should hide. With all the smoke in the movie, it seems like everyone who worked on it needs to clean their chimneys.
See More: Ridley Scott Says He’s Trying To “Embrace” A.I., Despite, You Know, Blade Runner
Scott’s choice to frame the review and stop reading others has worked out for him. Over time, Blade Runner became one of his most respected films, and he’s been nominated for four Academy Awards since then. This experience taught him to trust himself.
In my job, there are always people doubting me, and it can drive me crazy. But after doing this for so long, I know how to handle the challenges,
he said
Scott doesn’t want people to think his experience lets him do whatever he wants with his movies.
Don’t say I get to do whatever I want—that doesn’t feel right, I have a lot of respect for the people who trust me with their money to make a movie. For me, every film I make is like a dream come true.
he explained
Ridley Scott’s mindset has helped him and led to an impressive variety of movies. While many of his films are big hits, he’s also shown great skill in making different kinds of movies. From Alien and its prequels to Blade Runner, The Martian, Gladiator, and now Gladiator II, his work has shaped science fiction and historical movies in big ways. Scott focuses on stories he truly believes in, and that’s what makes his movies so impactful.
Source: EW