Martin Scorsese Nearly Quit Filmmaking After 2004’s 'The Aviator'

Martin Scorsese is undoubtedly one of the greatest directors of all time. The filmmaker has given some of the iconic movies like “Raging Bull,” “Goodfellas,” and the latest Netflix flick “The Irishman.” But if you think the journey has been smooth for him, then you are absolutely wrong.

Due to the never-ending tensions between Scorsese and the studio, he nearly thought of quitting the industry in 2004 while making “The Aviator”.

Speaking in an interview with The New York Times, the 77-year-old director revealed that the tensions between the “Departed” helmer and Warner Bros. became so intense that he threatened to leave the world of filmmaking behind.

Talking about the matter, Scorsese revealed that he went down to show the movie to the studio executives and after seeing the film, they decided to tell him that the duration of the movie can pose a problem for them. In the end, the studio wanted Scorsese to shorten the length of the movie.

The “Wolf Of Wall Street” helmer kept on telling the executives that he won’t be changing anything in the movie, not even the duration and found himself “butting heads” with the management. Scorsese got so furious that he threatened the studio to leave filmmaking if they continue to interfere in his movies.

“I said if this is the way you have to make films then I am not going to do it anymore. It is like you are in a bunker and you are firing out in all directions. You begin to realize you are not speaking the same language anymore, so you cannot make pictures anymore,” Scorsese said.

The film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett in pivotal roles, proved to be a gigantic hit and went on to win five Oscars.

Meanwhile, he also admitted that he still hasn’t seen “Joker” and does not have any plans to see the movie because he knows what it is all about. “ I saw clips of it. I know it. So it’s like, why do I need to [see it]? I get it. It’s fine,” Scorsese said.

His new movie “The Irishman” is considered to be one of the top contenders in the Best Picture category at the upcoming Academy Awards. When the publication asked about that one movie that could give a stiff competition to others in the category, Scorsese said Bong Joon-Ho’s “Parasite.”

“The Irishman” has turned out to be a massive success for the filmmaker. The film was recently regarded as one of the top 10 movies of the year by the American Film Institute (AFI). Meanwhile, it was named Best Picture of 2019 by the National Board Of Review (NBR), San Diego Film Critics Society, and New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC).

The film, starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci in lead roles, is nominated for 14 awards at the Critics’ Choice Awards, including a Best Director nod for Scorsese. On the other hand, it got four noms at the Golden Globes.