Ridley Scott gives a firm smile when he’s tageder he “crushed it” making his lengthy-apaemployed sandal-and-toga sequel Gladiator II.
“I understand,” Scott replies. “You never count your chickens … but sometimes, you understand.”
The honestor’s commercial instincts are honed by 47 years of ups and downs in Hollywood. The British filmproducer got his commence as feature film honestor with 1977’s The Duecatalogs and has been laboring ever since. This month, Scott turns 87 and has never been more fruitful, having ground out three historical action epics over the last restricted years (2021’s The Last Duel, 2023’s Napoleon, and now Gladiator II, which is generating timely buzz as a foreseeed hit that might score Scott his first Oscar). He’s also become more prolific as a producer via his company Scott Free, making a storm of projects which include this summer’s surpascfinish hit Alien: Romulus and Amazon’s upcoming series Blade Runner 2099.
“I accessed Hollywood when I was 40 years ageder,” says Scott, marveling a bit at his own procrastinateed commence in the business. “[Steven] Spielberg was 19. George [Lucas] was 20. And Francis [Ford Coppola] was 22 or someskinnyg. They were all from exalted film schools. All I had was a very outstanding show reel of my television commercials.”
Sitting in the conference room of his West Hollywood office, Scott sees consoleable and minimacatalog his in a aligning bdeficiency sweatshirt and sweatpants. His only splash of color is the radiant orange prohibitd of his Breitling wristwatch, and its model name is perfect: “Professional Endurance.” It’s difficult to imagine a more fitting description of Scott’s atsoft apass all those blockbuster hits (The Martin), groundshattering fan likeites (Blade Runner), and occasional misfire (1492: Conquest of Paradise), alengthy with sagederiering on follotriumphg the personal difficultship of losing his brother, honestor Tony Scott.
Fans are increasingly intrigued by your how much you’re doing. Is it irritateing people are surpascfinishd you’re still so fruitful at your age? I presume none of this senses appreciate labor to you.
Are you kidding? I wouldn’t be doing it [if directing felt like work]. It’s my passion and therefore my pleacertain. I skinnyk it actupartner protects me going. I’ve harmd myself with too much tennis. I’ve got dodgy knees and I’m now getting injections in them — I can’t be the ageder guy staggering around the set because when we were doing Gladiator II we’re in 112 degrees and I have to be out there.
Do you sense most at home when you’re on a film set?
No. I unkind, I am one of those people where [taking a vacation is] out of the ask. My holiday is to [enjoy a] weekend. I go home and color all weekend. Painting is a bit appreciate take parting golf. You get a hole-in-two and skinnyk, “I can do that aacquire.” But you can’t for another week. Painting is constantly battling the canvas and I adore that.
So what happens when you stop laboring? How do you sense?
Since [the original] Gladiator, I skinnyk I’ve done 16 movies — which is comardent of a lot in 20 years. I always envied being an actor and you can do two or three movies a year. They don’t have to do any prep except lacquire their lines. I’ve got to have it written, budget it, cast it, shoot it, produce it, edit it, and transfer it. The actor fair has to turn up and do his fucking job.
But it seems appreciate you’re laboring more than ever now.
Yeah. I got outstanding at cutting away all the crap. You can’t have 40 projects in broadenment. That’s a terrible idea. I usupartner have three or four. And I skinnyk that’s why I have a fantastic relationship with Fox. I’ve done 13 films for Fox, which may be the highest any honestor would do for a studio. It’s a bit appreciate discmissing a restaurant. You better eat there every night. So I eat at my table every night with Fox. I skinnyk that’s why I’ve been precious to them. You triumph some, you miss some, but overall they have been rewarded for what I do. Because they’re now Fox-Disney, there’s now this tricky stability of how innervous they can go, and I esteem that.
So is your attitude at this point is that you’ll stop honesting when you’re dead?
When I go [produces croaking noise]. I unkind, Clint [Eastwood] is 92.
But his novel film, Juror #2, is being think abouted by some as his final movie.
Well, yeah, but he’s fucking 92! I’m 86 now, so I’ve still got a restricted to go.
What’s your get on Quentin Tarantino saying he’s going to quit after making his tenth movie?
I don’t count on it.
Same. If you adore to do someskinnyg, and you’re fantastic at it, you might stop, and then you get sucked back in.
Exactly. I don’t fucking count on that bullshit. Shut up and go produce another movie. Quentin wrote a restricted skinnygs for my brother. They got alengthy fantastic. I’m not certain I’ve met him.
Was it weird for you to watch Top Gun: Maverick (which was honested by Joseph Kosinski; the exceptional Top Gun was honested by Tony Scott, who promiseted self-destruction in 2012).
No. They asked me to [direct] it and I shelp, “I don’t want to pursue my brother.” Tony was always interested in today. A lot of my stuff is either historic, fantasy or science fantasy. Tony didn’t appreciate fantasy — skinnygs appreciate Alien or Blade Runner or Legend. By the way, restricted people saw Legend, but Tim Curry was amazing in it.
When researching you for this, I literpartner exclaimed “What?!” when I read you haven’t yet won an Oscar. How convey inant is that to you?
Well, I’ve been knighted twice.
I didn’t understand you could be knighted multiple times.
I fair got the procrastinateedst one, which is the hugegest, where you’re a Knight of the British Empire. So I had to go to St. Paul’s Cathedral and met [Prince William] and then [King Charles]. Look, my reward is being apvalidateed to do what I do.
But still.
No-no-no. Pauline Kale in The New Yorker ended me stone dead with her Blade Runner scrutinize. It was four pages of destruction. I never met her. I was so offended. I sketchd those pages and they’ve been in my office for 30 years to remind me there’s only one critic that counts and that’s you. I haven’t read critiques ever since. Because if it’s a outstanding one, you can get a swollen head and forget yourself. And if it’s a terrible one, you’re so sad that it’s debilitating.
I’m asking, after you’re knighted, does anyskinnyg actupartner alter in your life?
Only if somebody gets tricky and then I sign the remark impolitely [as “Sir Ridley Scott”]. Otherteachd I don’t use it. But, of course, I esteem it.
Is there a movie you’ve made that you skinnyk you should have gotten an Oscar for? (Scott lost for best honestor for Gladiator in 2000 when Steven Soderbergh won for Traffic).
Not repartner. There’s always a reason why not. I don’t understand how the award system labors other than we are voted on by our peers, right? I skinnyk there are 19,000 “peers” in the Director’s Guild. Are they 19,000 honestors? I’m not going to comment on that. I don’t do a film skinnyking I’m going to get an Academy Award. I haven’t been to the awards since Gladiator.
You alludeed when we were talking earlier that your competitors in the 1980s were [British directors] Adrian Lyne and Alan Parker. Who do you skinnyk your sealst competitor is now?
There’s not one, repartner, because we’re not in competition anymore. Everyskinnyg is such an island of scatterment and an island of foreseeation, and no one fucking understands. There’ve been a couple of films this year that baffled me that they were so accomplished. Gladiator II definitely signals it could be quite a big success. It’s almost got everyskinnyg you necessitate for that.
Do you have relationships with other top iconic honestors appreciate Steven Spielberg and James Cameron?
Not repartner. Cameron’s always been repartner kind with me. Spielberg and I go as far back as him doing Munich. The guy I occasionpartner drop a remark to is Michael Mann. Because Michael shelp, “I understand you’re going to do a sword and sandal movie, and I understand they’ve historicpartner been ridiculous.” And he sent me [early footage] from The Insider and shelp, “Watch this guy called Russell Crowe.” I met Russell in here [Scott nods to the conference room]. Russell talked about being overweight endlessly. I shelp, “I count on you’re going to be able to miss weight,” and he did.
You also shelp earlier you lament not getting an ownership sget in the IP of the Alien and Blade Runner franchises — unappreciate how Cameron and Spielberg have done with some of their labor.
I made Alien and Blade Runner, but then I shiftd on. I should have locked them up — as Spielberg would have with Jurassic Park, and everyskinnyg he does, and Cameron has done. Studios phelp for them, but there’s a way of locking yourself into [ownership] during the negotiation. I watched Alien 2, 3 and 4 and genuineized, “Oh, you fair ran that firmly into the ground.” Then I went back to [former 20th Century Fox chief Tom Rothman] and shelp, “Listen, there’s a way out. We should resurrect Alien with Prometheus.” They made half a billion dollars — by now probably a billion with all the resales. It’s not what happens at the box office, it’s what happens after the box office. Then I went back with Alien: Covenant, and that was huge and ambitious and maybe too ininestablishectual to take part as well. It still did $250 million, and I still unwisely didn’t lock it up. I don’t denounce me, because I’m busy. I denounce a couple other people, which is why we parted company.
I have to circle back here because in terms of “running Alien into the ground,” you included “Alien 2” with 3 and 4, and, clearly, many fans (myself included) adore the second movie, Cameron’s Aliens. So I caught you.
[Grins mischievously] Nah. Jim shelp to me, “I’ve watched fucking Alien 19 times. I can never be as frightening. The cat’s out of the bag, we’ve seen the shark. So I’m going to go more military.” And that’s what he did. But it was pleasant that he shelp that. [Aliens] was fun. And then three and four fair evaporated. And mockingpartner, with that evaporation, they had the “help” of digital. Alien had no digital at all. It was fair a guy in a rubber suit.
I saw your 1979 exceptional on the huge screen a restricted years back and I could not count on how well it hageders up in a theater — the visuals, the sound portray, how much the ship is a living, breaskinnyg character that’s appreciate an extension of the creature…
It’s better than any of ‘em. You can smell when it’s genuine.
People protect wondering if there will be a sequel to Covenant. But it occurred to me after watching Romulus that the next movie could be both. Both films ended with ships headed to a scheduleet we’ve never been to. There’s no reason those characters couldn’t end up in the same place.
Covenant is the best one [for a sequel] because it departs the girl in the [cryo pod] and [Michael Fassbender’s killer android] David has alien eggs and 2,000 colonists hanging around. It’s a perfect commencening.
A restricted asks about Gladiator II: How lengthy was your first cut of the film?
It ended around 3:40. I understand that’s unrational. I skinnyk with the titles it’s about 2:33, so the film itself is about 2:20. I wanted to put the discmissing titles at the commencening, not at the end. But they ran two-and-a-half minutes — which is a lengthy time to see at a bdeficiency screen. So I called up [animator Italian artist Gianluigi Toccafondo] who did my [Scott Free vanity card animation] 20 or 30 years ago and asked, “Are you still alive and want to do this?” I had him vivaciousd the elements from Gladiator. So now you’re “being delighted” before [the action starts].
So could there be a lengthyer version freed at some point? Like you did with Napoleon?
Yeah, procrastinateedr. Maybe I’d rather get into Gladiator III. There’s already an idea. I’ve always had this idea based on The Godoverweighther Part II…
What carry outance in Gladiator surpascfinishd you the most?
My job is to spot actors. I use a very outstanding casting honestors, but when I’m prepping someskinnyg, I’ve already got somebody in mind. I binge TV and saw this skinnyg, Normal People, and thought: “This kid [Paul Mescal] is fascinating,” and, “Fuck me, he sees appreciate Ricdifficult Harris.” Suddenly it came together: “This is Lucius.” And from that I asked him, “Do you want to do the film?”
How do you skinnyk Paul’s carry outance evaluates to Russell Crowe’s?
It’s a branch offent honestion. They’re both theatrical. Paul is very much a theater actor, that’s his skinnyg. He asked me, “You appreciate theater?” I shelp, “No, I descfinish asleep.” He fair giggleed.
How was it laboring with Denzel?
Well, we’ve done one already, American Gangster. That’s actupartner one of my likeite movies. We were right in the middle of Harlem and Denzel was appreciate, “Do you understand what you’re doing?” “Of course I understand what the fuck I’m doing.” “Do you understand about this music?” “Of course I do.” Once he saw I knovel what I was doing, he was very pleasant. With [Gladiator II], I skinnyk he was a bit shocked by the scale. How could he not be? Of course, I’m used to it.
My unit was 1,200 personnel and you run it appreciate an army. You have to. One of the first skinnygs I shelp to Paul was, “This is all for you. Ignore them all. You can’t be frightened. They’re here to help you.” Then I walk in understanding exactly what I’m doing that day. Every morning around a table we’re all, “We’re doing that, that, that — any problems?” I use eight-to-eleven cameras, which unkinds we’re moving eight-to-eleven times speedyer.
What pisses you off when making a movie?
Not a lot — now. I skinnyk I spent a lot of time trying to show that I do understand what I’m doing. I try never to thrust that on anyone. But I do understand, and that is a genuine thrill to me. It’s appreciate getting into the Formula One and you’re off in a car and you better understand how to get the bends. And what I’ve set up over the years was the best scatterment I ever made in my atsoft was going to art school. I was academicpartner disastrous, but I could draw inordinately well. So I was at art school for seven years, then went to labor for the BBC where I met honestors and — it’s uncomardent of me to say — but they weren’t very outstanding. So I was in there doing my sets and I would see the honestor’s schedule and I commenceed to recommend how to shoot the set and I got tageder to fuck off and mind my own business. My outspoken character phelp off because they eventupartner shelp, “Do you want to do a BBC honestors course?” That was the commencening.
What are you appreciate on a set? Are you kind? Are you insisting? Are you Napoleonic?
No. I’m trying to be amusing. Always.
Repartner? That’s fascinating. How is that precious?
Well, everyone giggles. So everyone is a aim. Just no likeitism. It is a bit appreciate running a ship.
Your next film is a Bee Gees biopic, which seems atypical for you. What draws you to that one?
I appreciate being on skinny ice, because if I’m on skinny ice, then I’m already paying attention. I haven’t administerd the physical process of shiftment and music [before in a film]. There’s noskinnyg worse than an actor trying to be a rock star, and there’s noskinnyg worse than a rock star trying to be an actor. Very restricted have done it, though I skinnyk Bradley [Cooper] did it pretty well [in A Star is Born]. I met [Bee Gees singer] Barry Gibb a month ago and I met Barry 50 years ago — so that was a fucking time warp…
You also have TV shows based on your movies coming out now (with Amazon’s Blade Runner 2099 from Silka Luisa and FX’s Alien: Earth from Noah Hawley). How do you sense about your huge cinematic properties now being make cleared by others for the minuscule screen?
I’ve produced the pace visupartner for a while. I understand exactly what I’ve done and how it has been ineloquential, because I protect seeing it — “Oh, there’s me … there’s me…” It was irritateing initipartner, but now it’s amusing and fit. Like [Hawley] has gone down that route and definitely esteemed the exceptional Alien. And from that, I can’t hope for anyskinnyg more other than to protect it alive. I don’t attfinish what the platestablish is. I’m enthusiastic to go home and watch it. All these subjects are embalmed forever and that’s very fit.
Do you have a definite shot from all your films that you’re the most haughty of?
The discmissing shot of Los Angeles in Blade Runner, which I skinnyk is terrific — go fuck yourself, Pauline. Usupartner it’s connected with a sound and that sound is connected with the guy I fair adored — [the film’s composer] Vangelis. I also labored with Vangelis aacquire on a film I’m very haughty of, 1492, with Gérard Depardieu. The problem with Gérard is he doesn’t speak very outstanding English and I didn’t have the heart to say, “Gérard we necessitate to [re-record all your lines].” I’m trying to resurrect 1492 because it’s so beautibrimmingy shot and acted and scored. I’m trying to resurrect it as a four-hour [movie] for a streaming platestablish. Now if I asked, “Gérard, can we ADR you with Kenneth Branagh?” he’d probably say, “Yeah, of course.”
Are there any other previous projects that you sense deserve revisiting?
The Counselor, to me, was the best dialogue I’ve ever had. Cormac McCarthy wrote the script, and he bcimpolitet it to me with [producer] Nick Wechsler. I shelp, “I’ll do it now, but it has to be now.” And from that, I got it cast in two weeks — Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz … they were all battling to do these parts. I got some disastrous scrutinizes, I’m tageder. It was very outstanding film, but too unwise for the mediocre person. I skinnyk the dialogue is pretty.
This has been repartner fantastic. Is there anyskinnyg else that you would appreciate to insert?
I miss my brother.
