Renowned director Martin Scorsese has previously expressed some regret about one of his most recognized films.
Scorsese, now 81, is widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, having directed several iconic films throughout his career.
His work includes classics such as the Palme d’Or-winning Taxi Driver and the 1980 masterpiece Raging Bull, starring Robert De Niro. Scorsese is known for his intense portrayals of American culture and his frequent collaborations with well-known actors.
Among these actors is Leonardo DiCaprio, 49, who first worked with Scorsese on the 2002 historical drama, Gangs of New York.
Their collaboration continued with The Aviator two years later, followed by DiCaprio’s role as Trooper William ‘Billy’ Costigan Jr. in the 2006 film The Departed.
In 2010, Scorsese and DiCaprio reunited for Shutter Island, and they worked together again in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) and The Audition in 2015.
Their most recent collaboration, Killers of the Flower Moon, was released last October but failed to secure any wins at the 96th Academy Awards despite receiving ten nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture.
Interestingly, not all of Scorsese’s projects with DiCaprio have left him satisfied.
Scorsese has admitted that he wasn’t particularly fond of Shutter Island, a psychological thriller based on the novel by Dennis Lehane.
In the film, DiCaprio plays a US Marshal tasked with investigating a missing patient on a remote island, though the reality is not what it seems.
While fans generally received the film well, with a 77 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.2/10 rating on IMDb, Scorsese himself wasn’t too keen on it.
During an interview with GQ, the acclaimed director revealed that Shutter Island was conceived following his Oscar win for Best Director with The Departed.
That success ‘encouraged [Scorsese] to make another picture,’ leading to the creation of Shutter Island.
However, looking back, Scorsese reflected that it might not have been the best decision.
“It turned out I should have gone on probably to do Silence,” he remarked.
Silence, released in 2016, featured Liam Neeson and Andrew Garfield in a sweeping historical drama.
Scorsese did not delve into the reasons he ‘probably’ should have bypassed Shutter Island, but he did mention that it was ‘the last studio film’ he directed.
Since then, Scorsese has leaned on independent studios for funding, although Paramount usually still handles theatrical distribution.
Scorsese discussed how he had come to terms with not being a director who accumulates many awards, saying: “Sure, I would’ve liked it, but like, so what? I mean, I had to go on and make pictures.
“I don’t know if I think like them,” he added, referring to larger studios. “I just mind my own business here.”
He continued: “Well, the industry is over. In other words, the industry that I was part of, we’re talking almost, what, 50 years ago? It’s like saying to somebody in 1970 who made silent films, what do you think’s happened?
“[Studios are not] interested any longer in supporting individual voices that express their personal feelings or their personal thoughts and personal ideas and feelings on a big budget. And what’s happened now is that they’ve pigeonholed it to what they call indies.”