Gladiator director Ridley Scott reflects on his relationship with filmmakers James Cameron and Steven Spielberg. Scott started his career directing commercials, before entering the film industry at the age of 40. His directorial debut was The Duellists, before achieving global recognition for his next two efforts with 1979’s sci-fi horror movie Alien, and 1982’s sci-fi neo-noir masterpiece Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford. Now, at the age of 86, Scott has directed 29 theatrically released movies, with Gladiator II being the most recent. He is considered among the greatest living film directors, and his work continues to influence and inspire.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Scott reflected on his career and his desire to continue making movies despite his age. He, at one point, commented on his relationship with the two filmmaking icons Cameron and Spielberg. Despite all three reaching the peak of their industries, Scott admitted he isn’t really close with either director. When asked whether he had relationships with other iconic directors like Cameron and Spielberg, Scott revealed he didn’t really know them all too well, but that he is sporadically in touch with Heat director Michael Mann. Check out Scott’s comments below:

Not really. Cameron’s always been really nice with me. Spielberg and I go as far back as him doing Munich. The guy I occasionally drop a note to is Michael Mann. Because Michael said, “I know you’re going to do a sword and sandal movie, and I know they’ve historically been ridiculous.” And he sent me [early footage] from The Insider and said, “Watch this guy called Russell Crowe.” I met Russell in here [Scott nods to the conference room]. Russell talked about being overweight endlessly. I said, “I believe you’re going to be able to lose weight,” and he did.

Scott Has Always Done His Own Thing

Scott’s career really began to blossom in the 1980s, along with the careers of filmmakers, Cameron and Spielberg. The former achieved success with The Terminator franchise, before going on to direct Titanic and then Avatar, the highest-grossing movie of all time. On the other hand, Spielberg redefined the blockbusters of contemporary cinema with Jaws, Jurassic Park, and ET: The Extra-Terrestrial. While there is no expectation of the three being close friends, they must have moved in similar circles and worked with the same people, and it would be nice to think there is a level of respect there.

Related Ridley Scott’s 8 History Movies, Ranked Worst To Best (Including Napoleon) Ridley Scott is well known for creating sensational fictional stories along with a long list of historical epics and action films he directed.

He noted that he and Cameron have always enjoyed pleasant exchanges, while also having a long collaborative history with Spielberg. It could simply be that Scott is a person who separates personal and professional life pretty easily, and it might just be that he was not looking to form friendships with his contemporaries, instead looking to focus on his work, and then enjoy a separate private life so that neither one encroached on the other.

Our Verdict On Scott’s Relationship With His Peers
It Feels Like A Case Of Just Focusing On Work

Scott is likely not a gregarious and extroverted person and may have had little interest in becoming friends with other directors. It’s also worth noting that the passing of his brother, Top Gun director Tony Scott, deeply affected him, perhaps influencing him to focus on making as many movies as he can while he’s still around. This seems to be the case nowadays as Scott has been developing new stories, including Gladiator 3 and a Bee Gees movie. He has been adamant about making more movies with the time he has left, so his busy schedule could be why he hasn’t really collaborated with other filmmakers.

Scott has also produced multiple movies, including 2024’s
Alien: Romulus

Source: THR

Ridley Scott Discover the latest news and filmography for Ridley Scott, known for Gladiator and Blade Runner.Birthdate November 30, 1937 Birthplace South Shields, County Durham, England James Cameron Discover the latest news and filmography for James Cameron, known for Avatar and Titanic.Birthdate August 16, 1954 Birthplace Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada Steven Spielberg Birthdate December 18, 1946 Birthplace Cincinnati, Ohio, USA