Ridley Scott has redefined his own job title. In a new interview with The Times of London, the director said he no longer considers himself a filmmaker, but rather an 'influencer.'
Asked to identify a through line in his body of work, Scott explained his reasoning. "Every time, you are vulnerable," he said. "Also, I never want to repeat myself and all my films have been on the money. I've been ahead of the game frequently and, if you're ahead of the game, you're an influencer. So I'm not a filmmaker, I'm an influencer."
Scott, a three-time Oscar-nominated director, built that reputation on films including 'Blade Runner,' 'Alien,' 'Thelma & Louise,' and 'Gladiator.' Yet he told The Times there remain items still unchecked on his professional list. "I've never done a Western," he said. "I have cast Hugh Jackman for my 'Treasure Island' adaptation. I want to do a musical and, also, have a marvelous film about the African elephant."
Scott's upcoming project is 'The Dog Stars,' featuring Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, and Josh Brolin. He praised his leading man, calling Elordi "a big star" and noting that the two "got on great." Scott suggested his motivation for making the film stemmed from frustration with repetitive storytelling trends in Hollywood. "Look, everything now is about a murdered girl in the woods, or an FBI agent who is better than anyone else — or a superhero," he said. "Fuck me! There have to be other stories to tell."
Scott is set to receive an honorary Oscar at November's Governors Awards. He will share the honor with other recipients, including actress Glenn Close and Floyd Norman, Disney's first Black animator.
Photo: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
