Martin Scorsese Admits One Movie Was Highly Unpleasant To Make

Martin Scorsese has been a leading figure in the world of cinema for fifty years, largely due to his deep collaborative bonds with actors like Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio.

His passion for the medium goes beyond just directing, as he has spent decades fighting for film preservation through his non-profit organization, The Film Foundation. Whether he is creating iconic anti-heroes like Travis Bickle or making a massive three-hour epic feel like a breeze, Scorsese is a true master of entertainment. Despite this lifelong devotion, he once admitted that there was one project he found completely draining to finish.

During an interview with The Telegraph to promote his movie Silence, Scorsese confessed that the production of his 2006 hit The Departed was an incredibly difficult experience. The film, which features Leonardo DiCaprio going undercover within the Irish Mob in Boston, was a huge success.

But the director felt its bleak nature was overwhelming. He referred to the story as moral ground zero because nearly every character is killed by the end, leaving him feeling like there was no place to go once the cameras stopped rolling.

Even though the movie earned over $290 million and finally won him the Oscar for Best Director, Scorsese was so exhausted by the project that he avoided talking about it. He noted that he hardly did any press for that film because he was simply tired of it and found the entire ordeal to be maddening. While fans around the world were celebrating the film as a masterpiece, the man behind the camera was struggling to find any joy in the results.

The director was especially frustrated with the work that happened after the filming was done. He liked the final movie, but he said that the process of making it, particularly in the post-production, was highly unpleasant.

He felt so burnt out by the demands of the studio and the intensity of the edit that he believed continuing at that pace would be the end of him. He even claimed that he didn’t care about the money because the stress was enough to kill him.

As of this year, the 83-year-old filmmaker shows no signs of actually slowing down despite those past moments of burnout. He is currently moving toward production on his next big movie, What Happens at Night, which is a psychological thriller based on a novel by Peter Cameron.

This project reunites him with Leonardo DiCaprio and also stars Jennifer Lawrence as a couple who travel to a strange, snowy European town to adopt a baby. Fans are eager to see Scorsese return to a tone that many are comparing to Shutter Island.

Aside from his narrative films, Scorsese has remained busy with documentary work and television. He is currently involved in a series titled Shipwrecks of Sicily, which explores underwater archaeology near his ancestral home.

Do you think Martin Scorsese’s move toward a psychological “ghost story” with his next film will be a refreshing change of pace from his usual crime epics? Share your thoughts in the comments.