Martin Scorsese Almost Quit Directing After The Aviator

In an interview with The New York Times, Martin Scorsese revealed that he nearly quit directing after after all of his work on the 2004 film The Aviator. Here are highlights:

On nearly quitting directing: “The last two weeks of editing and mixing ‘The Aviator.’ I had left the business from the stress. I said if this is the way you have to make films then I’m not going to do it anymore. It’s like being in a bunker and you’re firing out in all directions. You begin to realize you’re not speaking the same language anymore, so you can’t make pictures anymore.”

On if The Irishman is an expression of regret for previous crime dramas: “I don’t think it’s regret. This is different. Here, it’s the dead end, and everybody has to reckon at the end. If they’re given the time. And that’s where we’re headed.”