Ridley Scott is one of the rare directors who seems unaffected by age. At 87, the legendary English film director continues to break boundaries with new projects like Napoleon and Gladiator 2, and even has multiple new projects coming in, such as You Should Be Dancing and The Dog Stars.
His work rate and consistency have fans wondering how Scott manages to be this good and efficient at his age. Thankfully, the filmmaker has addressed this in a recent interview.
Ridley Scott on how he’s still on top of his game at 87
Directing, or working in any part of a film, is a lot like sports, at least for those who become adept at it. Ridley Scott has been around for decades. He made his debut with a historical drama, The Duellists, but soon diverged into many genres, notably sci-fi, and in the first one and a half decades of his reign, he already gave the world some unforgettable gems.
As the years rolled by, Scott kept getting more adept at the craft, often by simply doing it more frequently. “What happens – providing you sustain all your marbles – is that you refine your game,” he told The Guardian when asked about how he manages to continue in full flow at his age.
“I can now work eight to eleven cameras. I finished my latest film in 34 days. It would normally take 60. Gladiator was 48; normally, it takes 100. I’ve learned to formulate and predetermine, plan on paper, and storyboard in my head. That’s why it’s so efficient,” the veteran explained.
He further drew a comparison to sports, elaborating, “My game was tennis. I’ve just had my final knee replacement. I did one in 2012 and the other last week. So that’s the end of tennis. But like any game, the more you practice, the better you get. After forty years of tennis, I became quite good. If I hadn’t played tennis, I’d be a 300lb [136kg] couch potato.”
The long years in the craft have made him so adept that he can work more effortlessly now than he did before. Hence, Scott continues to dominate the world of cinema and will continue to do so in the coming years.
