Ridley Scott on 'The Dog Stars', his childhood, and why he considers the idea of retirement a death sentence
"I hate the word retirement, it sounds like a death sentence. I despise the idea of quitting, I will remain active as long as I am healthy." Behind the camera, Ridley Scott wants to stay there for as long as possible. On the threshold of 89 years, after four nominations but no Oscars in half a century of directing, he will receive the career one in November. "It was time, damn it," he said in an interview with Il Venerdì of la Repubblica. But for him, "commercial success, cultural longevity and ensuring a job for hundreds of members of my team matter much more than a trophy."
A dystopian film, The Dog Stars, is up next, shot in Italy because "they gave me an excellent tax relief and better the Dolomites than the mountains of Colorado." And without zombies or fantastic creatures. “This story is about something that has passed the point of no return, the same that we are experiencing regarding global warming,” he said. "We’ve had a disastrous experience with Covid, with financial collapses, with so many political discussions about who’s right and who’s wrong... It’s shocking how stupid human beings can be."
With other catastrophic elements, Scott added, "we lose control and suddenly we find ourselves in front of the end of the world. I think the most dangerous thing is that no one pays attention to people's despair and difficulties. Without wanting to be pessimistic, I hope it’s not too late."
If there is a dream that still persists, now that he is almost 89 years old, it is a musical "in the style of Bob Fosse (American choreographer and dancer, ed.), which unfortunately I was not lucky enough to know. Since my mother died at 98, it’s still an achievable desire."