Ridley Scott says he sees himself more as an influencer than a director, arguing that his work has repeatedly proven ahead of its time. The 88-year-old filmmaker, currently directing "The Dog Stars" with Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley and Josh Brolin, made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with The Times.
Scott said he never wanted to repeat himself and that all his films had captured the spirit of their era. He said he was often ahead of his time, and that being ahead of the game makes someone an influencer rather than a director. "So I'm not a director, I'm an influencer," he said, according to the interview.
A career built on recognition
Scott's work has been repeatedly honoured over the decades. He received a Special BAFTA Award at the 1992 British Academy Film Awards, and in 1995 he and his brother Tony were jointly honoured with the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award.
A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Scott began his career in the 1960s at the BBC as a trainee set designer, working on the popular police drama "Z-Cars" and the science fiction anthology series "Out of the Unknown."
From The Duellists to Alien
In 1968, Scott founded the production company Ridley Scott Associates (RSA) with his brother Tony. He made his feature directorial debut in 1977 with "The Duellists," which earned BAFTA nominations for cinematography and costume design and won the award for best first film at the Cannes Film Festival.
His next film, 1979's "Alien," went on to become one of the most influential science fiction films of all time. After Scott decided to replace a male lead character with a woman, Ellen Ripley became one of the most iconic female figures in film history.
A rare look at family life
Scott also gave a rare glimpse into his family life, revealing that he made a point of maintaining what he called "absolute communication" with his children as they grew up, despite an extremely demanding filming schedule. He said that although his work behind the camera is a major part of his life, he considers his most important role to be that of a father, and that he made sure to stay present in his children's lives even when professional commitments kept him away from home.
Scott has two sons, 61-year-old Jake and 58-year-old Luke, from his first marriage to Felicity Heywood, as well as a daughter, 48-year-old Jordan, from his marriage to Sandy Watson.
Discussing how dangerous he believes the world has become, which he described as "crazy," Scott spoke fondly of his children's upbringing and said he does not worry much about their future now that they are adults. He said he is one of those fathers who maintained absolute communication with his children since they were babies, and that all it takes is picking up the phone twice a week. He called it the most important thing, adding that, either way, he is a child of the Blitz.
