Martin Scorsese Shuts Down Journalist Questioning Lack of Female Characters in His Films

John F. Trent |

Oct 22, 2019

The Irishman director Martin Scorsese shut down an Italian journalist who questioned why his films lack female characters and predominantly feature male protagonists.

The Hollywood Reporter indicates Scorsese was not having anything to do with the question describing him as “somewhat frustrated.”

Scorsese would respond to the question, “No. That’s not even a valid point. That’s not valid. I can’t…. That goes back to 1970. That’s a question that I’ve had for so many years. Am I supposed to?”

The Irishman Producer Emma Tillinger Koskoff would also weigh in and shut down the journalist. She responded, “No.”

Scorsese then added, “If the story doesn’t call for it…. It’s a waste of everybody’s time. If the story calls for a female character lead, why not?”

Koskoff would then begin listing off a number of Scorsese movies that feature inspiring female characters and their stories. She started off saying, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here.”

Scorsese commented, ““Oh, that’s only one film. They don’t count that. Age of Innocence, they don’t count that.”

Koskoff continued, “Casino.”

Scorsese would continue to comment, “Casino. Sharon Stone’s great in that. They don’t count that. Forget it. It’s all these men.”

He then concluded, “Sure, I’d like to do. But you know what, I’m 76 now. How am I going to have the time? I don’t know what’s going to happen. We don’t know. I don’t have time anymore.”

Scorsese’s comments echo fellow filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. While promoting Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, a New York Times reporter asked Tarantino:

“Quentin, you have put Margot Robbie a very talented actress, actor, in your film. She was with Leonardo in Wolf of Wallstreet, I, Tonya. This is a person with a great deal of acting talent, and yet you haven’t really given her any lines in the movie. And I wonder, I guess that was a deliberate choice on your part, and I just want to know why that was. Why we don’t hear her actually speaking very much. And, Margot I wanted you to also comment about being in the film and this part.”

Tarantino responded, “Well, I just reject your hypothesis.”

Quentin Tarantino snapped at a female reporter from The New York Times who asked why Margot Robbie wasn’t given more to say or do in his latest film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” https://t.co/xACQXjyBu8 pic.twitter.com/5GraEtaSyw

— Variety (@Variety) May 22, 2019

The Irishman arrives on Netflix on November 1, 2019. The film stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci.

Here’s the official description:

“An epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.”

What do you make of Scorsese and producer Emma Tillinger Koskoff’s comments in response to the question?