Director Ridley Scott is not mincing words about his career.
In a new interview with The New Yorker speaking about his upcoming film, “Napoleon,” he addressed some of the criticism he received over its accuracy.
On TikTok, TV historian Dan Snow pointed out a few inaccuracies in the trailer over the summer, including the look of Marie Antoinette (“famously had very cropped hair for the execution, and, hey, Napoleon wasn’t there.”) and the Battle of the Pyramids (“Napoleon didn’t shoot at the pyramids.”), among others.
In response in The New Yorker, Scott simply said, “Get a life.”
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Ridley Scott responded to criticisms that his new film, ‘Napoleon,’ is historically accurate, saying in the New Yorker, “Get a life.” (Vianney Le Caer/Deadline via Getty Images)
“Napoleon” stars Joaquin Phoenix as the titular emperor, with Vanessa Kirby as his wife, Empress Josephine.
Phoenix told Empire magazine before the actors’ strike, “If you want to really understand Napoleon, then you should probably do your own studying and reading. Because if you see this film, it’s this experience told through Ridley’s eyes.”
Scott didn’t approach the material lightly though, working with historians and experts to recreate massive battle scene with hundreds of extras.
The poster for “Napoleon,” starring Joaquin Phoenix and directed by Ridley Scott (Apple TV+)
For the battle of Waterloo, extras trained in a “boot camp” and studied the differences between how French and English soldiers loaded their muskets. The whole sequence took five days to film, with eleven cameras rolling.
Scott is known for his epics, including “Gladiator,” starring Russell Crowe, and Phoenix, “Black Hawk Down,” and “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” as well as sci-fi classics like “Alien” and “Blade Runner.”
“I tend to be visual above all things, before the written word,” Scott said in the interview.
Scott has had a legendary career, and reflected: “I tend to be visual above all things, before the written word.” (Alessandra Benedetti – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
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He also spoke candidly about his lack of an Oscar. Scott has been nominated three times as a director, including “Gladiator,” and a separate time as a producer in the best picture category for “The Martian.” (“Gladiator” did win best picture, but Scott wasn’t a producer on it, and didn’t earn a statue.)
“You know, I haven’t gotten an Oscar yet,” he told the outlet. “And, if I ever get one, I’ll say, ‘About feckin’ time!’”
Scott told The New Yorker, “You know, I haven’t gotten an Oscar yet,”adding, “And, if I ever get one, I’ll say, ‘About feckin’ time!’” (Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
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“Napoleon” will be in theaters this month, and in the meantime, Scott is working on the sequel to “Gladiator.”
Production has been on hold since the summer when the actors’ strike began, but at the time of the interview, Scott also said he “could shoot on a Monday,” when the strike was over.
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Talks fell apart a short time later, but in the meantime, he’s been editing what he’s shot of the film.
