Oscars: Martin Scorsese Reacts To Being The Most Nominated Director in Academy Awards History

Martin Scorsese is "sad" Leonardo DiCaprio wasn't nominated for Killers of the Flower Moon.

By Jamie Jirak

The nominees for the 96th Academy Awards were announced this week, and Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon received 10 nominations, including one for Best Picture and a Best Director nod for Scorsese. Previously, Scorses received Best Director nominations for Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Hugo, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Irishman. Scorsese has only won the award for The Departed, but he did set a record for most directing nominations. Before Killers of the Flower Moon became his tenth nomination, Scorsese and Steven Spielberg were tied with nine nominations. While appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Scorsese reacted to his new record-breaking nod. 

"For this particular film too, it's so exciting," Scorsese shared. "But more than that, because the picture means so much to me, and it took a number of years for gestation. I mean, you look back. Ten nominations over the years. I honestly don't know how that happened. I don't know, because you never make films for awards. You make the film the best way you can make them."

He continued, "I'm very pleased that so many people have been nominated for the film, including Robbie Robertson, his wonderful score and the song they have in the film. This is something very special. Lily Gladstone, of course. Amazing. And Bob de Niro too. I'm sad about Leo. I would've liked to have seen him in there as Best Actor, but his presence is there; it's pivotal to the picture and the work." 

Martin Scorsese Defends Killers of the Flower Moon's Runtime:

Recently, Socresese defended the movie's runtime when talking with Hindustan Times.

"In the case of Killers of the Flower Moon, it should be seen on the big screen. Are we intending to make a blockbuster? No, we're making a movie, which should watched on the big screen. Other pictures I made? Maybe not. Sometimes, it's the strength of the picture too, if it plays well on a smaller screen, that's interesting. Killers could play on a small screen, but in order to truly immerse yourself, you should take out the time. People say it's three hours, but come on, you can sit in front of the TV and watch something for five hours. Also, there are many people who watch theatre for 3.5 hours. There are real actors on stage, you can't get up and walk around. You give it that respect, give cinema some respect." 

Related:

What do you think about Lily Gladstone's take on Ewoks? Are you rooting for her this awards season? Tell us your thoughts in the comments! 

Killers of the Flower Moon is now streaming on Apple TV+. 

Trending Now: