Legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott has sat down with GQ to reflect on his career. With his signature sharp wit and fascinating anecdotes, Scott offers a glimpse into the creative process behind some of cinema’s most enduring pictures, from the gritty landscapes of Gladiator to the haunting visuals of Alien.
For Blade Runner, Scott recalls the casting of Harrison Ford, who was still on the rise after Star Wars. “Harrison Ford was not a star yet,” Scott recalls. “I remember my financier saying, ‘Who the f*** is Harrison Ford?’ I said, ‘You’re going to find out.’”
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Discussing Alien, Scott reveals how his artistic background helped shape the film’s aesthetic. “Because of my art background… I can really draw, I can draw comic strips really well,” he says. This talent allowed him to create storyboards – an inspired move that got the producers to double the film’s budget. “The value of a vision is everything.”
For Gladiator, Scott reminisces about the technical challenges of filming the grand opening battle. “I stepped up to, I think, eight cameras… We did all of that establishing shot in two takes. As opposed to shooting it all bloody day, you do it in a day or less.” He also recounts a close call with Russell Crowe and a real tiger, noting, “That was a real tiger, 11-foot Bengal… The trainer was feeding him saying ‘Thank you.’ That means, ‘Get off me.’”
With Thelma & Louise, Scott recalls initially joining the project as a producer and receiving negative responses from the people he approached to get it off the ground. “So I offered it to five people who’d said, ‘Nah, nah, nah, not for me, not for me. I got a problem with the women.’ That’s the whole point. Having a problem with the women shouldn’t be a problem. You should get it.” Of course, he decided to take on the project himself. The film’s casting also brought Brad Pitt to prominence, with Scott sharing how Geena Davis advocated for the young actor, saying, “This guy, Brad Pitt.” Scott adds, “She thinks she cast him. She didn’t. I already cast him.”
Watch the full breakdown below, where Scott also reflects on Gladiator II (2024), The Martian (2015), Black Hawk Down (2001), a 1984 Apple Commercial that’s famous for launching the Macintosh, The Counselor (2013), The Duellists (1977), and Legend (1985).
