Film lovers worldwide are rolling their eyes at Nicole Kidman for implying Martin Scorsese doesn’t make films with women.
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In a new interview, the veteran actress, 57, was asked which directors she’d most like to work with. That’s when she threw some not-so-subtle shade at Martin Scorsese, 81.
“I’ve always said I want to work with Scorsese, if he does a film with women,” Kidman recently told Vanity Fair.
Kidman added a detailed list of other directors she’d like to work with, too.
“I’d love to work with Kathryn Bigelow [and] Spike Jonze. I’d love to work with PTA [Paul Thomas Anderson]. I’ve always wanted to work with Michael Haneke. And there’s a whole slew of new up-and-coming directors — there’s so many, and I’m always open to the discovery of new people,” she pointed out.
However, as you can see, she didn’t have any side remarks toward the other directors she mentioned, as she did with Scorsese.
Has Nicole Kidman Ever Actually Watched a Scorsese Film?
Kidman’s remark makes me wonder if she’s even bothered to watch Scorsese’s most mainstream hits, like Goodfellas and Casino. While dominated by men, these films are driven by performances from their female leads, and they all but anchor the stories.
It honestly makes me feel like Kidman has only seen that meme of Ray Liotta laughing like a maniac in Goodfellas and thought, “Oh, so Scorcese films are just about dudes telling dad jokes.”
Likewise, maybe Kidman zoned out during the most recent Academy Awards. You know, when Lily Gladstone was nominated for Best Actress for her performance in Killers of the Flower Moon. It’s a little film Scorsese directed last year.
Dear reader, let us take a quick glimpse at all of the celebrated performances from women in Martin Scorsese films.
Nicole Kidman Implies Scorsese Doesn’t Make Women-Driven Films After Directing 11 Women to Oscar Nominations (and 2 Wins)
Kidman implying Scorsese hasn’t made a women-centric film is quite damning considering he made his breakthrough as a director with one.
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a 1974 drama romantic comedy-drama about a struggling single mother who works as a waitress at a diner, was directed by Scorsese.
The film earned Ellen Burstyn an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as the titular character.
It also garnered a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Diane Ladd. The film would go on to be the basis for the long running sitcom Alice.
Of course, Jodie Foster famously earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Scorsese’s Taxi Driver.
Foster was only a 12-year-old when she landed the role.
The 1980s Are an Era of Scorsese’s Career that Goes Somewhat Overlooked
Then, in 1980, virtual unknown Cathy Moriarty was nominated for her role opposite Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull, also directed by Scorsese.
Okay, here’s a Scorsese film that should’ve been on Nicole Kidman’s radar! The Color of Money, starring her future ex-husband Tom Cruise!
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, the female lead in the film, was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance alongside Cruise and Paul Newman (who would win an Academy Award for Best Actor that year).
The 1990s Saw Scorsese Direct Several Women Centric Films
Of course, this leads us to Scorsese’s most mainstream hit, Goodfellas. While many see it as the gold standard of “bro” movies, Lorraine Bracco is essentially the co-lead alongside Ray Liotta. She earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance.
In 1991, Scorsese made a remake of Cape Fear. Though the film is bombastic and something of an unhinged thriller, a teenage Juliette Lewis nabbed an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting actress for her role in the film.
Meanwhile, an often overlooked Scorsese film is also women-driven. 1993’s Age of Innocence. The historical romantic drama managed to get Winona Ryder her only Oscar nomination to date.
Then we have 1995’s Casino. This is another Scorsese film often lumped into the “bro” category that essentially had a woman at the center of the story.
Sharon Stone, playing a streetwise chip hustler, won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film.
Recent Scorsese Films Nicole Kidman Must Have Skipped
Finally, that leads us to 2004’s The Aviator. Another period piece in Scorsese’s body of work, it earned Cate Blanchett an Academy Award nomination for her performance as a young Katherine Hepburn.
Of course, as mentioned above, literally at this year’s Academy Awards, Lilly Gladstone was nominated for her role in Scorcese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
I guess Nicole skipped that one a few months ago.
The Above List Sidesteps the Many Heavy Hitting Roles for Women in Scorsese Films
That said, there’s also a deep, deep bench of women actors at the center of Scorsese films that the Academy neglected to honor. Still, even casual cinephiles can list them off the top of their heads.
There’s also Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York (a part I wouldn’t be surprised if Kidman was considered for). Sandra Bernhard in The King of Comedy. Vera Farmiga in The Departed. Michelle Pfeiffer in The Age of Innocence. Liza Minnelli in New York, New York. Barbara Hershey in The Last Temptation of Christ… just to name a few.
Nicole, please. Sit down with your hubby Keith Urban, and have a Scorsese movie marathon.
And take notes.