Many believe Nicole Kidman threw shade at Martin Scorsese by implying that he doesn’t make films with female characters, which isn’t a total lie. I mean, it’s nothing new. Scorsese loves to tackle the male psyche, male toxicity, and there’s really nothing wrong with that, it’s part of his cinematic DNA.
It seems like the “lack of female characters in Scorsese movies” narrative gets reignited every damn year. This is old territory. Nothing new. At this point we’re just beating a dead dog. Here’s what Kidman actually told Vanity Fair:
I’ve always said I want to work with [Martin] Scorsese, if he does a film with women. I’d [also] love to work with Kathryn Bigelow. I’d love to work with Spike Jonze. I’d love to work with PTA [Paul Thomas Anderson]. I’ve always wanted to work with Michael Haneke.
This quote ended up going viral. Salon said Kidman took a “swipe” at Scorsese. Indiewire described Kidman as “subtly calling out” the filmmaker. The Daily Beast claimed she “took a shot” at Scorsese. Vulture followed suit.
I don’t think there was any harm intended in what she said.
Of course, some on social media are taking her words and reigniting criticism of Scorsese. I’ve said this before, but no director should be forced to make a film about women just because they should. Scorsese makes films based out of his own view of the world. All of stories he tells are ones he feels passionate about.
It’s not like Scorsese has entirely ignored women in his movies either, prime examples include strong female characters in “The Age of Innocence,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Casino,” “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” and “Boxcar Bertha.” Hell, Lorraine Bracco’s Karen is the de facto second narrator in “Goodfellas.” Cate Blanchett won an Oscar for “The Aviator.”
Scorsese is also responsible for some of the most iconic “angry wives” ever put on celluloid: Lorainne Bracco (“Goodfellas”), Sharon Stone (“Casino”), Margot Robbie (“The Wolf of Wall Street”).
More importantly, Scorsese has produced several films directed by women, and that’s probably better than him directing movies with female leads. He has championed the likes of Joanna Hogg, Lynne Ramsay, and Alice Rohrwacher. If anything, this the best and most efficient way for a powerful filmmaker to support underrepresented demos in cinema.