PLAYBOY: Now the tide is moving in the opposite direction. Studios are less interested in giving big bucks to actors to make derivative blockbusters.
SCORSESE: That may be a good thing. Maybe it can come back the other way. Take some of these young directors, like Alexander Payne, Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, Chris Nolan, Peter Jackson and Baz Luhrmann. Maybe this group can bring it back.
MovieMaker Magazine: Are there any moviemakers working today who inspire you as Cassavetes did early on?
Martin Scorsese: In the past I would’ve said, ‘Oh, I don’t catch up with modern filmmaking.’ But that’s not true anymore. I’ve actually been seeing a lot of modern films in the past few years. There’s a lot of Iranian films I like. And the younger American directors—Wes Anderson’s films, I really like. Chris Nolan, Paul Thomas Anderson, Linklater. When I see films by these guys, and I’m not mentioning all the names I want to mention, I feel like I’m not wasting my time. This film means something to me. I’m also learning how to tell a story with pictures. In some cases, I can never do what they do because they’re of this modern world, I’m not. I’m from the past.