The director says he’s too middle-class to be a perfectionist.
Oscar winning director Woody Allen has described himself as being lazy and an imperfectionist and blames his middle-class upbringing for lacking the streak needed to make better movies. The 79 year old, who has received 24 Oscar nominations during his career, released his latest film Irrational Man last month.
Woody Allen thinks he’s lazy and an imperfectionist.
Speaking to the NPR Allen said, "I'm lazy and an imperfectionist. Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese will work on the details until midnight and sweat it out, whereas for me, come six o'clock, I want to go home. I want to have dinner. Film-making is not [the] end-all be-all of my existence."
"Another shortcoming is that I don't have the intellect or the depth or the natural gift," Allen continued .”The greatness is not in me. When you see scenes in [Akira] Kurosawa films, you know he's a madman on the set. There would be 100 horses and everything had to be perfect. He was crazy. I don't have any of that."
More: Woody Allen: Why So Modest?
When asked if he wouldn't consider himself crazy Allen replied, “No, no. My problem is that I'm middle-class. If I was crazy I might be better. That probably accounts for my output. I lead a very sensible life: I get up in the morning, I work, I get the kids off to school, do the treadmill, play the clarinet, take a walk with my wife. It's usually the same walk every day.”
“If I were crazy, it would help. If I shrieked on the set and demanded, it may be better, but I don't. I say, "Good enough!" It's a middle-class quality, which does make for productivity.” The director also described movie-making as ‘not a tedious chore’, but rather a ‘pleasant way to make a living’.
More: Woody Allen 'Regrets Every Second' Since Signing Amazon Prime Deal
Allen is currently working on his first small screen project, a six episode series for Amazon’s streaming service. However the director doesn't seem too confident in his ability to create episodic television. “I've never seen one. I think they're going to be embarrassed,” the director said.
“They're going to regret that they started up with me. I'm doing my best. I'm working a six-episode series. I have grave doubts about them. I thought it was going to be an easy score," he added. "Movies are not easy, but it's not a cinch. I don't want to disappoint them.”
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