Scorsese shot down suggestions all his film should have strong women (Picture: Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

Martin Scorsese angered many film fans when he claimed that Marvel movies are ‘not cinema’ on his press tour for The Irishman.

And it looks like he’s still intent on burning bridges.

The legendary director has hit out people commenting on the lack of female roles in his new film, saying having leading women is a ‘waste of time’ if the script doesn’t call for them.

The 76-year-old was speaking at Rome Film Fest with The Irishman producer Emma Tillinger Koskoff when he was asked by a member of the Italian press why his film protagonists are mainly men.


Sharon Stone received critical acclaim for Casino (Picture: Universal Pictures/Getty Images)

According to the Hollywood Reporter, ‘a somewhat frustrated Scorsese’ said: ‘No. That’s not even a valid point. That’s not valid. I can’t…. That goes back to 1970. That’s a question that I’ve had for so many years. Am I supposed to?’



Koskoff said: ‘No’, with the director continuing: ‘If the story doesn’t call for it…. It’s a waste of everybody’s time. If the story calls for a female character lead, why not?’

Koskoff mentioned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore starring Ellen Burstyn, with Scorsese continuing: ‘Oh, that’s only one film. They don’t count that. Age of Innocence, they don’t count that.

The Irishman will hit Netflix in November (Picture: Netflix)

‘Casino. Sharon Stone’s great in that. They don’t count that. Forget it. “It’s all these men”.

‘Sure, I’d like to do. But you know what, I’m 76 now. How am I going to have the time? I don’t know what’s going to happen. We don’t know. I don’t have time anymore.’

While some of Scorsese’s films have featured strong female roles – notably Casino (with Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna), Goodfellas (Karen Friedman Hill played by Lorraine Bracco) and Raging Bull (Cathy Moriarty as Vikki LaMotta) – all of the main characters in The Irishman are male.

The drama, the story of the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa and the involvement of Frank Sheeran, stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Bobby Cannavale and Harvey Keitel, with Kathrine Narducci and Anna Paquin in smaller roles.

The Irishman currently has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Irishman is available to stream on Netflix on 27 November.

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