Steven Spielberg is extending his wisdom from decades of filmmaking experience to two of horror’s most in-demand young directors.
While appearing on a recent episode of The Rest Is Entertainment, Spielberg was asked what advice he would give to 26-year-old Obsession director Curry Barker and 20-year-old Backrooms director Kane Parsons, noting that Spielberg himself was also in his 20s when he directed Jaws (1975), which went on to win three Academy Awards.
“Don’t let success go to your heads,” the Disclosure Day director quickly responded. “Do not let wild success go to your heads, because when you make your next movie, you’re starting from scratch.”
“It’s always good to have a big hit to shore up your reputation, and you’re going to get a lot of respect from executives, from the film world and from the studios. But the advice I’d give them is something I had to learn the hard way: We all start over again,” he continued. “And if you get the chance to make 20 or 30 films in your career, you will discover, maybe on your second or third film, that you’re beginning your career all over again at the outset of every single project.”
Both Obsession and Backrooms have scored big at the box office. Obsession, released May 15, has grossed $238.7 million globally, becoming the highest-grossing festival acquisition of all time (Toronto International Film Festival) as well as Focus Features’ biggest film ever. The movie was made on a budget of $750,000 and also holds a 94 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Meanwhile, Backrooms, debuting May 29, has grossed $220.6 million worldwide against a $10 million budget. The film became A24’s highest-grossing movie of all time in North America and holds an 88 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. (Learn more about Parsons and Backrooms here.)
On Thursday, Barker appeared on Today and reacted to Spielberg’s recent comments about the film, saying he “loved” Obsession. Barker appeared starstruck by the praise. “I can’t believe it,” he said.
Check out all of The Hollywood Reporter‘s Obsession coverage here and Backrooms coverage here.
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