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Filmmaker Steven Spielberg is the mind behind some of the biggest blockbusters of all time, with hits like Jurassic Park, Jaws, and many more under his belt. Despite delivering hit after hit over the decades, Spielberg admitted that he does not watch his own creations. However, Spielberg’s real reason for not revisiting his films might surprise some fans.
Steven Spielberg has directed some of the biggest blockbusters (Credit: NBC)In an interview, Spielberg reflected on his career, revealing that he avoids watching his movies. The filmmaker’s reasoning behind not watching the films he has directed is a bit more nuanced than one might imagine. Here is what Spielberg said about his reaction to the movies he has created and why he does not want to revisit them despite their popularity and success.
Steven Spielberg Admits Being Too Busy to Watch His Movies in Theaters
Filmmaker Steven Spielberg tasted critical and commercial success with 1975’s Jaws and hasn’t looked back since. He has delivered several hit movies including the Indiana Jones franchise. Spielberg gained critical acclaim with films such as Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan, winning three Academy Awards.
Despite directing hits like Jaws, Steven Spielberg doesn’t watch his own movie (Credit: Universal Pictures)Despite directing films that have defined cinema for generations, Spielberg revealed that he prefers not to watch his movies. In an interview with The New York Times, Spielberg explained that he is too busy to rest on his former laurels. He said:
I’m really too busy, both in my private life and in my professional life, to have a lot of time to dwell on success or failure.
Spielberg stated that he preferred moving really fast in his life, especially in his career. As a result, the filmmaker did not want to spend time looking at the past. He added:
That’s why I don’t sit down and look at my movies on a movie screen after I’ve made them.
From Spielberg’s words, it is clear that the director considers rewatching his work a waste of his time. However, the filmmaker had a deeper reason for avoiding his own movies.
Spielberg revealed that he did not want to look at his past work through a nostalgic lens. The director explained that reminiscing about his past hits wasn’t beneficial, implying that he would become compliant with his future projects. As a result, Spielberg avoided watching his movies and rarely revisited them.
Steven Spielberg Revealed How He Has Changed as a Filmmaker Over the Years
In the same interview, Spielberg also spoke about his career and evolution as a director. The director explained that his earlier movies, including Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and E.T. were created from the audience’s perspective. Spielberg exclaimed that most of his earlier stories were devised from a seat in the theater.
Steven Spielberg admitted wanting to make movies with social messages (Credit: CBS News).However, as he became more experienced, Spielberg admitted that he abandoned this approach to filmmaking. Instead, the director felt responsible for telling stories with a social message. He said:
Because I’m older now I feel a deeper responsibility to tell stories that have some kind of social meaning.
Spielberg added that given a choice between making a movie that is one hundred percent made for the audience and a movie that speaks about our past and elevates the subject material, he would lean more toward the latter.
The same is evident in Spielberg’s later filmography with movies like Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, and Munich. However, Spielberg also seems to have moved past this way of filmmaking finding a balance between his old method and new one. His recent movies like Ready Player One, West Side Story, and The Fabelmans have a cultural resonance with a personal touch. Hence, it is safe to say that Spielberg is still evolving as a filmmaker.
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