Martin Scorsese is on publicity overdrive when we meet. He’s in London for two days before flying to Berlin for the world premiere of his new film ‘Shutter Island’, a 1950s-set thriller with a Hitchcockian B-movie flavour. Scorsese talks fast, darting back and forth over his career, mapping out his life in films and finishing sentences with a flash of a smile and a roaring laugh. He sits deep in the sofa, his trademark thick-rimmed glasses on his nose, a small embroidered ‘MS’ on the belly of his shirt. He’s a model of polite efficiency but there’s also a hint of turmoil in his talk, as if the dark themes of ‘Shutter Island’ have rubbed off on him, or vice versa.

‘Shutter Island’ looks like it was fun to make...
I thought it would be a fun picture to make. But it turned out to be rather disturbing. Because of the subject matter. And the nature of the different levels we have to go through. But that’s the nature of filmmaking. You never know. Something that you think is going to be absolutely horrible to make actually turns out to bring you a great deal of enjoyment.

It recalls several of Hitchcock’s films – ‘The 39 Steps’, ‘North-by-Northwest’...
‘The 39 Steps’ maybe. But I showed my colleagues his ‘The Wrong Man’, which is slightly different. The main character in that is innocent but he feels guilt for who he is. In his core, he is guilty. This interests me. I was raised Catholic and I’m interested in that aspect of ourselves. It has to do with guilt or a concept of original sin, if it exists. All these aspects always come to mind. It’s who I am and what I do. I try to be hipper but I can’t.

You’re hip enough.
No, I’m not! [laughs]

Does being hip concern you?
I think that listening to other people’s opinions and being openminded to other ways of thinking concerns me.

For full article, check March issue 19.