Paul Schrader Says Martin Scorsese's Dog Ate A Chunk Of His Thumb
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The screenwriter of Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” says he had a meal with the director that turned as bloody as... some of the scenes from “Taxi Driver.”
Paul Schrader recounted the incident in a profile published in Variety Wednesday to promote his upcoming drama, “Oh, Canada.”
“I had dinner with Marty at his place,” Schrader told the Variety reporter, after showing up to one of their meetings with “a massive, bloody bandage wrapped around his hand.”
″[Scorcese] has these dogs. They were very cute. Two of them were bichon frisé. They’re really beautiful,” Schrader said. “But then, he has a Scottie, which is a problematic dog. It was his daughter’s dog.”
When Schrader tried to pet the Scottie, he “not only took out part of my thumb,” the Oscar nominee said, “he ate it.”
Asked if he went to the emergency room, Schrader casually replied that “Marty has an in-house nurse.”
The screenwriter, acclaimed for films like “Raging Bull” and “The Last Temptation of Christ,” described to Variety his penchant for “self-mythology,” via bizarre interviews and Facebook posts that have taken on a life of their own.
After revealing he’s been in touch with Kevin Spacey — but only because the disgraced “House of Cards” alum “was not convicted” in any of his sexual abuse trials — Schrader reflected on the darkness of his films, which center on troubled, isolated men.
Schrader sought therapy as a young filmmaker, after regularly sleeping with a gun under his pillow, he told Variety, saying, “Having the option to end things is the only way I could sleep.”
“Things like that become part of your own self-mythology,” he went on. “And so you start wrapping yourself in it, and it becomes part of how you package yourself. ... At what point are you playing a role, and at what point are you becoming the role?”
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
