Martin Scorsese, the celebrated filmmaker known for classics like Taxi Driver and Goodfellas, says he once dreamed of becoming a priest—an ambition that ended when he was “kicked out” because he “behaved badly.”
The revelation comes from Mr. Scorsese, a new five‑episode docuseries by Rebecca Miller that premiered at the New York Film Festival on Oct. 4. The first episode dives into Scorsese’s childhood and the strong religious influence he felt after attending his first Catholic mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral at age seven. He explains that early in his tutoring at a preparatory seminary, a wave of curiosity about life beyond the church pulled him away.
“Rock and roll was starting to change everything,” he says. “I realized the world was more complicated, and I couldn’t stay in that bubble.” He admitted the priesthood was not his path and that his parents were told to send him out after what the director describes as “bad behavior.” While the series doesn’t detail the misconduct, fans know Scorsese’s later work is full of themes of romance, violence, and drugs.
After leaving the seminary, Scorsese earned a B.A. in English from New York University’s Washington Square College and an M.A. from NYU’s School of Education. He made his first film, Who’s That Knocking at My Door, in 1967 and went on to produce a nearly half‑century of influential films, including Raging Bull, The Irishman, and Gangs of New York. He won an Academy Award for Best Director for The Departed in 2006 and has received ten nominations overall.
The series, slated for release on Oct. 17, features interviews with Scorsese, his family, and a roster of Hollywood’s biggest names—Robert De Niro, Leonardo Di Caprio, Steven Spielberg, and many others. Fans will get a rare look at the early years that shaped one of cinema’s most iconic directors.
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