No matter how you look at it, James Cameron is one of the biggest filmmakers working today. Though he doesn’t make films every couple of years, when he does release a feature, it is always an event and often shatters box office records. But in his new series of MasterClass videos (via /Film), the filmmaker admits that he could be a better director, specifically when it comes to his on-set behavior.
According to /Film’s breakdown of James Cameron’s MasterClass, the filmmaker talked about his regrets when it comes to dealing with people on set during productions. He refers to himself as a “tinpot dictator,” but strives to change.
“I could’ve listened more,” he explained. “I could’ve been less autocratic. I could’ve not made the movie more important than the human interaction of the crew.”
He added, “It’s not a dictatorship, it’s a collaborative medium.”
And while he is still in the process of learning how to be a more cordial filmmaker, Cameron does have a role model when it comes to the right way to behave on set—Ron Howard. In a story Cameron tells in the video series, he apparently went to visit Howard on the set of a film and saw how much the filmmaker compliments the people he works with. This was a revelation for Cameron.
“I aspire, even today, to try to be my inner Ron Howard,” Cameron said.
Will Cameron embrace his inner Ron Howard and become more of a friendly presence on set? We’ll have to wait and see if there are more reports of actors and crew members having issues with the filmmaker in the future. But for now, it’s clear Cameron is self-aware and knows his shortcomings, which, in Hollywood, is an admirable admission.
James Cameron’s next feature is the new “Avatar” sequel, which is scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 16, 2022.