Maybe it comes from having a decades-long career being considered a film legend, but Paul Schrader is unafraid to speak his mind. However, as he is quick to point out, the filmmaker is keenly aware that speaking your mind in today’s political climate can result in some serious losses in your career due to “cancel culture.”
Speaking to Deadline, while promoting his new film “The Card Counter,” Paul Schrader opened up about what he perceives are the ills of cancel culture. His comments come after he was asked if the old adage that “there’s no such thing as bad press” still holds up?
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“It’s still somewhat true. Publicity is publicity,” explained Schrader. “But more and more careers have ended, not because of criminal charges but because of personal charges, whether it be Kevin Spacey, Scott Rudin, or Johnny Depp. They have gotten caught up in cancel culture. Cancel culture is so infectious, it’s like the Delta virus. If your friend says, ‘They’re saying these terrible things about me that aren’t true,’ you’re afraid to come to their defense because you might catch that virus too.”
But even though he believes “cancel culture” is like an infectious disease, Schrader isn’t worried about his own career getting touched by it because he’s “been fairly honest and upfront, kept my hands to myself.”
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This is far from the first time that Schrader has talked about the ills of cancel culture and the easy society reacts nowadays. He previously came to the defense of Kevin Spacey after the actor was accused multiple times of sexual assault. And in terms of COVID, Schrader made some unfortunate comments about the virus back when it caused the delay of “The Card Counter.”
Speaking of “The Card Counter,” Schrader’s film is expected to premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival. And in honor of that event, Focus Features has released some new posters showcasing stars Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, and Tye Sheridan, as well as released a few new clips from the film, which you can watch below: