Steven Spielberg warns young filmmakers after ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms’ success
The legendary director shared a lesson he learned throughout his own career
Steven Spielberg has offered advice to a new generation of filmmakers following the unexpected box office success of young directors behind Obsession and Backrooms.
The legendary filmmaker, who has decades of experience in Hollywood, shared a message of caution for rising directors Curry Barker and Kane Parsons, encouraging them not to let early success affect their approach to future projects.
During an appearance on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, Spielberg was asked what advice he would give to filmmakers experiencing major breakthroughs.
The Jurassic Park director responded with a lesson he said he learned through his own career.
“Don’t let success go to your heads. Do not let wild success go to your heads, because when you make your next movie, you’re starting from scratch,” Spielberg said.
The 79-year-old filmmaker acknowledged that a major hit can open doors and earn respect from studios and industry professionals, but he stressed that every new project brings a fresh challenge.
“It’s always good to have a big hit to shore up your reputation, and you’re going to get a lot of respect from executives, from the film world and from the studios,” he explained.
“But the advice I’d give them is something I had to learn the hard way: We all start over again.”
Spielberg added that even after decades of success, filmmakers must approach each project with the same determination as they did at the beginning of their careers.
“If you get the chance to make 20 or 30 films in your career, you will discover, maybe on your second or third film, that you’re beginning your career all over again at the outset of every single project,” he said.
His comments come as both Obsession and Backrooms have become surprise successes at the box office.
Obsession, reportedly made on a budget of around $750,000, has earned hundreds of millions worldwide, while Backrooms, produced with a larger but still modest budget of around $10 million, has also become a major commercial success.
The unexpected achievements of the two films have placed Barker and Parsons among the latest emerging filmmakers to attract attention from Hollywood.
