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    Ridley Scott Apologizes for Saying Malta is Not a Destination He Would Go on Holiday

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    Ridley Scott Apologizes for Saying Malta is Not a Destination He Would Go on Holiday

    Ridley Scott
    is not someone who minces his words, and in the last week he has had to make amends after making some brutal, “humorous” comments at the expense of the country of Malta, where he filmed a large portion of Gladiator II
    and his previous epic, Napoleon. Despite his apparent love of filming in Malta – where he claims back a healthy tax rebate – Scott said during an interview promoting Gladiator II that he “wouldn’t advise going there on holiday.” This did not go down well with many people on the Mediterranean island.

    During the conversation between Scott and fellow filmmaker Christopher Nolan, which was shared on YouTube by Paramount Pictures, Scott was asked about the filming of Gladiator II. His full comment was:

    “I’ve shot three times in Malta, Malta is a treasure trove of architecture, [but] I wouldn’t advise going there on holiday. I would not go back there on holiday, but the architecture goes from medieval right through to renaissance, and when it’s good, it’s spectacular,”

    Laughing, the godfather of the Alien franchise added that he hoped there were no audience members from Malta present. While this may have been the case, once the video was online, it did not take long for Scott’s comments to reach the ears of several politicians from the country, who responded quickly and with scorn.

    One MP, Adrian Delia, slammed Scott for not showing more respect to “those who welcomed you warmly, shared and lent their history and culture and showered you with millions to credit to your tax bill.” At the same time, Delia blasted:

    “You advised the world not to visit us as tourists. Well, allow me to advise you not to visit at all. Not to screen your movies, not to plunder our hard-earned tax coffers and certainly not to spit disrespect in our faces.”

    Following the show of outrage from the Maltese, Scott released an apologetic statement to explain his comments as being his “attempt at humor.” However, with many failing to catch this moment of frivolity from the often straight and gruff director, a little peacemaking was required. Scott’s statement read:

    “[My comments were] an attempt at humor that unfortunately got lost. I have spent so much time on the island over the years — working, exploring, enjoying, and watching it change and evolve — that I wouldn’t need to take a holiday there.”

    Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal fighting in Gladiator II

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    It seems that all’s well in that case…at least Scott will hope so. Malta’s cash rebate for foreign filmmakers going to the country to shoot their movies is currently at 40%. In a time when filmmaking is becoming more and more expensive, this is the kind of return that no Hollywood director will want to be shut out of, especially if he does go on to make Gladiator III. Whether this has managed to smooth over his relationship with the power-players of the country is something we will find out in good time.

    Originally Published Here.

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