Steven Spielberg is one of the most iconic and beloved directors ever to grace Hollywood. He's worked on countless classics throughout his storied career, including Jaws, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, E.T., and Saving Private Ryan. The director has been working in the industry for nearly 50 years, with his directorial debut coming in 1974 with The Sugarland Express. As Spielberg approaches his 76th birthday this December, fans are beginning to wonder whether the filmmaker will start slowing down. According to Spielberg, he has no such plans.
Spielberg attended the Toronto International Film Festival last week for the premiere of his latest film, The Fabelmans. The autobiographical movie stars Gabriel LaBelle as Sam Fabelman, the fictional character meant to represent Spielberg throughout his childhood. Michelle Williams and Paul Dano join LaBelle as the filmmaker's parents, with Seth Rogen rounding out the cast. During an interview with Rolling Stone, Spielberg assured his fans he doesn't see retirement on the Horizon quite yet and shared his inspiration for making The Fabelmans.
"This [movie] is not because I'm going to retire and this is my swam song. Don't believe any of that. [Co-writer] Tony [Kushner] and I started talking about this possibility when we were making Lincoln together. Tony kind of performed the function of a therapist and I was patient, and we talked and I talked for a long time. Tony fed me and helped me through this... But when COVID hit, we all had a lot of time. And we all had a lot of fear. I don't think anybody knew in March or April 2020 what was going to be the state of the art and the state of life, even a year from then. And I think in that sense, I felt as things got worse and worse that I just felt that [my adolescence] is the thing that I really need to resolve and unpack."
Fans can rejoice knowing Steven Spielberg's career is far from over. So if you want to see The Fabelmans, you can catch the project in theaters later this year on Nov. 23.
Spielberg Always Wanted Michelle Williams to Play His Mother
Michelle Williams has received four Oscar nominations throughout her career, proving she can hang with the best of the best in the industry. According to Spielberg, he's wanted the actress to portray his mother since he saw her performance in Blue Valentine. Spielberg tells Rolling Stone both Williams and Paul Dano were perfect for his parent's roles.
"She was always a leader in a sort of pre-frontal—frontal lobe idea about my mom Leah. And then I had felt the same way about Paul. He's shared so many of the same [qualities] — a kind of pragmatism, also the patience of my dad, the deep, deep, profound kindness of my father and the genius of my dad had been in computer design."
Spielberg dedicates The Fabelmans to his parents, with his mother passing away at 97 years old in 2017 and his father passing at the age of 103 in 2020. The Fabelmans arrives in theaters in November later this year.