Can Paul Schrader Cheat Death? The Director on Taking ‘Oh, Canada’ to Cannes, Scorsese’s Dog Biting His Finger Off and Defending Kevin Spacey
variety.comPaul Schrader absentmindedly builds installation art out of seven prescription bottles, two inhalers and an empty martini glass, as we sit in a restaurant for seniors in a Manhattan high-rise.
Outside, lights twinkle on the Hudson. In 1975, Schrader went to bed with a pistol under his pillow while writing “Taxi Driver.” “Having the option to end things is the only way I could sleep,” Schrader says.
The specter of death is less dramatic but still remains a central focus for the 77-year-old Schrader. Not coincidentally, it’s the subject of his new film, “Oh, Canada,” starring Richard Gere, Jacob Elordi and Uma Thurman.
Schrader’s breathing is now shallow and raspy. The voice he once used to argue with Marty Scorsese, direct Willem Dafoe and seduce Nastassja Kinski is now a broken-glass growl.
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