Being appreciated by your hero or someone who inspired you is something everyone looks up to but unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to have that honor. This is true even for most A-listers in the industry.
However, Denis Villeneuve recently became a member of an elite club as he was praised by one of the greatest filmmakers the world has ever seen and his own personal hero, Steven Spielberg.
Steven Spielberg praises Denis Villeneuve after the massive success of Dune 2
Denis Villeneuve is one of the most established filmmakers in the industry at the moment. The Canadian filmmaker has been making a lot of headlines recently after he released the movie Dune: Part Two which was a massive critical and commercial success at the box office.
The first Dune movie was already a massive success when it came out in 2021 and the film even went on to win six Academy Awards at that 94th Oscar Awards ceremony. Therefore, there was already a lot of hype around Dune: Part Two even before its release and the movie went on to live up to everyone’s expectations.
Denis Villeneuve recently appeared for a Q&A session at the Directors Guild of America theater in Los Angeles for Dune: Part Two with Steven Spielberg and the Jurassic Park director couldn’t help but just praise Villeneuve’s work. Spielberg said,
“Let me start by saying that there are filmmakers who are Builders of Worlds. It’s not a long list but we know who a lot of them are…George Lucas, George Pal, Ray Harryhausen, I include in that list. Felini built his own worlds, Tim Burton obviously, Wes Anderson, Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, Ridley Scott, Guillermo Del Toro.
The list goes on but it’s not that long of a list but I I deeply, fervently believe you are one of its newest members.”
Denis Villeneuve and Steven Spielberg went on to further dissect the intricate details of world-building and Villeneuve talked about how he was successfully able to build a world based on Frank Herbert’s novels.
Denis Villeneuve hails Steven Spielberg as his childhood hero
Whenever an individual starts out in a creative and competitive field, they mostly have a role model who they look up to. Someone who they aspire to be like in the future. For Denis Villeneuve, that person was Steven Spielberg when he decided to become a filmmaker as a child.
On the stage of the PGA Awards 2022, Denis Villeneuve opened up about how he was inspired by Steven Spielberg as a child after watching movies like Duel and Jaws. He said,
“From where I come from, and this is a true story, kids had famous hockey player’s names on their jersey. Wayne Gretzky, Richard Gillaflower, it gave them courage against the enemy. So a few days later when I decided that I would try to become a filmmaker, I went back on the ice ring with a new name on my shirt, Spielberg.
I was still the worst hockey player of all time but I had a purpose and I had a goal and I found a way to make sense of my life. Mr. Spielberg, you are a giant for me. I am here tonight because of you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you brought and what you’re still bringing to this day to cinema.“
Steven Spielberg is the most commercially successful director the world has ever seen and will certainly go down in history as one of the greatest directors of all time. The American filmmaker has received multiple accolades throughout his career spanning over five decades including three Academy Awards and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
