Martin Scorsese’s Dinner Party Ends in Canine Chaos
A dinner at Martin Scorsese’s home took an unexpected turn for Paul Schrader, leading to a bizarre injury and a swift intervention from an unlikely in-house medical professional.
Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader have spent decades navigating the unpredictable waters of both friendship and creative partnership. Yet, even after years of collaboration and the occasional professional disagreement, nothing quite prepared them for the peculiar events that unfolded over a seemingly ordinary evening meal.
Schrader, whose screenwriting credits include some of the most influential films of the late twentieth century, found himself at Scorsese’s home for dinner. The two, having long since established their reputations in the industry, had chosen to pursue separate directorial paths after their work on ‘Bringing Out the Dead’ in 1999. By then, as Schrader once put it, “there were now two directors in the room, and with Marty, there could only be one.”
Creative Giants and Unlikely Incidents
Their early collaborations, notably ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘Raging Bull’, left an indelible mark on cinema. Even ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’, though divisive, sparked conversation far beyond the film’s release. While Scorsese’s career continued to soar, Schrader’s own directorial journey has been a patchwork of critical highs and less celebrated ventures. Still, the mutual respect between the two has endured, even as their professional paths diverged.
On this particular evening, Schrader was greeted not just by his old friend, but by a trio of dogs. Two bichon frisés, described as “very beautiful,” seemed harmless enough. The third, a Scottie belonging to Scorsese’s daughter, proved rather less accommodating. Schrader, perhaps emboldened by the convivial atmosphere, attempted to befriend the Scottie. The result was anything but friendly.
A Bite Worse Than Its Bark
What followed was as unexpected as it was painful. The Scottie, apparently not one for social niceties, bit Schrader’s thumb—and, in a twist worthy of a dark comedy, consumed a portion of it. The incident left Schrader with a conspicuous, bloodied bandage, prompting questions from those who saw him in the days that followed.
“So, on Tuesday night, I had dinner with Marty at his place,” Schrader shared. “He has these dogs. They were very cute. Two of them were bichon frisé. They’re very beautiful.”
“He has a Scottie, which is a problematic dog,” the Academy Award nominee continued. “It was his daughter’s dog. He doesn’t like the dog, but they have to keep him and blah, blah, blah.”
“The Scottie not only took out part of my thumb, he ate it,” Schrader declared, to understandable astonishment.
Rather than making a dash to the nearest hospital, Schrader was promptly attended to by Scorsese’s in-house nurse—a detail that raises as many questions as it answers. The nurse’s swift action meant the evening didn’t end in a trip to A&E, though it certainly wasn’t the dinner Schrader had anticipated.
Aftermath of an Unusual Evening
For all the drama that has accompanied their working relationship, this episode stands out as uniquely bizarre. Schrader, ever the professional, took the incident in stride, though one imagines he might think twice before reaching out to pet a Scottie again. As for Scorsese, perhaps a word with his daughter about canine etiquette is in order—or at least a warning for future dinner guests.
Some dinner invitations, it seems, come with more risk than others.