Todd Field experienced major success with the 2022 film Tár, but he doesn’t expect to helm another feature anytime soon.
During a recent interview with Cinema Scope, Field discussed the difficulty he feels when making a film, which led him to state that he doesn’t foresee directing another one, although he admitted he could potentially change his mind. Field hadn’t directed a feature film since 2006’s Little Children before last year’s release of Tár, which was nominated for six Oscars; Field, who also wrote and produced Tár, was himself named as a nominee for best picture, director and original screenplay.
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“There’s a real challenge in making a film of any size,” Field told the outlet. “It’s not for the faint of heart. I wish I was cut out for different stuff, because I probably wouldn’t make more films. It takes a great deal out of me to make a film; I don’t know that I’ll ever make another one.”
When asked to clarify whether this was indeed his final film, he added, “Yes, I think so.” He then clarified, “I didn’t think about it until just now. It’s highly likely.”
As far as whether he might decide to direct a feature again after he’s had some downtime after Tár, he replied, “I suppose that’s possible. I hope it’s possible.”
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Field’s team for further comment or clarity.
Field, whose feature directorial debut came with 2001’s In the Bedroom, explained to Cinema Scope that his decision to step away from directing films would not come from a place of struggling creatively but that it would be “really more of a physical thing.” Field, who mentioned that he plans to continue writing, said that he has still been directing commercials, as “that doesn’t take much out of me.”
He continued, “But if something is really yours, and really matters — and it had better matter, for the length of time it takes to make a film — you have to give it everything. And as you get older, you realize how valuable time is; there’s only so much time in that hourglass. I’m not in my 20s or 30s anymore — I’ll be 60 in year and a half. You start thinking about these things.”
During a recent interview with THR about Tár, which starred Cate Blanchett as a famed conductor, Field described a number of filmmaking challenges with the project, such as landing a world-class orchestra to appear in the film, not to mention securing locations. “Nothing was easy,” he said.
Field had previously been attached to direct the Hulu drama series Devil in the White City before his exit was announced in October. The project from Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio is no longer in the works at the streamer.
