In Rebecca Miller‘s Apple TV+ docuseries Mr. Scorsese, which premiered at the New York Film Festival over the weekend, Martin Scorsese delves into his religious background, and how he once pursued priesthood in his teenage years — only to be kicked out for behaving “badly.”
The first episode of the five-part series, which was announced exclusively on Deadline, features the storied filmmaker’s recollection of being profoundly moved when he first attended Catholic mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City around 7 years old. Afterward, he pursued an education at a seminary into his adolescence.
“There was a preparatory seminary, and that was on 85th Street somewhere. I did OK for the first few months, but something happened,” Scorsese shared, per People. “I began to realize the world is changing. It was early rock ‘n’ roll and the old world was dying out. I became aware of life around me. Falling in love or being attracted to girls; not that you’re acting out on it, but there were these feelings, and I suddenly realized it’s much more complicated than this. You can’t shut yourself off.”
He continued, “The idea of priesthood, to devote yourself to others, really, that’s what it’s about. I realized I don’t belong there. And I tried to stay but they got my father in there and they told him, ‘Get him out of here.’ Because I behaved badly.”
Though the legendary Goodfellas director did not explain further, one of his childhood friends noted that he thought Scorsese “had a heavy eye for the ladies” as a teen.
Debuting on Apple TV+ Oct. 17, Mr. Scorsese, a film portrait of the visionary who redefined the industry, features interviews with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Robert De Niro, Mick Jagger, Steven Spielberg, Sharon Stone, Jodie Foster, Paul Schrader, Margot Robbie, Cate Blanchett and Rodrigo Prieto, as well as his children, wife and close childhood friends.
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