Martin Scorsese, the TikTok star you weren't expecting

Francesca Scorsese, the third daughter of Martin Scorsese, has been posting videos on TikTok for a while where she jokes with her father and involves him in doing funny things, such as pretending to cast their dog for a movie or trying to guess the meaning of certain youthful terms. The videos almost always get millions of views and hundreds of thousands of likes, but sometimes these skits create small media cases. For example, Francesca subjected her father to a very common TikTok trend where he had to choose, by elimination, his favorite movie between two options. In Scorsese's case, the game resulted in the science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey by Kubrick; however, during the process, one of his choices sparked a certain debate. The director, when deciding between Birdman and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, opted for the former. While the film, directed by Alejandro Iñárritu in 2014, is considered very important, the choice raised eyebrows among many users who found it somewhat strange that a connoisseur of classic cinema like Scorsese preferred it over one of the most famous westerns ever, directed by the highly esteemed Sergio Leone. The Los Angeles Times then asked him for clarification, and Scorsese justified his choice by saying that although The Good, the Bad and the Ugly has "fantastic elements," he prefers Once Upon a Time in the West. At the same time, however, he admitted to not fully understanding the rules of the game: "But do you choose the poster or the film?", the director asked.

Martin Scorsese Tackling TikTok

Born in 1999, Francesca Scorsese is the third daughter of the director known for The Wolf of Wall Street, Taxi Driver, and Goodfellas, among the many successful films he has directed. She is also working on her first short films, having graduated from the prestigious New York University Tisch School of the Arts, the same school her father attended decades earlier – this year, they collaborated on a Chanel advertisement featuring Timothée Chalamet. In 2020, Francesca also participated in Luca Guadagnino's series We Are Who We Are. The following year, she began posting TikTok videos with her father. However, Scorsese hinted to the Los Angeles Times that he does not have full control over the spread of these videos: "I didn't think he would post it. Is it called 'post'? ", he said regarding the "Birdman vs The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" case. The director is not entirely aware of the workings and languages of social networks, and the same goes for the popularity of the content that involves him: "I didn't know those things went viral. Is it called 'viral'?". Scorsese then stated that before Francesca started making videos with him, she didn't explain what TikTok was properly. "She told me it's a common thing. I asked her who are the people who do these 'things,' and she replied, 'Everyone does it, it's called TikTok.' [...] I'm at home, and she comes to me and says, 'Dad, look here and say something,' and maybe I'm in pajamas."

Francesca Scorsese's Version

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Francesca had claimed that her father was happy to participate in her videos and understood their importance. "It's really fantastic to see that one of the most incredible directors in the world is not just the big star that people know [...], but he's also a totally normal person who walks around in pajamas, plays with his dogs, and helps his daughter with homework. [...] People love to see that side of him." For the same reason, in 2013, the girl had convinced her father to open an Instagram profile where he could show not only his work but also aspects of his daily life, including his attachment to his fifth wife (and Francesca's mother), Helen Morris, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease. The director's inadvertent embracement of social networks allowed him to be appreciated by a younger audience who was not familiar with his works, despite his immense fame. Martin Scorsese is indeed one of the greatest living American directors: he is among the most recognizable and influential in the world, but above all, he is highly regarded by other equally important directors, as well as by critics and the general audience. However, among the numerous comments on Francesca's clips with Scorsese, it is not uncommon to come across very young people who say they have never watched any of the father's films but are now convinced to do so thanks to the daughter's videos.