Liza Minnelli Reflects on Turbulent Relationship with Martin Scorsese
Liza Minnelli recently shared insights about her passionate yet tumultuous romance with director Martin Scorsese, describing it as a “self-destructive obsession” fueled by drugs. This revelation comes from her memoir, “Kids, Wait Until You Hear This!” which details her experiences during the production of the 1977 musical “New York, New York.”
At the time, Minnelli was married to Jack Haley, while Scorsese was with screenwriter Julia Cameron. In her memoir, she candidly expressed the discontent between them, noting, “We were never happy with each other, and that was the worst-kept secret on set.”
She described how her obsession with love spiraled, a phenomenon she equated to a “powerful hypnotic” influence. As their relationship developed, drug use became a part of their lives. “We were always buddies, and I was right next to him,” Minnelli recalled. Scorsese believed the drugs assisted his creativity, but she offered a more skeptical view, questioning whether it was just a “great lie” he told himself.
Ultimately, as she put it, “We were on a runaway train. Nothing good came of it. Things got worse.” Minnelli also recounted a painful encounter after running into Scorsese in Greenwich Village, where he confronted her about an affair with dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. “Jack and I tried to laugh it off and left right away. It will be impossible to forget,” she shared, adding that it was a tumultuous period that led to her divorce from Haley in 1979.
In hindsight, hiring Scorsese to direct her Broadway musical “The Act” proved to be a regrettable decision. She described him as “insane” during that time, and ultimately had to let him go, expressing how difficult it was: “I almost died and my heart broke.” She reflected on how Scorsese eventually overcame his battles with drugs and alcohol to become a celebrated filmmaker. Yet, Minnelli couldn’t shake off feelings tied to their past.
Years later, at the 2014 Oscars, she approached Scorsese, but he turned away, leaving her with a lingering sadness: “Not all bad feelings have gone away.” It’s interesting how, even with time, some emotions don’t fully resolve, isn’t it?
