Bong Joon Ho received a letter with advice from Martin Scorsese

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

When Bong Joon Ho and distinguished members of the cast and crew from the multi-award winning film PARASITE took center stage at the Academy Awards, the South Korean filmmaker was sure to name-check Martin Scorsese during one of several acceptance speeches that historic evening. Upon hearing his name, Scorsese was seen on camera pressing his hands together while giving a slight bow of thanks in Ho's direction, a gesture of gratitude and solidarity if I'd ever seen one. Thus began a Hollywood bromance of epic proportions, the kind you'd like to see turned into a endearing buddy comedy up on the silver screen.

In addition to taking home the award for Best Picture that fateful evening, Bong also collected prizes for Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best International Feature Film. It was a historic night to be certain, and an event that was made all the sweeter not long after the ceremony, when Bong received a letter from Martin Scorsese himself.

Eager to share a portion of the letter's contents with fans, Bong made a special mention of Scorsese's heartfelt message at a recent press conference in South Korea:

“This morning I got a letter from Martin Scorsese,” Bong told a gathering of journalists. “I can’t tell you what the letter said because it’s something personal. But towards the end he wrote, ‘You’ve done well. Now rest. But don’t rest for too long.’ He continued by saying how he and other directors were waiting for my next movie.”

Wow! It's not every day that you get a letter from one of your personal heroes, let alone a document that contains such sage-like advice from a seasoned veteran of the Hollywood game. I think we can all agree that Bong has earned himself a reprieve from all the awards season madness, though I do hope that we don't have to wait too long until we hear about his next original idea.

For the moment, Bong is working on an official follow-up to PARASITE with HBO, by producing an English-language PARASITE limited series. As for what the future holds for the ground-breaking filmmaker, only time will tell.