Steven Soderbergh Says Lucasfilm’s Rejection Letter Just Made Him Stronger

Image credit: YouTube/Moosepix

Not everyone can be lucky enough to work on a Star Wars movie, and even though he tried his best, Magic Mike director Steven Soderbergh was rejected by Lucasfilm back when he was 21.

Taking to Twitter, the filmmaker decided to share Lucasfilm's old rejection letter, saying that the entire affair only made him stronger. Soderbergh's come a long way from the aspiring filmmaker that was hoping George Lucas would notice his short films, directing a number of movies including Erin Brockovich, Sex, Lies and Videotape as well as Logan Lucky. Not only has he experimented with different genres, he's also won an Academy Award for Best Director for Traffic.

Speaking with Yahoo! Entertainment, the filmmaker explained the reason why he sent off the videos to Lucasfilm in the first place, saying he wasn't surprised they got sent back.

"I sent them a 3/4-inch tape that had two of my short films on it. I was not surprised that it got kicked back! There aren't enough decimal points to count how many packages George Lucas was getting at that point, and probably still gets."

"The film I made in high school is still one of the better things I've done; it's basically a very impressionistic piece about my senior year. I don't know if George would like it or not; he never had the pleasure! I was taking George up on his oft-stated claim that he wanted to go off and make art films. We're still waiting! I'm like, ‘George, you were a millionaire after American Graffiti. I don't know what you're waiting for.'"

Luckily, Soderbergh didn't let the rejection get him down, working hard on his craft and making a name for himself in the industry. Wine gets better in time, and so does every other craft.

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