Hollywood legend backtracks after jibe at Malta caused uproar

Filmmaker Ridley Scott tried to clear the air with Malta on Monday after saying the country was a poor choice for a vacation — despite shooting multiple movies there.

Scott made the critical comments earlier this month in an interview to promote his new film, “Gladiator 2,” which was filmed in Malta.

“I’ve shot three times in Malta, Malta is a treasure trove of architecture, [but] I wouldn’t advise going there on holiday,” Scott said, adding he hoped there were “no Maltese” in the audience.

“I would not go back there on holiday, but the architecture goes from medieval right through to renaissance, and when it’s good, it’s spectacular,” he said.

His jibe angered politicians on the sun-kissed Mediterranean island, which funneled a record €47 million in cash rebates to the producers of “Gladiator 2.”

Valletta Cultural Agency Chairman Jason Micallef called Scott a “bully,” while Maltese opposition MP Adrian Delia said the director hadn’t shown “respect … towards those who welcomed you warmly, shared and lent their history and culture and showered you with millions to credit to your tax bill.”

“You advised the world not to visit us as tourists. Well, allow me to advise you not to visit at all,” Delia wrote on social media. “Not to screen your movies, not to plunder our hard-earned tax coffers and certainly not to spit disrespect in our faces.”

National Heritage Minister Owen Bonnici downplayed Scott’s criticism, calling vacation destinations a “personal and subjective choice.”

Scott sent a statement to Maltese media on Monday walking back his comments, saying they were “an attempt at humour that unfortunately got lost.”

“I have spent so much time on the island over the years — working, exploring, enjoying, and watching it change and evolve — that I wouldn’t need to take a holiday there,” he said, calling the country “wonderful” and “welcoming.”

Along with the “Gladiator” movies, Scott filmed part of his historical epic “Napoleon” in Malta, receiving a rebate of €12.8 million. Malta raised its cash rebate for foreign filmmakers from 27 percent to 40 percent in 2019 in an attempt to lure major Hollywood productions to its shores.

The generous scheme, which reportedly doled out more than €140 million between 2019 and 2023, has attracted criticism from opposition politicians and local industry, but the government has defended its economic merits, arguing it brings in €3 for every €1 spent.