M. Night Shyamalan cried when he heard 'Glass' had poor reviews.
M. Night Shyamalan
The 48-year-old filmmaker admitted that upon learning his superhero movie - which is a sequel to 'Unbreakable' and 'Split' and is the final chapter in his 'Eastrail 177' trilogy - was taking a critical beating back in January, he couldn't help but break down, despite preparing to make a television appearance.
Speaking at NYU's Stern School of Business, where he delivered the 2019 Ashok C. Sani Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence lecture, he said: "I was in London when I heard the US reviews for 'Glass' were poor, I was in a make-up chair for a TV show, and I cried.
But the 'Sixth Sense' director went on to explain that the first reaction to the film - which ended up making nearly $247 million worldwide - were overwhelmingly positive and meant he was even more upset when he received his negative feedback because he wasn't "prepared" for it.
He continued: "We'd just come back from the London screenings, which were through the roof. We had only great screenings of the movie around the world. So essentially I wasn't prepared.
"I had this false sense of being a part of the group in a safe way. But boy, did I feel distraught that day."
Shyamalan added that although the film's poor reception made him feel "worthless" the film's eventual box office success restored his faith in his own "beliefs".
He said: "Honestly, I was feeling like, 'Will they never let me be different without throwing me on the garbage pile?'
"The feeling of worthlessness rushed me, and to be honest, it doesn't ever really leave. But anyway, the film went on, right? It became number one in every country in the world, and it represents my beliefs."