The Redemption of Brett Ratner: Photos of the 'Hercules' Helmer

'I'm the Opposite of What People Think'

“People mistake the fact that I’m fun for somebody who’s not serious,” he says, “but I’m the opposite of what people think I am.”

That became clear Sept. 30 when Hollywood let forth a collective gasp at the news that Ratner and billionaire James Packer were two of the key players behind a $450 million slate deal with Warner Bros., a joint venture between RatPac and Dune Capital Partners that will cover 75 films, or nearly all of the storied studio’s product over a four-year period.

'I'm Still a Director'

“At the end of the day, whether I finance a slate of Warner Bros. movies [or pursue anything else], I’m still a director,” he insists.

Public Person vs. Serious Director

Ratner’s new role as mogul represents a remarkable, 180-degree turn for the man whose offscreen activities had threatened to dwarf his role as a filmmaker. “I’ve been in the public so much, people didn’t think of me as a filmmaker anymore,” he laments over lunch Oct. 16 at a Hungarian-Jewish restaurant in Budapest. “I became a public person instead of a person who is just a serious director.”

'I've Said Several Dumb Things'

Ratner adds, as if aware that his pattern has yet to be broken, “You know, I’ve said several dumb things.”

His dumbest remark, he admits, was his comment about “fags,” which cost him the Oscar gig. (He since has given $1 million to the Academy museum.) “It’s indefensible,” he says now. “I immediately apologized. I couldn’t say to everybody, ‘Wait a second, I’m not who you say I am. I’m the guy who did all the PSAs before I was even asked.’ It was just a stupid thing.”

Ratner With Dino De Laurentiis

Ratner with Dino De Laurentiis, who hired the young filmmaker to direct the Silence of the Lambs prequel, 2002’s Red Dragon.

'Hercules' Set

Ratner on the set of Hercules in Budapest.

Ratner With Serena Williams

“She’s an incredible person,” says Ratner of former girlfriend Serena Williams, here at a September 2004 Calvin Klein fashion show. “She is intelligent and has an incredible work ethic.”

Ratner With Michael Jackson and Robert Evans

“All my friends are over the age of 70,” jokes Ratner, here with Michael Jackson and Robert Evans in 2003. At one point, Ratner lived in Evans’ Hollywood home.

Ratner: 'I Always Try to Be Funny'

“I always try to be funny, and it comes off stupid,” says Ratner, pictured here as a young man next to an NYC taxi rigged with a camera on the hood.

Miami Childhood

The director spent much of his Miami childhood without his father.