It's amazing how honest a director can be about a film as long as they're not busy promoting it.  Louis Leterrier's Clash of the Titans was one of the first movies to get a 3D post-conversion following the massive success of Avatar.  It was a rush-job and it showed.  When it came time to do press for the film, Leterrier admitted to being hesitant about the post-conversion, but when he saw the final product, it "looked like exactly what it looked like on set. I like the interactivity of it."

But now that Leterrier is out doing press for his new movie, Now You See Me, he felt free to reverse his stance on the universally panned 3D for Clash of the Titans.  Hit the jump for his quote.

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Image via Summit Entertainment

First, here's what Leterrier said to us back in 2010:

At what point did they approach you about turning the film into 3-D?

LOUIS LETERRIER: I approached them and we talked about it, early on. And then, we said, “Who knows how Avatar will do?” Most of the conversion 3-D technology was not ripe. It was very expensive. The movie was finished and I’d done a longer version of the edit, which I screened for the studio, and they really liked the movie. Then, Avatar came out and they said, “Remember that discussion that we had? Well, we’d like to do the 3-D conversion.” I was like, “Yes, but we talked about it a long time ago. It’s expensive and it doesn’t work, so why?” And they were like, “No, there’s a new technology, View-D by Prime Focus. You should try it ’cause it’s amazing.”

I really was skeptical, but I tested it and it was unbelievable. It looked like exactly what it looked like on set. I like the interactivity of it. It’s not like you press a button and then it’s done and you cannot do anything. I was giving them actual measurements. It was interactive. It’s fantastic. My fear in converting it to 3-D is that people will say, “Oh, it’s the 3-D Clash of the Titans.” No, it’s Clash of the Titans, the movie, and then, on top of that, you have the 3-D conversion. The 2-D movie works as well as the 3-D movie. I want to make sure that people like the 2-D version. It’s not a gimmick. It actually improves the viewing experience, but the movie stands on its own.

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Image via Warner Bros.

But speaking to The Huffington Post, he had this to say about Clash of the Titans' 3D:

LETERRIER: It was a very tough experience. I was literally thrown under the bus for something that ... I still have a good relationship with Warner Bros., but at one point it was like, "Yeah, Louis chose the 3D." And I was like, "No, guys, I didn't choose the 3D. I actually told you it's not working. I couldn't control it. I said don't do it."

The 3D on "Clash of the Titans" was famously rushed.

LETERRIER: Yeah, exactly. It was famously rushed and famously horrible. It was absolutely horrible, the 3D. Nothing was working, it was just a gimmick to steal money from the audience. I'm a good boy and I rolled with the punches and everything, but it's not my movie. "Clash of the Titans" is not my movie. And ultimately that's why I didn't do the sequel.

It's a fun action movie, all in all. Some people are really happy with the movie. I tried to do the best I could, but it was not the best experience of my life, I must say. I wasn't protected. Talking about surrounding yourself with the right people -- I felt like I was really thrown at the wolves.

So to be fair, Leterrier has always held to his statement that the 3D was Warner Bros.' decision.   But it's also slightly amusing to see him say "It's not a gimmick" in 2010" and then say "it was just a gimmick to steal money from the audience."  But no one should have expected Leterrier to throw the 3D under the bus when he was doing press for Clash.  But perhaps when we ask filmmakers about what's next, we should also remember to ask them about their past work.