Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ‘Thor’ star, Chris Hemsworth spoke about the MCU criticism by legendary auteurs, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and more. The actor called the denunciations as “harsh” and said that their take on the superhero genre “bothered him”.
In a new interview with ‘The Times of London’ the Aussie expressed his opinions on the negative views on the blockbuster franchise.
Hemsworth stated, “It felt harsh, and it bothers me, especially from heroes. It was an eye-roll for me, people bashing the superhero space,” Chris said, adding, “Those guys had films that didn’t work too — we all have. When they talked about what was wrong with superheroes, I thought, cool, tell that to the billions who watch them. Were they all wrong?”.
Chris offered a counterpoint on Scorsese’s comment that superheroes were hurting mid-budget and indie cinemas, "Cinema-going did not change because of superheroes, but because of smartphones and social media. Superhero films kept people in the cinemas during that transition and now people are coming back. So they deserve a little more appreciation.”
Hemsworth also addressed the criticism actors have spoken about starring in the superhero films. Though the actor didn’t name anybody, it seemed that his words were targeted to his ‘Thor:Love and Thunder’ costar, Cristian Bale, who had once complained about how acting in front of a green screen was a “monotony”. Idris Elba, another costar of Hemsworth, had said filming a Marvel film was like “torture”.
"It’s, like, ‘They’re films that are successful — put me in one. Oh, mine didn’t work? I’ll bash them.' Look, I grew up on a soap opera. And it used to bother me when actors would later talk about the show with guilt or shame. Humility goes a long way. One of the older actors on ‘Home and Away’ said, ‘We don’t get paid to make the good lines sound good, but to make the bad ones work.’ That stuck with me," said the 40-year-old actor.
Legendary director Martin Scorsese was in the spotlight in 2019 for his remarks on the superhero films, calling them a “theme park”. “That’s not cinema. Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well-made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being,” said Scorsese to Empire that October.
‘The Godfather Trilogy’ creator Francis Ford Coppola also seemed to agree with Scorsese’s remarks, stating to GQ magazine in an interview in 2022, “There used to be studio films. Now there are Marvel pictures. And what is a Marvel picture? A Marvel picture is one prototype movie that is made over and over and over and over and over again to look different”.
‘Avatar’ and ‘Titanic’ director, James Cameron also weighed in on the heavy laden criticism in an interview with New York Times, “When I look at these big, spectacular films – I’m looking at you, Marvel and DC – it doesn’t matter how old the characters are, they all act like they’re in college. The things that really ground us and give us power, love, and a purpose? Those characters don’t experience it, and I think that’s not the way to make movies.”
Hemsworth, who was the co chair of the Met Gala this year, has starred as the ever loved ‘Thor’ in eight MCU films. In the interview, Chris said that if he ever gets a chance to play ‘Thor’ again, he would do try to do it differently.
“I’ve felt a little hamstrung with what I could do, so (I) desperately wanted something to scare the shit out of me. And ‘Furiosa’ did," he said, referring to his upcoming movie "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”.
George Miller directed “Furious: A Mad Max Saga” is set to release in theatres this July worldwide.
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