Marvel movies have their fair share of detractors these days, including the recent star of Madame Web, Dakota Johnson, who told Bustle that she wasn’t surprised that movie flopped and more specifically, “… Decisions are being made by committees, and art does not do well when it’s made by committee.” Even Thor star Chris Hemsworth admits that his last solo outing in Thor: Love and Thunder was “too silly.”
Thor: Love and Thunder co-star Russell Crowe however, isn’t one of these detractors. In fact, Crowe has a message for actors who are bad-mouthing the framework of Marvel movies as the reason for their film’s disappointment at the box office.
“You’re telling me you signed up for a Marvel movie, and some fucking universe for cartoon characters… and you didn’t get enough pathos?” Crowe told British GQ. “Not quite sure how I can make this better for you. It’s a gigantic machine, and they make movies at a certain size.”
While Crow admitted that the interview was “bringing out the impish quality of [his] humor” and that working with visual-effects laden movies “can be challenging, working in a blue-screen world, when you have to convince yourself of a lot more than just the internal machinations of your character,” he also believes that actors need to rectify their expectations to starring in a superhero film.
“These are jobs,” Crowe continued. “You know: here’s your role, play the role. If you’re expecting this to be some kind of life-changing event, I just think you’re here for the wrong reasons.”
Crowe added that he wasn’t in Johnson’s shoes so he couldn’t speak specifically to her experience, but his experience in superhero films, which include DC’s Man of Steel and Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder and the upcoming Kraven the Hunter, has been nothing but gratifying.
“I don’t know [Johnson] and I don’t know what she went through,” Crowe explained, “and the fact that you can have a s— experience on a film… Yeah, you can. But is that the Marvel process? I’m not sure you can say that. I haven’t had a bad experience. I mean [on Thor], OK, it’s a Marvel movie, but it’s Taika Waititi’s world, and it was just a gas every day, being silly.”
Crowe also shared some thoughts on his upcoming role in Kraven, praising the film’s director J.C. Chandor (Triple Frontier, A Most Violent Year).
“On Kraven, I’m just bringing a little weight to the circumstances, so the young actors have got an actor they can bounce off,” he said. “Going to work with JC [Chandor] was fun. You know, so many of these directors have a certain skill level — freaking genius people. Think about what’s required, right? It’s everything: the composition, the framing, the color, the music, what’s left outside the camera. Whether it’s Jocelyn Moorhouse or it’s Ridley Scott, you’re talking about hanging out with geniuses.”
What are your thoughts on how Russell Crowe defends Marvel movies from Dakota Johnson criticisms: “You’re here for the wrong reasons”? Let us know in the comments.
