Russell Crowe has no problem calling out the hypocrisy of actors dissing their own superhero films.
The new trend as of late was most recently exemplified by Dakota Johnson’s comments on “Madame Web” after the Sony-produced film flopped at the box office. Johnson told Bustle that she understood why the film was “ripped to shreds” by critics, citing that “art does not do well when it’s made by committee.”
Crowe, when asked about how his own experience in a slew of superhero films compared to Johnson’s, told GQ UK that of course tentpole franchise films like “Thor: Love and Thunder” are made by a “gigantic machine” like Johnson complained about.
“I don’t want to make any comments to what anybody else might have said or what their experience is, but…you’re bringing out the impish quality of my humor,” Crowe said. “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? Not quite sure how I can make this better for you. It’s a gigantic machine, and they make movies at a certain size.”
Crowe cited his own experiences with DC films “Man of Steel” and working with Zack Snyder, in addition to Marvel and Disney’s “Thor: Love and Thunder.” Crowe also stars in the upcoming Sony Marvel film “Kraven the Hunter.”
“These are jobs. 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 said.
The “Gladiator” Oscar winner did admit that adjusting to working with a blue screen is “challenging,” much like how his “Thor” co-star and fellow Academy Award recipient Anthony Hopkins had said previously.
“It 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. But for anything to be…and you can’t make this a direct comment on [Johnson] because I don’t know her and I don’t know what she went through, and the fact that you can have a shit experience on a film…Yeah, you can. But is that the Marvel process? I’m not sure you can say that,” Crowe siad. “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.”
He continued, “And then, with JC Chandor on ‘Kraven,’ I’m just bringing a little weight to the circumstances, so the young actors have got an actor they can bounce off. Going to work with JC 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 [‘Proof’ director] Jocelyn Moorhouse or it’s Ridley Scott, you’re talking about hanging out with geniuses.”
