Chris Hemsworth is stung by comments from his “heroes” Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese, who have slammed Marvel movies for dominating cinema culture.
“That’s super depressing when I hear that,” the “Avengers” star told GQ in an interview published Tuesday. “There goes two of my heroes I won’t work with. I guess they’re not a fan of me. I’m thankful that I have been a part of something that kept people in cinemas.”
“Now, whether or not those films were to the detriment of other films, I don’t know,” he continued.
The Australian actor was virtually unknown in the U.S. until “Thor” (2011) made him a household name. While Marvel’s reign at the box office began with Robert Downey Jr.’s “Iron Man” (2008), Hemsworth has contributed to its staying power ― to the frustration of older auteurs.
Tarantino argued on the “2 Bears, 1 Cave” podcast in November that Marvel makes intellectual property out of stars — and not the other way around. The “Kill Bill” director also said Marvel’s popularity at the theaters leaves “not really much room for anything else.”
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has reportedly made more than $28 billion since its 2008 launch.
“Part of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is … you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters,” said Tarantino. “But they’re not movie stars, right? Captain America is the star. Thor is the star. I mean, I’m not the first person to say that.”
The Oscar winner was certainly right about that last part, as Scorsese had chimed in years earlier.
“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,” he told Empire. “It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences.”
While Scorsese received the wrath of impassioned comic book fans online, Tarantino’s comments were directly addressed by Marvel actors Simu Liu and Downey himself — who argued that “creatively it is a waste of time to be at war with ourselves.”
“I think that we are in a time and place that I unwittingly contributed to, where IP has taken precedence over principle and personality,” he told Deadline. “But it’s a double-edged sword. A piece of IP is only as good as the human talent you get to represent it.”
Hemsworth told GQ that receiving public criticism has been difficult, but that he’s learned to “surrender” while taking swings with Marvel. While he’s been able to laugh at his kids “critiquing my film,” the words from Hollywood elder statesmen still smart.
“I don’t love when we start scrutinizing each other when there’s so much fragility in the business. … I say that less to the directors who made those comments, who are all, by the way, still my heroes, and in a heartbeat I would leap to work with any of them,” he told GQ.
He continued: “But I say it more to the broader opinion around that topic. I don’t think any of us have the answer, but we’re trying.”