Chris Hemsworth brands Scorsese MCU criticisms ‘depressing’ after Anthony Hopkins speaks out on franchise

The actor reflected on comments from his co-star that Marvel had ‘swallowed Hollywood’
Chris Hemsworth brands Martin Scorsese MCU criticisms ‘depressing’
Georges Antoni
Lisa McLoughlin 6 June 2023
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Chris Hemsworth has defended the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the comic-book franchise faced criticism from filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino.

The Australian actor has played Thor since 2011 and has starred in eight Marvel movies over the past decade.

Previously, Oscar-winning director Scorsese said the blockbusters were negatively impacting cinema while Tarantino said that Marvel is incapable of generating movie stars.

The Kill Bill director said on the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast last November: “Part of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is… you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters.

“But they’re not movie stars. Right? Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star. I mean, I’m not the first person to say that. I think that’s been said a zillion times… but it’s like, you know, it’s these franchise characters that become a star.”

Reflecting on Tarantino and Scorsese’s comments, Hemsworth told British GQ: “That’s super depressing when I hear that. There goes two of my heroes I won’t work with. I guess they’re not a fan of me.”

The Summer issue of British GQ is available on newsstands on June 13
Georges Antoni

“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.

“I don’t love when we start scrutinizing each other when there’s so much fragility in the business and in this space of the arts as it is… 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.

“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.”

The Ghostbusters actor also shared his honest thoughts about his most recent Marvel film, Thor: Love & Thunder.

The star reprised the role in Taika Waititi’s 2022 feature and has now revealed that his kids did not love the film, stating and “critiqued” it for having “too much humour” and weak effects.

“I cringe and laugh equally at it,” he said. “I think we just had too much fun. It just became too silly.”

Hemsworth pictured with Thor co-star Anthony Hopkins
AP

Hemsworth’s comments come as his former Thor co-star Anthony Hopkins spoke disparagingly about his experience within the MCU, claiming it “swallowed” Hollywood as a whole.

The 85-year-old, who played Odin in 2011’s Thor, 2013’s Thor: The Dark World and 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, told The New Yorker: “They put me in armor; they shoved a beard on me.

“Sit on the throne, shout a bit. If you’re sitting in front of a green screen, it’s pointless acting it.”

Chris Hemsworth will be speaking at the GQ Heroes conference in association with BMW, taking place at Soho Farmhouse, Oxfordshire from July 19 to 21.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in