Quentin Tarantino, lover of feet and making violent action films, has taken a jab at what he calls the “Marvelisation” of Hollywood. As you might expect, not everyone is happy with this hot take.
Tarantino made an appearance on the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast, where he discussed the idea that there are less movie stars than there used to be. He described it as the “legacy of the Marvelisation of Hollywood movies”.
He said he didn’t hate or love Marvel movies, and that he used to collect the comics as a kid. According to Tarantino, he would’ve loved Marvel flicks if they came out in his twenties.
His argument was essentially that Marvel movies are everywhere, calling them the “only things that seem to get made”.
But it was Tarantino’s hot take about movie stars which copped the most heat.
“You have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters. But they’re not movie stars,” he said.
He specifically mentioned Captain America (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth). I have to say, I feel like Chris Evans’ Knives Out sweater moment was pretty movie star-esque but maybe that’s just me.
“Captain America is the star. Thor is the star. I’m not the first person to say that,” Tarantino said.
“These franchised characters become the star.”
Interestingly, you might remember Jennifer Aniston making similar comments in a recent Allure cover shoot.
Reflecting on her fame, Aniston said: “I feel like it’s dying. There are no more movie stars.”
I’m not sure how we got to the point of a mild moral panic about there being no more movie stars, but I’m genuinely pretty intrigued by the whole discussion.
I will be pondering the very nature of the phrase “movie star” for the next five to seven working days.
Being a movie star is about more than making movies that do well at the box office. It’s about the frenzy you cause, the red carpets you dazzle on, the charisma you exude! The only modern movie stars are Oscar Isaac, Timothée Chalamet, and Zendaya (there are exceptions) https://t.co/Kbl1cpERQA
— Meech (@MediumSizeMeech) November 21, 2022
One Marvel actor in particular took aim at Tarantino’s comments.
Simu Liu — who played the titular character in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings — took to Twitter to hit back.
“If the only gatekeepers to movie stardom came from Tarantino and [Martin] Scorsese, I would never have had the opportunity to lead a $400 million plus movie,” he said.
Scorsese has also criticised Marvel films.
Liu added he was “proud” to work with a movie studio making “sustained efforts to improve diversity onscreen by creating heroes that empower and inspire people of all communities everywhere”.
https://twitter.com/SimuLiu/status/1595125075040403456?s=20&t=qewj-KrFUNMh1nqm8fCt6A
Another day, another dash of Hollywood debate. Who will be the next celeb to reveal a hot take about the future of cinema? We can only wait and see.
