Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has expressed frustration over criticism of superhero movies from directors he considers “heroes” like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola.
In an interview with The Times of London, Hemsworth said of their Marvel bashing, “It felt harsh, and it bothers me, especially from heroes. It was an eye-roll for me, people bashing the superhero space.”
He pushed back on Scorsese’s 2019 comments calling Marvel movies a “theme park experience” and not true cinema. “Cool, tell that to the billions who watch them. Were they all wrong?” Hemsworth said.
The actor argued that superhero films actually “kept people in the cinemas” as platforms like smartphones emerged, saying the genre “deserves a little more appreciation.”
Hemsworth also took issue with actors who appeared in Marvel movies later criticizing them, though he didn’t name names. The Times cited examples like Idris Elba calling it “torture” and Christian Bale knocking the “monotony” on set.
“It’s, like, ‘They’re films that are successful — put me in one. Oh, mine didn’t work? I’ll bash them,'” he said, advocating for more “humility.”
The actor, currently promoting the “Mad Max: Fury Road” prequel “Furiosa,” admitted he sometimes felt “hamstrung” and “pigeonholed” by playing Thor.
“I’ve felt a little hamstrung with what I could do, so [I] desperately wanted something to scare the shit out of me. And ‘Furiosa’ did,” Hemsworth explained.
He previously told Vanity Fair he grew frustrated reading Thor’s lines, feeling like “a security guard” while others got “way cooler stuff.”
But Hemsworth says he’s now relishing the chance to show off more than just his “muscly action guy” side with his villainous “Furiosa” role.