Quentin Tarantino has frankly commented that Marvel actors cannot be considered movie stars, and that seems to have touched Samuel L. Jackson – “Nick Fury” of the MCU.
Recently, the famous director Quentin Tarantino continues to make Marvel fans “wake up” with the comment that actors participating in MCU films cannot be considered movie stars. Immediately, Samuel L. Jackson, who has been attached to the Marvel cinematic universe since the first days, spoke out against this idea, despite the fact that the actor and Tarantino have collaborated on many projects. large over the years.
Specifically, when participating in the podcast 2 Bears, 1 Cave in mid-November, Quentin Tarantino had candid thoughts on this issue. The Pulp Fiction director said: “A lot of actors have become famous for playing Marvel characters. But, they’re not movie stars, right? Captain America or Thor is the star. I’m not the first person to think like that. That has been mentioned a billion billion times by others already. But you know, it’s the Marvel characters that are considered the stars of the movie.”
In Quentin Tarantino’s view, the attraction of Marvel movies comes from the names of characters, superheroes, and supervillains that are already so famous in world popular culture. Audiences accept to “open their wallets” to go to the cinema because of the reputation of Iron Man, Captain America, or Thor, and many other characters. Meanwhile, the actors who transform into these roles are not the main factor that makes the MCU attractive.
Faced with such negative comments, Samuel L. Jackson did not hesitate to speak up in defense of his colleagues at Marvel Studios. In an interview with The View, the veteran actor said, “It takes actors to have such characters. And up until now, it was the audience who decided who the stars were. What is there to argue about here? For me, it was not difficult to recognize those actors as movie stars. Chadwick Boseman is the Black Panther. No one can deny that, and he is a movie star himself.”
Samuel L. Jackson was a longtime friend and colleague of Quentin Tarantino. The 73-year-old actor has participated in many film projects directed by Tarantino, including classic masterpieces such as Pulp Fiction (1994), Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004) or Django Unchained (2012).
However, this friendship spanning more than 2 decades cannot make the two have the same opinion on Marvel’s film projects. While Quentin Tarantino has not less than twice publicly “criticized” superhero movies in general and the MCU in particular, Samuel L. Jackson has shown particular interest in the character Nick Fury – a role that has been with him since 2008 to present.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in June, the actor confirmed that he would prioritize playing Nick Fury over accepting roles created solely for the purpose of winning Oscars.
“I never used Oscars as a measure of the success or failure of my acting career,” Jackson said. The only success criterion is my own happiness: Am I satisfied with what I’m doing? I don’t like projects that run on ambition, like “if I take this role, I’ll definitely get the Oscars”. No thanks! I’d rather be Nick Fury or Mace Windu to enjoy the lightsaber dance.”
Samuel L. Jackson has reason to speak out in defense of his Marvel Studios colleagues. The actor’s journey in the MCU has not stopped, because he will return as Nick Fury in the television series Secret Invasion, scheduled to premiere in 2023 on Disney+.
Samuel L. Jackson is not the only one to speak out against Quentin Tarantino’s opinion. Previously, Liu Simu (Simu Liu), a rookie of Marvel Studios, Shang-Chi of the MCU, also expressed his frustration at not being respected by his seniors.
Sharing on his personal Twitter, the actor said: “If Tarantino or (Martin) Scorsese were the ones who decided who would be considered a star, I would never have had the opportunity to star in projects. The film grossed over 400 million USD. I admire their genius filmmaking thinking. They are all superb directors. But don’t meddle in my business or anyone else’s.”
“No studio is perfect,” continued Liu Simu, “But I am very proud to be partnering with people who are constantly working to bring diversity to the silver screen by creating new movies. superheroes inspire people and communities around the world.”
Source: Variety, NYPost