Moon Knight star Ethan Hawke has spoken out about Marvel’s treatment of its filmmakers. During an interview with IndieWire, the 51-year-old actor explained why he thinks Marvel directors have a hard time compared to its actors.
“That group of people [at Marvel] is extremely actor-friendly,” he said. “They might not be director-friendly, and that could be what Scorsese and Coppola are talking about. But they love actors.”
Hawke appears to be referencing the now-iconic interview with Scorsese in which he claimed that Marvel movies are not cinema.
“I don't see them,” said the legendary filmmaker. “I tried, you know? But that's not cinema,”
Despite joining the MCU as the villainous Arthur Harrow in Marvel’s Moon Knight, it looks as though Hawke shares Scorsese’s sentiment.
“If you keep reviewing these movies that are basically made for 14-year-olds like they’re Fanny and Alexander or Winter Light, then who the hell’s going to get to make Winter Light?” he said.
And the actor appreciates the elder filmmakers calling them out.
“I appreciate the elder statesmen of the community reminding people not to set the bar too low,” Hawke added. “I know it makes some people think they’re stuck up, but they’re not stuck up.”
Marvel’s long-running Cinematic Universe has often been criticized when it comes to how much creative freedom its directors are given. But Marvel actors seem to have an altogether more positive experience.
“I think Kevin Feige had a great thing happen with Robert Downey Jr. and he understood that Downey’s passion was a large part of the success,” said Hawke. “When actors are excited by a part, audiences get excited about watching them. Feige understood the algorithm there, so they’re extremely respectful toward the process. The best thing about Moon Knight for me was Oscar’s performance. It’s a gonzo thing that happens to have a giant budget — a pretty out-there performance.”
Still, it sounds as though Hawke won’t be tied down by his Moon Knight role for very long. After all, the season finale left Arthur’s story pretty much tied up.
A good thing, considering that Hawke doesn’t sound too bothered about returning.
“I’m not supposed to talk about it,” he said. “I had to sign an NDA about dealing with them, but I’m not interested in long-term commitments. I protected myself because I didn’t know what it was going to be. I just wanted to know what that sandbox was like. And it’s what young people are watching, so why are we going to sit there and tell them it’s not good?”
Want to read more about Marvel’s Moon Knight? Check out what the show’s ending really means, and find out what psychologists really thought of the show.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.