Russell Crowe Delivers Blunt Advice for Superhero Movie Actors

Russell Crowe's decades of screen work have led him to play characters across the spectrum. In recent years, the Academy Award winner has broken into the comic book adaptation world with appearances in DC's Man of Steel and Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder. But when it comes to stacking up these roles to other work he's done, Crowe believes there's not much of a comparison to be made. 

The Gladiator star gave his unfiltered thoughts on superhero movie roles in a new interview with British GQ. When asked about Dakota Johnson's difficulty filming Madame Web, Crowe was seemingly amused by the disillusionment. 

"You’re telling me you signed up for a Marvel movie, and some f--king universe for cartoon characters, and you didn’t get enough pathos?" he said. "Not quite sure how I can make this better for you. It’s a gigantic machine, and they make movies at a certain size. And you know, I’ve experienced that on the DC side with Man of Steel, [with director] Zack Snyder, and I’ve experienced it on the Marvel side via Disney with Thor: Love and Thunder. And I’ve also experienced the [Sony-produced] Marvel dark universe with Kraven the Hunter." 

"These are jobs, you know?" he continued. "Here’s your role, play the role. If you’re expecting this to be some kind of life-changing event, I just think you’re here for the wrong reasons."

Crowe acknowledged that for some actors who might be used to more dramatic roles, the transition to making blockbuster comic book adaptations can be jarring. 

"It can be challenging, working in a blue-screen world, when you have to convince yourself of a lot more than just the internal machinations of your character... But is that the Marvel process? I’m not sure you can say that," he concluded. "I haven’t had a bad experience. I mean [on Thor], OK, it’s a Marvel movie, but it’s Taika Waititi’s world, and it was just a gas every day, being silly."

Crowe's newest movie, The Exorcist, hits theaters June 21. His latest Marvel venture, Kraven the Hunter, arrives Dec. 13.