It feels like people are always taking shots at superhero flicks, or more specifically the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some of the greatest filmmakers of all time are attacking our beloved comic book films. This time it was Quentin Tarantino - and Robert Downey Jr. isn’t having it.
Before we get into what Downey had to say in response to Tarantino’s comment, let’s check out what he actually said, first. His comments stated that these actors bringing some of the most beloved characters to life aren’t movie stars. What he’s saying, essentially, is that the actors have nothing to do with the films doing so well. It’s all the characters. He also dissed the “Marvel-ization” of Hollywood.
In his interview with Deadline, though, Downey Jr. fired back and held nothing back. Here’s what the former Iron Man star had to say.
"I think our opinions on these matters say a lot about us. I think that we are in a time and place that I unwittingly contributed to, where IP has taken precedence over principle and personality. But it's a double-edged sword. A piece of IP is only as good as the human talent you get to represent it, and you can have some great IP even if it's coming from an auteur or a national treasure of a writer-director, and if you don't have the right kind of artist playing that role, you'll never know how good it could have been. I think that creatively it is a waste of time to be at war with ourselves. I think this is a time when everything is so much more fragmented now that I think you have this kind of bifurcation. Throwing stones one way or another … and I've had my reactions in the past when people said things that I felt were discrediting my integrity … I go, "You know what? Let's just get over it. We're all a community. There's enough room for everything," and thank God for Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water. That's all I have to say. We need the big stuff to make room for films like Armageddon Time."
The actor then wehnt on to add “"I'm not talking about trickle-down entertainment. I'm just saying that things are always changing and I'm at a place in my life where I've now gone back to back, working with Chris Nolan on what was an exceptionally transformational experience for me; having been in pre-production post and bringing Sr. to market; and the next thing I'm doing is a series with my Mrs. and the director Park Chan-Wook, based on a Pulitzer book called The Sympathizer. It's already a transformative, literally playing five different roles experience for me. So, I would just say, before we cast aspersions on each other — undergo your own renaissance and see if it doesn't change your mind a little bit. Reinvent yourself before you decide that somebody else doesn't know what they're doing or that something is keeping you from doing your best, or that something is better than something else. You know, we're in this age now where Favreau said it best: We used to try to make waves in a lake, and now we're just trying to catch people's attention as things are moving by quickly in a stream. I think that'll change again, but this is just where we're at. And to accept it and be grateful that you get to participate is the right place to start."
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