Chadwick Boseman Reacts to Martin Scorsese's Marvel Criticism (Exclusive)
More Avengers: Endgame stars are weighing in on Martin Scorsese's comments that Marvel movies are "not cinema."
Over the weekend, ET spoke with Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman at the press day for his new crime thriller, 21 Bridges, where he offered his thoughts on the contentious topic.
"Let me just say this: There's no side to be on. I think that's the key," he said. "He made statements, they're valid statements, you know what I'm saying? At the same time, all movies have to be considered in regards to genre… What he's saying is a statement about the business, it's not really a statement about the aesthetic... I don't have a side. I'm making this movie, I made that movie."
Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson also recently interviewed each other for Variety Studio: Actors on Actors, where they also discussed Scorsese's seemingly derogatory perception of superhero and franchise films.
"At first, I thought that seems kind of old-fashioned, and somebody had to explain to me, because it seemed so disappointing and sad in a way," Johansson explained of hearing about the comments. "They said, 'I think what these people are saying is that at the actual theater, there's not a lot of room for different kinds of movies, or smaller movies, because the theater is taken up by huge blockbusters.'"
"It made me think about how people consume content now, and how there's been this huge sea change with their viewing experience," she added.
Evans chimed in: "I think original content inspires creative content. I think new stuff is what keeps the creative wheel rolling. I just believe there's room at the table for all of it. It's like saying a certain type of music isn't music. Who are you to say that?"
Scorsese has discussed his issues with big-budget superhero movies on a number of occasions, often equating them with theme parks. Fellow Oscar winner Francis Ford Coppola has shared his support for Scorsese's comments, calling Marvel films "despicable."
At the Los Angeles premiere of his new film, The Irishman, in late October, Scorsese spoke with ET about the controversy, where he argued that Marvel films are a new type of art form.
"Well, look, the point is, in terms of this film, Netflix, theaters, what I'm talking about really are films that are made," he began. "Let's say a family wants to go to an amusement park, that's a good thing, you know. And at themes and parks there's these cinematic expressions. They're a new art form. It's something different from films that are shown normally in theaters, that's all."
"For them, my concern is losing the screens to massive, theme-park films, which I say again, they're [their] own new art form," Scorsese continued. "Cinema now is changing. We have so many venues, there are so many ways to make films. So enjoyable. Fine, go and it's an event and it's great to go to an event like an amusement park, but don't crowd out Greta Gerwig and don't crowd out Paul Thomas Anderson and Noah Baumbach and those people, just don't, in terms of theaters."
Another Endgame star, Mark Ruffalo, discussed the topic on stage at the Hollywood Film Awards last weekend, stating: "What really speaks to people about these movies, I think, is the heart and humanity of characters. That's what makes Avengers: Endgame so powerful to witness -- these characters that care about and reckon with the world around them... to watch them struggle and survive and sometimes even say goodbye. That's what makes it cinema."
Backstage, Ruffalo spoke with ET about Scorsese's criticism of his films, where he shared his admiration for the director.
"I've worked with Marty. I love Marty," he explained. "I hope he gets to see the film one day because so many of us as filmmakers have really actually stolen from him and learned so much from him. I think if he sees it, he'll see what a kind of homage it is to the cinema that he's created in the past."
See more on the scandal below.
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