Russell Crowe just dropped a candid take on starring in superhero movies

Russell Crowe’s take on superhero movies isn’t very sympathetic, but his reasoning makes perfect sense.

Crowe isn’t a stranger to superhero movies. In fact, one of his new movies is the upcoming Marvel adaptation, Kraven the Hunter, which will be released by Sony on December 13, 2024. Prior to this, he also starred in DC’s Man of Steel (reappearing in Zack Snyder’s Justice League), and Thor: Love and Thunder.

As such, when he has something to say about appearing in those kinds of movies, the man has experience. When talking to British GQ, he gave new insight into what he thinks of the genre, and it essentially boils down to having reasonable expectations.

Specifically, he was asked about his thoughts on Dakota Johnson’s comments, who said big superhero movies (like 2024’s Madame Web), can feel like they’ve been “made by committee.” Crowe, however, maintains a more realistic view of starring in those films.

“I don’t want to make any comments to what anybody else might have said or what their experience is, but… you’re bringing out the impish quality of my humor,” he said. “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?

“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, 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,” he added. “You know: 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’s Kraven role is somewhat similar to his in Man of Steel, playing the father of a boy who eventually grows up to become a super-powered man of action. (Kraven’s father Nikolai Kravinoff, however, isn’t such a great guy.) Kraven will be the sixth movie in Sony’s Spider-Man universe, and has been in the works since 2016.

For more superhero stories, check out our guide to Venom 3, Spider-Man 4, and Captain America 4. You can also take a look at all the best movies of 2024 so far.