Together they’re one of Hollywood’s most iconic partnerships, but it turns out that Samuel L. Jackson doesn’t see eye to eye with longtime friend Quentin Tarantino when it comes toMarvelmovies.
Jackson’s response comes on the back of Tarantino saying he doesn’t considerMarvelactors to be movie stars, as the accomplished director believes MCU fans flock to theaters not to see any of the performers but rather the characters they play, whether that’s Thor, Captain America, or Iron Man. Naturally, Tarantino’s remarks sparked controversy, withShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsstar Simu Liubeing the first ones to fire back, although Jackson’s legacy certainly makes his arguments worth hearing.
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In this case, Jackson was asked about the matter on ABC’sThe View, and the actor gave a very on-brand answer. “It takes an actor to be those particular characters, and the sign of movie stardom has always been, what, asses in seats?” he said. Jackson doubled down on his view, saying Marvel actors deserve their movie star status, referring to the late Chadwick Boseman as an example of a star who ultimately proved irreplaceable.
In that regard, Jackson is right because movie stardom is measured in a film’s ability to draw crowds to theaters. When it comes to audience attendance, there is no second best to Marvel Studios, with the studio’s productions becoming the most profitable films on the planet for the better part of the last decade. Tarantino and Jacksongo back toPulp Fiction, with the actor appearing in some capacity in 6 of the director’s 10 movies, although it remains to be seen if there’s a role for him in Tarantino’s last film.
The angle taken by Jackson is similar to Liu’s, whose dreams of stardom were materialized in Shang-Chi’s cinematic debut, which not only went on to earn $432.2 million worldwide, it also ended up being one of the best-rated Phase Four films, besting sequels for legacy Avengers like Doctor Strange and Thor.Tarantino’s issues with Marvelgo far beyond the merits MCU actors deserve. He also believes Marvel films make up a small part of what he calls the “Marvel-ization of Hollywood” in one of cinema’s worst periods ever.
Jackson became an instrumental part of the Marvel Studios formula, starting with his first appearance inIron Manto Nick Fury’s first lead rolein next year’sSecret Invasion.
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