'Thunderbolts*': Julia Louis-Dreyfus praises Marvel for women characters not 'defined' by relationships with men
Thunderbolts* (now in theatres) may in fact be the movie that saves the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell and Geraldine Viswanathan, the new film doesn't just focus on the glitz of its visuals, it puts the storytelling first. If you've fallen victim to "superhero fatigue," Thunderbolts* is worth a shot to bring you back to the genre.
The film starts with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) not in a great place mentally, she feels lonely and isolated as she's trying to manage the trauma of her past and the grief after Natasha's death. And it's those themes that guide the rest of the film.
"I think what was so effective about this particular project was that it deals with some really interesting themes, .... themes of depression and mental health and feeling isolated and ashamed," Louis-Dreyfus told Yahoo Canada in Toronto. "Human beings do feel that way, on occasion."
"I think the movie discusses the idea of sort of pulling back the layers on that and really investigating those feelings, and discusses the way to move forward out of those feelings of despair and ... connecting in your community as a way out. ... That sounds very sort of preachy, and I don't mean it to, because the movie is super entertaining, explosives and car chases and fighting and all the rest, lots of humour, but I think it's those themes that really have a shape in the film that drive it from a story point of view."
Yelena is really just going through the motions of completing assignments for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Louis-Dreyfus), struggling to find a purpose. But in what she plans to be her final job ,Yelena ends up stuck with rejected Captain America John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Taskmasker (Olga Kurylenko), realizing that the intention is that they would kill each other. They're also joined by the shy Bob (Lewis Pullman), and no one can figure out why he's there, including Bob himself. That's what starts us off on the team adventure.
Meanwhile Valentina, who's working as CIA director, with the help of her assistant Mel (Geraldine Viswanathan), is facing some heat from a congressional investigation into how she operates.
In addition to being a movie and TV star, Louis-Dreyfus hosts the "Wiser Than Me" podcast, where she has conversations with older women who share their wisdom, with guests including Carol Burnett, Ina Garten, Jane Goodall, and most recently marine biologist and oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle.
But in an episode with Sally Field, they discuss the dated idea in the entertainment industry that "women don't bring in money," and most roles for women are all centred around a relationship with a man. And that's what Louis-Dreyfus highlighted Thunderbolts* doesn't do.
"I'm proud of the fact that the women in this movie are not defined by their relationship with male characters," Louis-Dreyfus said. "They stand on their own, and they're complicated. They're complicated human beings. They're not the girl or the girlfriend or the mother, and that gives me a great sense of pride."
But aside from the more serious and emotional elements of Thunderbolts*, don't underestimate all the comedy in the film, and particularly what we see between Valentina and Mel, which leans into Veep territory, with some similar beats to Selina Meyer and Gary Walsh.
"We got along ... from the first day that we met," Louis-Dreyfus said. "She's got a great comedy background and is a really strong improviser, and turns out we have a lot of friends in common."
"We just ended up actually hanging out off set ... and that really worked well, because it played into the work that we had to do in the movie."
But who has the harder job, Mel as an assistant to Valentina, or Gary with Selina?
"Valentina only because Valentina could really kill you," Louis-Dreyfus said.
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