Latest news with #CutBank
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
John Malkovich said he refused to appear in Marvel movies for years before 'Fantastic Four' because the studio 'didn't want to pay me'
John Malkovich said he rejected multiple Marvel movie roles before starring in "The Fantastic Four." Malkovich told GQ he turned them down because he didn't like the pay deals he was offered. He's not the first actor to address being motivated by the paycheck when joining the Marvel franchise. John Malkovich makes his Marvel debut in this year's "Fantastic Four" reboot. But the actor said he rejected multiple past Marvel roles because he didn't think the pay was good enough. Malkovich, whose character in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" has not been confirmed, is the latest well-established actor to star in the superhero blockbuster movies, following the likes of Harrison Ford, Russell Crowe, and Helen Mirren. But Malkovich told GQ on Tuesday that he agreed to "The Fantastic Four: First Steps," which premieres in July, so he could work with the film's director Matt Shakman. The pair collaborated on 2014's "Cut Bank." Malkovich said he turned down previous Marvel roles because he "didn't like the deals they made, at all." "The reason I didn't do them had nothing to do with any artistic considerations whatsoever," he said. "These films are quite grueling to make…. If you're going to hang from a crane in front of a green screen for six months, pay me. "You don't want to pay me, it's cool, but then I don't want to do it, because I'd rather be onstage, or be directing a play, or doing something else." He's the latest actor to speak candidly about pay being a big motivator for them joining, or leaving, the billion-dollar franchise. When asked why he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ford told Variety in August 2024: "It took not caring. It took being an idiot for money, which I've done before." Hugo Weaving, who played the Red Skull in 2011's "Captain America: The First Avenger," told Time Out in 2020 that he didn't return to play the character in "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame" because Marvel offered him less money. "They said: 'It's just a voice job, it's not a big deal.' I actually found negotiating with them through my agent impossible. And I didn't really wanna do it that much. But I would have done it," he said. The character was recast for the two "Avengers" films, with Ross Marquand taking over the role, and they grossed $4.8 billion in total. Marvel did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
John Malkovich Says He Turned Down Marvel for Years Due to ‘Grueling' Productions for Minimal Pay
John Malkovich had to wait for the right circumstances to join the MCU, meaning the right director and the right paycheck. Malkovich told GQ that he turned down working in the Disney franchise for years prior to making his Marvel debut with 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps.' The undisclosed role reunites him with director Matt Shaman, whom directed Malkovich in 2014 film 'Cut Bank.' More from IndieWire 'Eric LaRue' Trailer: Judy Greer and Alexander Skarsgård Are Parents of a School Shooter in Michael Shannon's Directorial Debut Watch the 4K Trailer for Charles Burnett's Newly Restored Masterpiece 'Killer of Sheep' Malkovich explained that 'First Steps' was 'not that dissimilar to doing theater' because 'you imagine a bunch of stuff that isn't there and do your little play' — but the film still had a 'grueling' production, he said. 'The reason I didn't do them [before] had nothing to do with any artistic considerations whatsoever,' Malkovich said. 'I didn't like the deals they made, at all. These films are quite grueling to make… If you're going to hang from a crane in front of a green screen for six months, pay me. You don't want to pay me, it's cool, but then I don't want to do it, because I'd rather be onstage, or be directing a play, or doing something else.' Malkovich currently stars in Mark Anthony Green's viral Sundance film 'Opus.' And he isn't the first actor to speak out on acting alongside green screens in the MCU. 'Thor: Love and Thunder' star Christian Bale previously said it would be a 'pitiful attempt' to apply classical acting techniques in the franchise. 'That would've been a pitiful attempt to do that, as I'm trying to get help getting the fangs in and out and explaining I've broken a nail, or I'm tripping over the tunic,' Bale said during a 2022 GQ story. 'That's the first time I've done that [working with green screens]. I mean, the definition of it is monotony. You've got good people. You've got other actors who are far more experienced at it than me. Can you differentiate one day from the next? No. Absolutely not. You have no idea what to do. I couldn't even differentiate one stage from the next. They kept saying, 'You're on Stage Three.' Well, it's like, 'Which one is that?' 'The blue one.' They're like, 'Yeah. But you're on Stage Seven.' 'Which one is that?' 'The blue one.' I was like, 'Uh, where?'' Bale's 'Thor: Love and Thunder' co-star Anthony Hopkins, who also appeared in Marvel films 'Thor,' 'Thor: The Dark World,' and 'Thor: Ragnarok,' echoed to The New Yorker that he had a 'pointless' approach to acting with the green-screen effects. 'They put me in armor; they shoved a beard on me,' Hopkins said of starring in the films. 'Sit on the throne, shout a bit. If you're sitting in front of a green screen, it's pointless acting it.' Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie The 55 Best LGBTQ Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now
