For fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the casting of Ethan Hawke in Moon Knight was surely a surprise as he’d been critical of superhero projects in the past. For Hawke, he didn’t like that superhero films – including Marvel films – were highly praised as though they were arthouse projects. When it came to Moon Knight, though, Hawke felt the project was interesting enough to join, especially with Oscar Isaac as the leading man. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t mean he’s fully taken back his comments, though.
In a new interview with Indiewire, Hawke commented on the “Scorsese vs. the MCU narrative.” The actor noted that people like Scorsese and Coppola deserve to be able to speak their truth regarding films and how there are more important things than making money.
“It’s easy for them, but it needs to be somebody in the community saying, “Hey, everybody, this is not Fanny and Alexander,” he explained. “If you keep reviewing these movies that are basically made for 14-year-olds like they’re Fanny and Alexander or Winter Light, then who the hell’s going to get to make Winter Light? I appreciate the elder statesmen of the community reminding people not to set the bar too low. I know it makes some people think they’re stuck up, but they’re not stuck up.”
That isn’t to say he didn’t have a good experience with Moon Knight, of course. For Hawke, it was important that he – along with Isaac – play in Marvel’s sandbox while still showing the studio what they’re capable of. “I said to Oscar Isaac, “We’ve got to go play in Marvel’s sandbox and try to do what we do. We don’t have to change Marvel. We just want to show them what we’re capable of doing and see if they find it interesting,”’ Hawke explained. “So we had a lot of rehearsals and worked on things a lot. We had a really good experience.”
While Hawke might not agree that Marvel is director friendly, he insists the studio is actor friendly. “They might not be director-friendly, and that could be what Scorsese and Coppola are talking about. But they love actors. I think Kevin Feige had a great thing happen with Robert Downey Jr. and he understood that Downey’s passion was a large part of the success,” the actor said. “When actors are excited by a part, audiences get excited about watching them. Feige understood the algorithm there, so they’re extremely respectful toward the process.”
As of now, it is currently unknown if a second season of Moon Knight is happening. Nothing had been announced, and all involved with the Disney+ series have suggested they’ve heard nothing from Marvel Studios as of yet. If the series returns, though, Hawke is uncertain if he’ll return as he isn’t a fan of long-term commitments. “I protected myself because I didn’t know what it was going to be. I just wanted to know what that sandbox was like. And it’s what young people are watching, so why are we going to sit there and tell them it’s not good?”
Moon Knight is currently streaming on Disney+.
Source: Indiewire.
