Russell Crowe has responded to Dakota Johnson’s recent remarks about her experience working on Sony’s Marvel film, Madame Web.
“I don’t want to comment on what others might have said or their experiences, but … you’re highlighting the playful side of my humor,” Crowe, 60, said with a chuckle during an interview published on June 13.
“You’re telling me you signed up for a Marvel movie, part of a vast universe of comic book characters … and you didn’t find enough emotional depth? I’m not sure how I can improve that for you. It’s a massive machine, and they produce movies on a grand scale.”
Crowe compared his experiences working on Man of Steel in 2013 for DC and Thor: Love and Thunder in 2022 for Marvel Studios. (While Johnson’s Madame Web was produced by Sony’s Columbia Pictures, Crowe’s Thor sequel was made by Disney-owned Marvel Studios.)
“These are just jobs,” he said. “Here’s your role, perform it. If you’re expecting this to be a life-altering experience, then I believe you might be pursuing it for the wrong reasons.”
In March, Johnson, 34, was asked if negative reviews affected her. She reflected on her time working on Madame Web, which was released a month prior. The film underperformed at the box office and received poor critical reviews.
“Unfortunately, I’m not surprised by how it turned out,” Johnson told Bustle.
“It’s so difficult to get films made, and in these large-scale projects — and it’s even starting to happen with smaller films, which really concerns me — decisions are being made by committees, and art suffers when it’s created by committee.”
Johnson emphasized that films are better when crafted by a single filmmaker with a “team of artists around them.”
“You can’t create art based on numbers and algorithms,” she said. “I’ve long felt that audiences are very perceptive, but executives are starting to think otherwise.”
Although Crowe chose not to comment directly on Johnson’s experience, he acknowledged that working on CGI-heavy superhero films can be challenging.
“It can be difficult working in a blue-screen environment, where you need to imagine more than just your character’s internal dynamics,” he explained.
“I can’t make a direct comment on her experience since I don’t know her or her specific situation. It’s possible to have a tough time on a film, but whether that reflects the Marvel process is unclear. I haven’t had a bad experience.”
