Simu Liu has offered a response to Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese’s less-than-favourable comments on superhero films.
Both directors have been outspoken on their feelings towards Marvel projects.
The Irishman filmmaker Scorsese first weighed in on the topic by saying that superhero franchise films were “not cinema” in 2019.
Most recently, Tarantino expressed a similar view against “the Marvel-isation of Hollywood” while promoting his new book, Cinema Speculation.
“You have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters,” the Kill Bill director said. “But they’re not movie stars... Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star.”
In response, Liu, who played the title character in the Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021, defended these films on social media by highlighting their success and their embracing of diverse talent.
“If the only gatekeepers to movie stardom came from Tarantino and Scorsese, I would never have had the opportunity to lead a $400 million plus movie,” the actor tweeted on Tuesday (22 November).
“I am in awe of their filmmaking genius. They are transcendent auteurs. But they don’t get to point their nose at me or anyone.”
Liu continued by pointing out the inclusivity within the Marvel universe, while, historically, Hollywood in a broader sense has not embraced diversity in the same way.
“No movie studio is or ever will be perfect,” he continued. “But I’m proud to work with one that has made sustained efforts to improve diversity onscreen by creating heroes that empower and inspire people of all communities everywhere.
“I loved the ‘Golden Age’ too... but it was white as hell.”
In an interview with The Independent last week, Venom: Let There Be Blood star and Scorsese collaborator Stephen Graham defended Scorsese’s stance.
“He’s Martin Scorsese. He has the right,” Graham offered.
