Ethan Hawke says Marvel "might not be director-friendly"

Moon Knight episode 6
(Image credit: Disney/Marvel)

Ethan Hawke, who played Arthur Harrow in Moon Knight, has shared his thoughts on Marvel – and on criticism of the studio's output from Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. 

"That group of people is extremely actor-friendly," he told IndieWire. "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. 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. The best thing about Moon Knight for me was Oscar [Isaac]'s performance. It's a gonzo thing that happens to have a giant budget – a pretty out-there performance." 

Hawke also defended the legendary directors' opinions on the studio. "If people like Scorsese and Coppola don't come out to tell their truth about how there are more important things than making money, who's going to?" he commented, adding: "It's easy for them, but it needs to be somebody in the community saying, 'Hey, everybody, this is not Fanny and Alexander.' 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."

There's been no official word on a Moon Knight season 2 just yet, but the series certainly left the way open for more – though we probably won't be seeing Harrow again, considering (spoilers ahead) he was killed by Jake Lockley at the end of the show. 

Marvel's next releases are I Am Groot and She-Hulk, which both hit Disney Plus this August, while Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives this November 11. In the meantime, check out our guide to Marvel Phase 4 for everything else coming soon. 

TOPICS
Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

Read more
Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again star Vincent D'Onofrio says Ethan Hawke played a key role in convincing him that the show was in good hands following a failed attempt
Harrison Ford as Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World
Harrison Ford hopes that he doesn't "disappoint" fellow Marvel star Mark Ruffalo with his performance as Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World
Moon Knight
Marvel TV executive confirms Moon Knight season 2 is not happening, but the hero will show up in the MCU again
Daredevil: Born Again
Charlie Cox praises Marvel for listening to him and completely changing Daredevil: Born Again: "I don't know many companies that would do that"
John Malkovich in Fantastic Four: First Steps
Fantastic Four star John Malkovich says shooting the Marvel movie was very "odd" because "nothing is really there except giant screens and 18 epic cranes"
Ke Huy Quan in Loki season 2
Loki's Ke Huy Quan says he has his "fingers crossed" for O.B. to return to the MCU (and team up with Spider-Man): "I had such a fun time playing him"
Latest in Marvel TV Shows
The Punisher holding two machine guns in the rain
Daredevil: Born Again - Learn the bullet-riddled comic book history of the Punisher before he officially joins the MCU
Daredevil: Born Again
Vincent D'Onofrio responds to a fan who thinks Daredevil: Born Again has "ruined" Kingpin: "Thanks for the support dumbass"
John Bernthal The Punisher
Jon Bernthal teases upcoming "dark" Punisher special: "It's the version that this character deserves"
Daredevil: Born Again
Elden Henson jokes that what happened to Foggy in Daredevil: Born Again went down because he ran over Kevin Feige's foot with his car
Daredevil recap: The Defenders
Marvel fans are discussing which of the Netflix series characters would have survived the Blip
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again killing off a fan-favorite character is controversial, but it might prove to be the right choice for the new Marvel show
Latest in News
The Last of Us 2
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann sounds like he's contemplating the end of his career: "When is it time to stop?"
Screenshot of Neil in Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says he chose Death Stranding 2's Solid Snake lookalike because he needed an actor who "would surpass" Mads Mikkelsen
Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail Futures Unwritten Ultimate raid
As Final Fantasy 14 raiders tear through the MMO's hardest duty with no healers and then no tanks, the community can only see this going one way: "Now it's time to clear without DPS"
A meeting inside one of Chrono Cross' cathedrals
Square Enix remembers that Chrono Trigger exists, announcing various new projects as it celebrates the Dragon Ball, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Quest royalty behind the cult JRPG
Saitama in One-Punch Man season 3
A One-Punch Man controversy has erupted after it was revealed the divisive new season 3 trailer was the work of only one animator: "Morale isn't great right now"
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Andor season 2
Andor season 2 showrunner Tony Gilroy breaks silence on the weird release schedule: "It's a Disney decision"