‘Blade’ Star Stephen Dorff Blasts Marvel Films, “Embarrassed” For ‘Black Widow’ Star Scarlett Johansson

The ‘True Detective’ actor also unloaded on this year’s Oscar ceremony.

Stephen Dorff Getty Images

Stephen Dorff did not hold back in a recent interview where he skewered modern superhero movies, targeting specifically the upcoming Marvel film Black Widow.

Although he played villain Deacon Frost in 1998’s Blade (yes a Marvel property but distributed by New Line Cinema), the 47-year-old Dorff told the U.K.’s Independent in a story published Monday that current superhero films are what is wrong with the business.

“I still hunt out the good shit because I don’t want to be in Black Widow,” the True Detective actor told the newspaper. “It looks like garbage to me. It looks like a bad video game. I’m embarrassed for those people. I’m embarrassed for Scarlett! I’m sure she got paid five, seven million bucks, but I’m embarrassed for her. I don’t want to be in those movies. I really don’t. I’ll find that kid director that’s gonna be the next [Stanley] Kubrick and I’ll act for him instead.”

Dorff, who most recently starred in the mixed martial arts-centered film Embattled, also unloaded on this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, which was presented vastly different due to the pandemic.

“This year’s Oscars were the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever seen,” he told the newspaper. “My business is becoming a big game show. You have actors that don’t have a clue what they’re doing. You have filmmakers that don’t have a clue what they’re doing. We’re all in these little boxes on these streamers. TV, film – it’s all one big clusterfuck of content now.”

Dorff is hardly the first within Hollywood (or even to previously star in a Marvel property) to criticize Marvel and DC films and question the pictures’ artistic integrity. Last month, The Incredible Hulk TV series star Lou Ferrigno took a shot at MCU and DCU when he tweeted, “Can’t think of another superhero that isn’t in costume or CGI. Worked damn hard on my diet and exercise for the Hulk. Wasn’t going to let anyone down. The hulk was my hero as a kid as well. #hulkseries #oghulk #nocgiinvolved #dietandexercise #louferrigno #dontmakemeangry.”

Prior to that, there was a big dustup when Martin Scorsese said Marvel films “aren’t cinema.” Even though he was blasted by fans and Marvel filmmakers, the Oscar-winning director stood by his opinion.