Even with an impressive roster of thespians who enjoy working in the MCU, the institution still draws criticism, but Clarke isn’t hearing it.
The great debate ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe became a pop culture institution and influenced Hollywood to piggyback off of the epic shared universe concept is if it is considered to be artful or just “theme park” entertainment for children. Many filmmakers with gravitas have weighed in on one part of the spectrum or another to varying reactions. Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and similar auteurs have taken stands against the subgenre. However, those like James Cameron and Steven Spielberg are no strangers to franchise projects and, barring any specific complaints, haven’t generally come out pro or con on the studio.
While Emilia Clarke, one of the stars of the MCU series on Disney+ Secret Invasion, isn’t a stranger to the pop culture nerd world having been in projects such as Game of Thrones, Terminator: Genisys and Solo: A Star Wars Story, she has hit back at the stigma of being in a Marvel project, mainly for acting against a green screen, by citing the level of talent who have giddily participated in this world. According to the Los Angeles Times, Clarke explained, “The stigma is that people don’t do any acting in these shows and then you’re like ‘well, then why are they asking all these great actors to do it, and why are they saying yes?’”
She would even emphasize that the cast that was assembled for the series persuaded her greatly to take the role on the show, “The cast is ridiculous. Olivia Colman, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Don Cheadle. I was like ‘where do I sign?’”
Even when great actors have no qualms about being in big-budget sci-fi projects, some have still been vocal about having to adapt to the conditions of working in front of a green screen opposite a CGI character who either isn’t being portrayed by anyone or is represented by an inanimate visual cue of some kind. Even Ewan McGregor, who has an affinity for the Star Wars prequels, has at one point said that acting with a green screen was difficult. Additionally, Florence Pugh, who is a rising talent with several esteemed period films and dramas on her resume, was given flack about starring in Black Widow.
