Beloved Actor Admits Why He Starred In Marvel’s Worst Movie
There have been some bad superhero stinkers in recent years, but arguably nothing worse than Morbius, Sony’s vampire flop whose only redeeming feature was all the hilarious memes (it’s morbin’ time!) made by fans. It’s the worst Marvel movie ever made, one that is bad enough to make audiences nervous about Sony’s upcoming superhero films, Venom: The Last Dance and Kraven the Hunter. Many have wondered why actors would want to be associated with movies this bad, and one actor recently got very blunt about his motivation: Jared Harris said he starred in Morbius because “I have got a mortgage to pay, you know.”
Gotta Pay The Bills
One of the reasons that Jared Harris’ appearance in Morbius raised so many fan eyebrows is that he is an Emmy-nominated actor thanks to his scene-stealing performances in Mad Men. He’s also made some high-profile appearances in major films, including David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. But in a recent interview with i newspaper, he gently explained why an actor of his caliber would appear in such awful superhero dreck: “Sometimes you say yes to things because you need to make money.”
These Mansions Don’t Pay For Themselves
It’s honestly refreshing to hear an actor admit that he took a subpar role for the same reason that many of us have taken jobs we weren’t passionate about: because he needed the money. For movie fans with long memories, Jared Harris’ admitting that he took the Morbius job to pay his mortgage is evocative of Michael Caine explaining why he starred in Jaws: The Revenge, a movie with a “terrible” reputation that he admitted he had never seen. “However, I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific,” he said.
Should Have Consulted With Jared Harris First
While Jared Harris was merely hired to star in Morbius, it sounds like the movie might have been better if Sony had consulted him about the story and the tone. Answering a question about where this superhero flop went wrong, he said that “those types of films do well if you have a sense of humor,” noting that “you can’t treat it as though it’s Shakespeare.”
He ultimately came to the same conclusion as many who saw this bloody mess of a vampire film: “that movie could have done with a more mischievous sense of humor.”
Flops Don’t Affect Harris
He may have had some notes (good ones, too) on what the movie should have done differently, but it’s clear that Jared Harris isn’t losing any sleep over the abysmal ratings (15 percent critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes) of Morbius.
In a previous interview with Rolling Stone, he declared that the film “was thrown under the bus” but that the actors “just have to roll with it.” He pointed out that they were acting in a movie rather than “saving lives” and that “it is what it is” when it comes to the movie not working out with either audiences or critics, underscoring the importance of simply moving on for everyone involved.
Will Venom 3 Suffer The Same Fate?
Hearing Jared Harris talk so bluntly about Morbius is both hilarious and refreshing, and we wish more Hollywood stars were so candid when discussing the stinkers they have starred in. Still, Morbius helped cement that Sony has a spotty track record for their Marvel films, and we can’t help but wonder if the latest Venom movie will be any better than the bloodless vampire film that came before. If not, then no amount of “it’s slorpin’ time” jokes about the symbiote suit may be enough to pull Sony out of its ongoing superhero spiral.
Source: Variety
