Ray Winstone is the latest high-profile actor to criticize Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), joining an infamous list including Francis Ford Coppola, Ken Loach and Martin Scorsese. Winstone starred as the villain Dreykov in 2021’s Black Widow, led by Scarlett Johansson’s titular character. In a new Radio Times interview, the actor vented frustrations with reshoots and notes from Marvel producers while filming Black Widow.
“It was fine until you have to do the reshoots,” Winstone said. “Then you find out that a few producers have come down, and your performance is too much, it’s too strong… That’s the way Marvel works. It can be soul-destroying because you feel like you’re doing great work.”
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The British actor went as far as threatening to quit Black Widow altogether due to creative differences: “I actually said, ‘You ought to recast it because that was it for me.’ And you end up doing it again because you’re contracted to do it. Otherwise you end up in court. It’s like being kicked in the balls.”
Winstone joins a list of creatives who have criticized Marvel Studios’ restrictive creative process. Directors like Scott Derrickson, Edgar Wright and Patty Jenkins have departed various MCU projects over reported creative differences and guidelines from Marvel.
Scott Derrickson—who was slated to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness—left the project; Sam Raimi assumed directing responsibilities. Edgar Wright took years to develop Ant-Man, but he ultimately left the project due to disagreements with Marvel executives about the tone and script; Peyton Reed took over. Patty Jenkins had disagreements with the screenplay and artistic vision led her to leave her position as director of Thor: The Dark World; her successor was Alan Taylor.
After Thor: The Dark World, Natalie Portman expressed her dissatisfaction with the creative direction of Jane Foster, stating, “There were different directors every time and I wasn’t always so happy with the way things were headed.” Another big-name, Mickey Rourke, regretted being a part of Iron Man 2, describing Marvel Studios as “careless” and the filming process as “not a great one.” Whiplash did not make a comeback. With some of his MCU alum, Ray Winstone certainly has back up to his claims.
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Outside of Marvel, Winstone spoke positively about his upcoming Netflix projects; alongside Millie Bobby Brown in the fantasy film Damsel, directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. “Anyone can talk a good film, but you get a little smell sometimes if someone’s a bit more serious than others,” Winstone said of the project.
Ray Winstone also reteams with director Guy Ritchie for the Netflix spin-off film The Gentlemen, based on Ritchie’s 2019 comedic crime film. “He’s pretty clear what he wants. Then he changes his mind! He does that all the time, by all accounts,” Winstone remarked on Ritchie’s directing style.
As Marvel Studios expands the MCU across film and television, criticism from prestigious industry veterans has ramped up. Actor frustrations like Ray Winstone’s might give Marvel execs reason to reevaluate notes processes and creative restrictions.
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