Former Blade star Stephen Dorff didn’t hold back when it came to his opinions about Marvel’s incoming Black Widow in a recent interview. The actor blasted the superhero film as looking “like garbage” and said he felt “embarrassed” for Scarlett Johansson for appearing in something he said reminded him of “a bad video game”.
“I’m embarrassed for Scarlett!” Dorff said while speaking to The Independent. “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.”
As you’d expect, Marvel fans didn’t take kindly to Dorff’s negativity and are now ripping into him on social media. While Dorff is most recognizable these days for his acclaimed turn on True Detective, back in the day he starred in one of the most iconic non-MCU Marvel films – 1998’s Blade, playing the evil Deacon Frost opposite Wesley Snipes’ vampire hunter. So superhero lovers are calling him out on Twitter for his apparent hypocrisy.
Stephen Dorff: “I don’t want to be in comic book movies”. Everyone: “this you?” pic.twitter.com/1Msg57bS7N
— Camden W. (@ChannelCamden) July 5, 2021
Stephen Dorff: I don’t like Marvel movies. I’m embarrassed for Scarlet Johansson doing Black Widow. I’m going to look for the next Kubrick and work for him
The best thing Stephen Dorff will ever do: pic.twitter.com/6yyHBIf0U5
— BLURAYANGEL 🦇 (@blurayangel) July 5, 2021
That's Stephen Dorff, star of Blade, inexplicably slagging off people for appearing in a comic book adaptation. https://t.co/NoPX4NaYk3
— Mathew Buck (@FB_BMB) July 5, 2021
Anyone remember Dorff’s other superhero effort, 2015’s American Hero? Anyone?
Stephen Dorff : “I don’t want to be in Black Widow. It looks like garbage, like a bad video game. I’m embarrassed for them, for Scarlett! I don’t want to be in those movies. I’ll find the next Kubrick and I’ll act for him instead.”
Also Stephen Dorff : pic.twitter.com/B1w3bUKi0C
— ko (@formermerc) July 5, 2021
Burn.
Stephen Dorff: I’m embarrassed for Scarlett Johansson for being in Black Widow.
*googles Stephen Dorff acting credits*
Me: pic.twitter.com/G8KizydNUd
— teatime75 (@teatime75) July 5, 2021
Ouch.
https://twitter.com/dailylaney/status/1412088888219291653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
All things considered, ScarJo probably has the last laugh on this one.
Stephen Dorff: I’m embarrassed for Scarlett Johansson for being in Black Widow.
Scarlett Johanson:
Being a fan favorite, seemingly working with great costars, raking in millions, getting to be in all the box office record movies & finally getting her own well deserved solo film. pic.twitter.com/mQsKcCcn1D— Anthony E. 🌴 🥥 (@AnthonyEmmz) July 5, 2021
Blade himself said it best.
Stephen Dorff says something ignorant about Marvel movies, Black Widow, and Scarlett Johansson
All of us: pic.twitter.com/HHceapGtW0
— BLURAYANGEL 🦇 (@blurayangel) July 5, 2021
The Blade franchise is getting rebooted within the MCU, of course, with Mahershala Ali taking over from Snipes as the Daywalker. Given his clear distaste for Marvel Studios’ output, you’d imagine that Dorff wouldn’t want anything to do with this project. However, the actor actually told ET in 2020 that he would love to reprise Deacon Frost in the reboot.
If he ever did enter the MCU, Dorff wouldn’t be the first actor to criticize Marvel only to end up working for them. Ethan Hawke disparaged the superhero genre back in 2018 and he’s set to star in Disney Plus’ Moon Knight TV series. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, I guess.
Black Widow is receiving mostly warm reviews so far. Fans can make their own minds up about it when it lands in theaters and on streaming from this Friday.