Jessica Lange slams comic book movies for being “for the sake of profit”
In her extensive career, Jessica Lange has worked on many memorable titles, ranging from Tootise and Cape Fear to the hit FX show American Horror Story.
Trying her hand at a variety of genres over the years, which also featured her acclaimed turn as Hollywood icon Joan Crawford in 2017’s Feud – the miniseries she starred in opposite Susan Sarandon as her nemesis Bette Davis – and earning two Academy Awards for her efforts in Tootsie and Blue Sky, this means that Lange is sometimes asked for her opinion on the state of contemporary cinema.
In a new interview with The Telegraph, Lange discussed the prospect of retirement and revealed that she is debating “phasing out of filmmaking” while also criticising the entertainment industry’s recent direction. She also slammed comic book movies for being “profit” driven.
“Creativity is secondary now to corporate profits,” Lange said. “The emphasis becomes not on the art or the artist or the storytelling. It becomes about satisfying your stockholders. It diminishes the artist and the art of filmmaking.”
She admitted she “has no desire to see 90 per cent” of new movies. Appearing to reference the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she continued: “I’m not interested in these big comic-book franchise films. I think that they’ve sacrificed this art that we’ve been involved in … for the sake of profit.”
Expanding her point, Lange criticised the “frantic editing” of today’s production, which is at odds with the more extended, careful approach of the past, where the camera would rest on actors, allowing dialogue to develop. “I don’t know if it’s because the filmmakers think that they can’t hold the attention of the audience anymore,” she said. “That kind of filmmaking drives me crazy.” She also pointed to ageism in Hollywood, positing that “even when it’s run by women, I don’t see a huge difference”.
Concluding about her possible retirement, she said: “I’m sure they won’t miss me at all”.
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