Apparently, when some actors step into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they are hoping for a little more reality than is actually possible to create within that universe. Large portions of the Marvel movies are created using green screen technology, which allows directors to create worlds that none of us ever thought possible.
Veteran actor Anthony Hopkins has played everyone from Richard Nixon to Alfred Hitchcock to Dr. Hannibal Lecter. He had twice won the Academy Award for Best Actor. The first was for Silence of the Lambs (1991), and the second for The Father (2020). But in the MCU, he’s best known as Odin, Thor’s father.
According to Sir Anthony, working in the MCU is “pointless,” and he famously wrote in the original script of Thor (2011), “No acting required.” Despite his apparent disdain for working on the Thor films, Hopkins returned for two sequels, Thor: The Dark World (2013) and Thor: Ragnarok (2017). It helped that Hopkins was paid handsomely for his appearances in all three films.
While Hopkins did not enjoy his experiences in the MCU, veteran actress Angela Bassett felt she was actually in Wakanda while filming her two Black Panther films. Bassett told the New Yorker, “We were in Wakanda. I had it much better than Anthony Hopkins. I’m sorry for him.”
Despite the greatness of the two actors, their experiences in the MCU varied greatly. For the two Black Panther films, director Ryan Coogler tried to create as much of Wakanda as possible to allow the actors to get the feel of the place. In the Thor films, that became nearly impossible as the films progressed and moved away from an Earth-bound setting.
Bassett’s comfort level showed on the screen. She was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Bassett was previously nominated for an Oscar for playing Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to do With It (1993). Bassett has already won a Golden Globe and a Critic’s Choice Award for her performance.
The MCU is no stranger to Academy Award winners. To date, 25 former Oscar winners have appeared in MCU movies, 26 if you include Matt Damon, who won his award for writing, not acting. Black Panther (2019) became the first movie in the MCU to win an academy award, taking home three. Should Bassett win, she would be the first actor to win the award for their work in a Marvel film.
But don’t worry about Hopkins in the MCU. His character was apparently killed off, and despite his dislike of the films, there will be at least another decade of them coming soon. And it appears that Chris Hemsworth will be back for more Thor films.
