What did Russell Crowe say about Dakota Johnson? Oscar-winner hits out at the 'Madame Web' star over her comment on comic book movies

Russell Crowe recently called out Dakota Johnson over her comments on comic book movies. The Gladiator actor, in his Thursday, June 13, 2024, interview with GQ, discussed his experience making superhero movies and Johnson calling big-studio superhero films feeling like art "made by committee." He stated:

"I don’t want to make any comments to what anybody else might have said or what their experience is, but... You’re telling me you signed up for a Marvel movie, and some f*cking universe for cartoon characters... and you didn’t get enough pathos? Not quite sure how I can make this better for you."

He explained that superhero movies are "gigantic machine(s)" that are made at a "certain size." Referring to his experience making DCEU's Man of Steel, Disney/MCU's Thor: Love and Thunder, and Sony's Kraven the Hunter, Russell Crowe continued:

"These are jobs. You know: here’s your role, play the role. If you’re expecting this to be some kind of life-changing event, I just think you’re here for the wrong reasons."

Russell Crowe's comments come after Dakota Johnson made headlines earlier this year starring in Sony's Madame Web (February 2024), which was a critical and commercial bomb.

In particular, while talking to Bustle in a March 2024 interview, the Fifty Shades of Grey actress, when questioned about the nasty reviews, explained she wasn't surprised, adding that she's never done anything like it before.

Calling it art "made by committee," she elaborated that one cannot make movies using "numbers and algorithms" (instead of filmmakers and artists). She continued:

"My feeling has been for a long time that audiences are extremely smart, and executives have started to believe that they’re not. Audiences will always be able to sniff out bullsh*t."

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"It can be challenging, working in a blue-screen world" -Russell Crowe on making superhero films

In his interview, Russell Crowe explained that it was possible to have a poor experience, adding:

"It can be challenging, working in a blue-screen world, when you have to convince yourself of a lot more than just the internal machinations of your character."

The actor, however, added that it wasn't "the Marvel process" to make bad movies, referring to Marvel Studio films. He also said that he didn't have a bad experience.

Dakota Johnson recently came under scrutiny, with several reports claiming she felt negative towards Madame Web. However, several of her comments, as pointed out by Richard Newby of The Hollywood Reporter (Feb 2024), were "misconstrued."

In an EW (Jan 2024) interview, Johnson expressed her discomfort while shooting for the film, calling working on a blue screen "absolutely psychotic." She illustrated with an example that there are fake explosions, and someone would prompt that there was one, and she had to act like there was an explosion.

However, despite being unsure if she did a good job, Dakota expressed that she trusted the director, SJ Clarkson.

In her Bustle interview, she elaborated on her experience, adding that she doesn't "make sense" in the world of superhero films.

"I probably will never do anything like it again because I don’t make sense in that world. And I know that now. But sometimes in this industry, you sign on to something, and it’s one thing and then as you’re making it, it becomes a completely different thing, and you’re like, 'Wait, what?'"

Russell Crowe is set to appear in another superhero flick, Sony's Kraven the Hunter, scheduled for a December 2024 release.