“I had no idea what it meant”: Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo Weren’t the Only Ones, Loki Star Admits Facing the Same Problem the Stars Pointed Out About MCU Films
Robert Downey Jr. is simply one of the most successful and popular actors worldwide and is known for portraying the fan-favorite character of Iron Man/Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor appeared alongside Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Scarlett Johansson in several MCU movies, forming the original Avengers of the franchise.
Downey Jr.’s 2008 Iron Man was the beginning of the MCU, and he last appeared in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, bringing his character’s arc to an end. Endgame was appreciated for its direction, performances of the actors, action sequences, and visual effects. The Phase 3 movie is one of the movies fans hold dear to their hearts because of the emotional weight it carries. But if there is something that the Marvel actors go through, it is not being able to understand the dialogue. Recently, Loki star Key Huy Quan shared a similar thought.
Just like Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo, Loki actor Ke Huy Quan admits to struggling with lines
In a recent interview with EW, Loki actor Ke Huy Quan was asked about the complex TVA terminology for season 2 of Loki. The actor was reminded that Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo had previously admitted to not being able to understand their complicated lines. To which Huy Quan said,
I didn’t understand what they were. Multiplier, the Temporal Loom—I had no idea what it meant. So, I had to go to our executive producer, Kevin Wright, and I said, I have no idea what I’, saying, so you’re going to have to show me a visual of what these terms mean’.
The actor added that the executive producer was ready to help him out and collaborate with him so that he could perform better on-screen. Huy Quan also pointed out that he already had some practice because he was tasked with similar things in Everything Everywhere All At Once, so that helped. He noted that it was challenging, but he was calm because he had some practice.
Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo, during their appearance on Variety’s Actors on Actor, discussed how sometimes the scripts of their MCU movies were confusing for them. Downey added,
And then we had this whole decade-and-a-half Marvel run where we were just looking at each other like, ‘God, we’re really lucky. What are we doing? Who’s a wizard? Who’s coming from outer space? Which I think was another great challenge.
Ruffalo, on the other hand, added that he had his doubts about being cast in the movie, saying that it’s such a different world and they did not cast people like them. He said to Downey that he’d never forget when he said that he wasn’t sure if he was right for the part, and Downey assured him that they got it.
Marvel actors are not the only one who struggles with confusion
In her interview with Vanity Fair, Nia DaCosta, who served as the first female black director for The Marvels, shared that she did not understand some of the scenes that she filmed in the movie. She said,
Sometimes you’d be in a scene and you’d be like, ‘What the hell does any of this s**t mean? Or an actor’s looking at some crazy thing happening in space, and they’re actually looking at a blue X, where you’re like, ‘This just isn’t working.’
The Marvels was one of the highly anticipated movies, but unfortunately, it tanked at the box office. Bob Iger, in his New York Times’ DealBook Summit, was asked about the failure of the movie, to which he said,
The Marvels was shot during COVID. There wasn’t as much supervision on the set, so to speak, where we have executives really looking over what’s being done day after day.
According to World of Reel, Disney needed a scapegoat for the failure of The Marvels, and they blamed it on DaCosta. However, she clarified in her Vanity Fair interview that the movie was a Kevin Feige production; it’s his movie, which is why she went in knowing that at times she might have to take a step back.
The Marvels is streaming on Disney+.
