Natalie Portman Chimes In On Martin Scorsese’s Marvel Comments: ‘There’s Not One Way To Make Art’

While everyone is still in the midst of digesting director Francis Ford Coppola’s defense of Martin Scorsese against the “despicable” movies of Marvel, another A-lister has thrown their hat into the ring. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter at a Los Angeles gala over the weekend, Thor and Thor: The Dark World actress Natalie Portman — who is set to return in Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder — had a few things to say about Scorsese’s equating Marvel’s movies to theme parks while labeling them as “not cinema.”

“I think there’s room for all types of cinema… There’s not one way to make art,” she said — echoing the previous comments of her Marvel Cinematic Universe castmate Samuel L. Jackson. “I think that Marvel films are so popular because they’re really entertaining and people desire entertainment when they have their special time after work, after dealing with their hardships in real life.”

Portman’s public position on the faux, social media-driven debate put her more in line with Jackson and other industry professionals who don’t seem as invested in defending Marvel Studios against Scorsese’s comments. Others, like Robert Downey Jr., James Gunn, and Damon Lindelof, have been slightly more critical of The Irishman director, while the likes of Kevin Smith have praised Scorsese and defended Marvel simultaneously. As for Coppola’s viral comments, though, he seems to be the maddest of them all.