Summary
- Zachary Levi criticizes Hollywood for producing subpar content, expressing his belief that they don't care enough to make it great for audiences.
- Levi suggests that audiences should actively avoid choosing garbage content and instead support better quality works to bring about change in the industry.
- Some people find Levi's criticism harsh, considering his own involvement in Shazam 2, and question his ability to separate himself from the Hollywood machine.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods star Zachary Levi has once more grabbed attention with some strong words concerning Hollywood content and the attitude that drives it.
Levi is a popular Hollywood actor most prominently known for his role as the titular hero in Shazam!, portraying the teenage protagonist in the grown-up form he assumes when he calls upon an ancient wizard and takes on the power of 6 ancient gods. A sequel was announced, with Levi insinuating Shazam! Fury of the Gods would be better than its predecessor. This wasn’t the case, with Shazam 2's opening weekend box office being worse than expected, despite low expectations from the onset.
Speaking at Fan Expo Chicago, Entertainment Weekly reports the Shazam star made strongly worded comments about the quality of content the industry has been putting out for audiences. "I personally feel like the amount of content that comes out of Hollywood that is garbage — they don't care enough to actually make it great for you guys. They don't." The statements were reportedly met with loud audience fanfare and applause.
Levi, who was cast in a prominent role in the Spy Kids reboot alongside Gina Rodriguez, elaborated further. "How many times do you watch a trailer and go, 'Oh my god, this looks so cool!' Then you go to the movie and it's like, 'This was what I get?'" Levi continued. "They know that once you've already bought the ticket and you're in the seat, they've got your money. And the only way for us to change any of it is to not go to the garbage. We have to actively not choose the garbage. It'll help. It'll help a lot." The sentiment is not new, as many fans online have posited the same ideas.
While there is some ring of truth to Levi's statement, many have been quick to point out that his criticism is a bit harsh, especially in light of his complaints when he responded to negative Shazam 2 reviews by critics. In his statement, he referred to the critical assessment of the film as “very oddly and perplexingly low” and posited that “people were insanely unkind." Others have pointed out that the low box office performance of the film would qualify as people “actively not choosing garbage” and expressing confusion at how Levi could separate himself from the Hollywood machine despite being an actor in the industry.
Whether or not fans find themselves agreeing with Levi or put off by the compartmentalization of his involvement in creating a recent unpopular project, it seems likely that this statement might be an attempt at showing where the Shazam actor's loyalties lie in the ongoing disagreement between studios and the actors and writers guilds. In a similar vein to Stephen Amell, the Arrowverse star who was seen on the frontlines of the strike after retracting his criticism, Levi might be taking the opportunity to signal his support of the strike action by distinguishing his work and that of the “corporate” parties involved in filmmaking.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is available on Max.
Source: Entertainment Weekly