It seems not every actor has the liberty of choice! Jared Harris shares why he joined the Marvel multiverse with his role in Morbius.
Jared Harris is a Hollywood vet best known for his work in prestige television, including his Emmy-nominated role in the hit series Mad Men. Given that, the actor has bemoaned the culture’s shift to superhero blockbusters, despite the fact that he starred in a Marvel production himself. When asked the square the circle that was Morbius during a recent interview with i News, Harris revealed he took the part because he needed some cash.
“Sure, yeah,” Harris remarked in the interview. “I have got a mortgage to pay, you know. Sometimes you say yes to things because you need to make money.”
Given how deep the coffers are of Marvel and its affiliated studios like Sony Pictures, it’s understandable that some actors like Jared Harris would take roles just for the massive payday they provide when compared to other projects. However, it seems Harris hasn’t entirely written off the doomed project, giving his thoughts on how Morbius could have been salvaged.
How Morbius Could Have Redeemed Itself
One of the biggest critiques of Marvel and its supposed impact on culture is that it has created the “mono-movie,” with all action blockbusters now required to be filled with humor. While the historical backing for that claim can be debated, it seems Jared Harris thinks that might have been the secret sauce that Morbius was missing, believing that the bomb could have been salvaged if it was just a bit funnier than the final product ended up being.
“I have observed that those types of films do well if you have a sense of humor,” Harris continued. “You can’t treat it as though it’s Shakespeare. So yeah, that movie could have done with a more mischievous sense of humor.”
It’s a tad ironic that Jared Harris believes Morbius could have been saved if it leaned more into the humor. Especially since, at the time, the Marvel film was consistently mocked for the jokes it did try to pull off, and ended up being funnier in its failures than its planned jokes. However, given how infamous of a flop the film became, it’s likely Sony would try anything if they had a chance to go back and do it all again!
Morbius is available on all home media formats. Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news regarding Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man films, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!