Don’t call superhero movies “cultural genocide”

Apr 25, 2015 09:39 GMT  ·  By
Robert Downey Jr. makes nasty comment about Alejandro Innaritu in new "Avengers" interview
   Robert Downey Jr. makes nasty comment about Alejandro Innaritu in new "Avengers" interview

“Birdman,” one of last year’s best received movies, winning Best Picture and Best Director for Alejandro G. Innaritu at the Oscars 2015. During the promo trail for the film, Innaritu described superhero movies “cultural genocide” because they alienated the audience from all that is human by overexposing them to violence and explosions.

The comment wasn’t made out of context, since “Birdman” is the story of a former movie star who once played a superhero, who is now washed up and trying to revive his career by showing the world that he can also do “serious” acting, by going back to theater.

Ask Robert Downey Jr. how he feels about superhero movies and you will find out that he isn’t in agreement with Innaritu. RDJ is now promoting “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and The Guardian (video below) asked him about his take on Innaritu’s comment and the importance of superhero movies in today’s cinema landscape.

However, RDJ didn’t address Innaritu’s comment, opting instead to shade him personally.

“Look, I respect the heck out of him, and I think for a man whose native tongue is Spanish to be able to put together a phrase like ‘cultural genocide’ just speaks to how bright he is,” he said, with a slight roll of the eyes.

He could have just said he didn’t agree with him instead of offering this childish comeback. This makes RDJ look immature and unprofessional, and adds to the negative attention on this year’s “Avengers” press tour.

In the video below, compare RDJ’s answer to Paul Bettany’s. Now, that’s how you answer this question with class and professionalism!