REMINISCENCE Star Thandiwe Newton Explains Why She Turned Down A "Meh" Superhero Movie Role

REMINISCENCE Star Thandiwe Newton Explains Why She Turned Down A "Meh" Superhero Movie Role

Though she doesn't name the project, Reminiscence and Westworld star Thandiwe Newton has revealed that she turned down a superhero movie role which would have seen her play "someone’s mum who just dies."

By MarkCassidy - Sep 02, 2021 05:09 AM EST
Filed Under: Westworld

Thandiwe Netwton has enjoyed something of a career resurgence since her standout turn as Maeve in HBO's Westworld, and when an actor begins to make waves in Hollywood, big superhero movie franchise offers tend to follow.

Newton still hasn't taken that leap (though she did appear in Solo: A Star Wars: Story), but during an interview with LAD Bible to promote her new film Reminiscence, the British actress did reveal that she turned down a part in a superhero movie.

“I was offered a role playing someone’s mum who just dies. I was like, ‘Meh, no.’ It was more the role, you know what I mean?. As a genre, they bore me these big franchises,” she added.

Newton doesn't name the project, but if it was one of the higher-profile releases of the past few years, out guess would be Zack Snyder's Justice League. Karen Bryson played Vic Stone's mother Elinore, but only had a few minutes of screen-time before being killed-off (the character didn't even appear in the 2017 theatrical cut).

Despite her apparent aversion to blockbusters, Newton wouldn't rule out a superhero role if she was impressed by the story and wanted to work with the creative team involved, and has high praise for Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok and the recent Watchmen HBO series, in particular.

"I love what's happening with these genres now, where filmmakers are f*****g with the genre," she said. "The perfect example is Taika Waititi, what he did with Ragnarok. I love that the actors in it really want to push it too, of course they do - it's boring otherwise, Jesus. And you know, the fact that Watchmen used Tulsa [race massacre of 1921] in the origin story of that show, that's critical race theory, you know, looking into the past and actually merging with it in the present so that we have a better understanding for our future."

Are there any specific Marvel or DC character you could envision Newton suiting-up as? Drop us a comment down below, and check out our review of Reminiscence HERE.

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Thing94
Thing94 - 9/2/2021, 5:53 AM
Funny, I heard Reminisce "bored" everybody, lol
GhostDog
GhostDog - 9/2/2021, 6:02 AM
@Waddles - I think that’s a huge problem these days with some movies today, where the concept is amazing but no one can kill the execution. More so a lot of the concepts are somewhat blatant rip offs you could argue. You could debate it being inspired by something else but this is so very Inception and Inception was very very Paprika.

It’s like with each time people recycle concepts the execution dwindles.
grif
grif - 9/2/2021, 5:54 AM
big franchises bore her. i guess thats why she took a role in the smallest one called star wars.
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 9/2/2021, 8:48 AM
@grif - She revealed her role in Solo was bigger but disney realized that people rather watch another millenium falcon chase sequence rather than focus on good characters so they changed the script and kill her off early. She got duped, just didn't complain because she got paid the same for shooting less scenes.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 9/2/2021, 5:55 AM
*Cue Reminiscence boring everyone jokes

Also, you were in Mission Impossible 2 and Solo…
Orphix
Orphix - 9/2/2021, 6:06 AM
Hmmm - mothers who have died in the MCU...

Frigga - Nah
Meredith Quill - Nah
Maria Rameau - Possibly. But more than just a mother who dies.

Must have been a DCEU project.
OptimusCrime
OptimusCrime - 9/2/2021, 6:14 AM
@Orphix - this is litterly in the article

Newton doesn't name the project, but if it was one of the higher-profile releases of the past few years, out guess would be Zack Snyder's Justice League. Karen Bryson played Vic Stone's mother Elinore, but only had a few minutes of screen-time before being killed-off (the character didn't even appear in the 2017 theatrical cut).
AgentZero
AgentZero - 9/2/2021, 6:24 AM
@Orphix - Can't be Frigga cause she didn't die in the first Thor. So that couldn't have been in the script she was offered (plus Thor is white). Peter Quill is white so that rules it out. Maria Rambeau did not die in Captain Marvel so it can't be that either.

I do admit it could be a lesser known superhero movie that we are not thinking about but the DCEU is the only thing that makes sense when you quickly think about it
Origame
Origame - 9/2/2021, 6:56 AM
@Orphix - just saying it could've still been one of those roles where they let her know she would die later. Really isn't much to those roles beyond mothers who died. Plus, we also don't know when this was she's talking about.
TheManWithoutFear
TheManWithoutFear - 9/2/2021, 6:07 AM
So it's Thandiwe not Thandie?
BritishMonkey
BritishMonkey - 9/2/2021, 6:14 AM
@TheManWithoutFear - Yep. Everyone's been getting it wrong for years and only recently she started correcting it.
Cap1
Cap1 - 9/2/2021, 6:29 AM
@TheManWithoutFear - basically her name in a film years ago was Thandiwe, so to differentiate the director changed her name to Thandie in the credits and it stuck. Now she’s using her actual name again. Never quite understood why she didn’t point it out years ago
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 9/2/2021, 6:33 AM
@TheManWithoutFear - I was confused about it too
Cap1
Cap1 - 9/2/2021, 8:37 AM
@Waddles - reckon she would have noticed people were calling her Thandie and now Thandiwe though lol
Repian
Repian - 9/2/2021, 6:11 AM
Detective Sarah Essen on the GCPD Show. I can imagine her and Jeffrey Wright's Gordon working together.

MuadDib
MuadDib - 9/2/2021, 6:17 AM
To each their own, but I thought Reminiscence wasn’t that bad. A touch slow at times? Sure but what movie doesn’t have a scene or two that are unnecessary? The over arching story, the visuals of Miami underwater and the future tech aspect more than carry the movie.

Maybe since I’m in the 305 I’m not impartial

I liked it. Wasn’t in love with it, but glad I watched it. Can’t say that about every movie I’ve seen.
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 9/2/2021, 6:35 AM
Guess that would've been Cyborg's mom indeed. Good thing she declined the project, because otherwise she would've gotten dragged into the whole #snydercut mess too
Reeds2Much
Reeds2Much - 9/2/2021, 6:38 AM
I mean, after Maeve on Westworld it is pretty easy to see her being asked to play a bottle of ketchup in a cape's fridge to being boring for her (and Hell, the audience), but calling the whole genre boring over it is beneath her.
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