Eric Bana Is Happy He Didn’t Do More 'Hulk' Films
“…work security doesn’t speak to me. I like work insecurity.”
Black Hawk Down veteran actor Eric Bana has revealed that he was happy not to have signed on for more Hulk films after his partnership with Ang Lee back in 2003 before the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off.
Speaking to Vulture in a recent interview, Bana began by explaining why Hulk wasn’t a very pleasant experience for him. “You go from Black Hawk Down where you’re shooting mainly daytime, exteriors, natural light. Boom: out in the world. To suddenly, I’m playing a scientist and I’m in a lab or a house, indoors,” he said. “There’s this other movie going on with green screen that I have nothing to do with because that’s the Hulk. It’s the other actors that are playing in that space. So in some ways, it felt like a tiny movie because the reality for me was every day was interior, studio, one room, very few big scenes. Lots of dialogue. I don’t like working indoors.”
He added that the character of Bruce Banner himself was frustrating to portray too: “It was always going to be a frustrating character to play. The challenge is to convey all that pent-up, repressed energy, emotion. It’s one reason why I was excited to do it, but it’s not the most expressive character to portray because that job is for the alter ego; you’re meant to feel euphoric when he finally turns into the Hulk.”
Ultimately, Bana was happy that he hadn’t signed on to more Hulk or Marvel films like that, instead opting for more freedom for his career. “In some ways, I’m lucky because the thing that I love more than anything is having choice and freedom,” reflects the actor. “I’ve been able to bounce around and do different things and choose different pathways. I’m a commitment-phobe — that’s the reason why up until now I haven’t done series television because work security doesn’t speak to me. I like work insecurity.” He wrapped up with a lesson he learned from a friend, who helped him move on from Hulk: “A friend of mine gave me a really great piece of advice one day. ‘What’s the best possible thing that can come out of this if you say yes? And if the answer is you’re going to keep getting offered things that you don’t want to do, what’s the point?’”
In other entertainment news, Michael B. Jordan is reportedly developing his own Superman project for HBO Max.
