Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom actor, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, refuses to clarify his comment about referring to his comic book movie performances as "clown work" in a hilarious social media post. Abdul-Mateen II stars as Black Manta in the DCEU Aquaman film series, a mercenary pirate who has vowed to exact revenge on Aquaman (Jason Momoa) for the death of his father. Released in 2018, Aquaman was praised by fans and went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of the year, earning over $1.1 billion at the box office.
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In a recent interview, Abdul-Mateen II shared his thoughts about the process of acting in various genres of film. He praised his work in The Trial of the Chicago 7, the lauded Aaron Sorkin drama about the Chicago Seven anti-Vietnam protestors at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, but called acting in the James Wan superhero film, Aquaman, "clown work." The backlash regarding the comment was immediate with many wondering if the actor would expand on his statement.
Now, Abdul-Mateen II has taken to social media in a humorous post in which he refuses to clarify his comments regarding his comic book movie performances "clown work." The actor writes that he is "Tempted to clarify," however, he decidedly remains ambiguous about the matter. Instead, Abdul-Mateen II posted a picture of himself allegedly on his way to work on The Trial of the Chicago 7 while sporting a bright bulbous red clown nose. Check out the post below.
Abdul-Mateen II appears to be having a bit of fun with controversy. In the image, the actor wears a red clown nose on his way to the dramatic The Trial of the Chicago 7, in an abstract sense, calling his work on that film clown work as well. With his tweet, Abdul-Mateen II could be expressing his feelings implying that from a certain point of view all acting is clown work, a performance for the masses to be entertained and judged.
In the actor's earlier comments, Abdul-Mateen II singled out Aquaman as he may see that sort of performance as a bit more surface-level when compared to the character-driven works of acclaimed playwrights August Wilson and Anton Chekhov. But no matter which artist he serves, whether it be Sorkin for The Trial of the Chicago 7, Michael Bay for Ambulance, or Wan for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, acting will always be "clown work" in the way that it is meant to amuse, engage, and ultimately entertain the audience.