Acting legend John Hurt urges film makers not to underestimate their audiences
British acting legend John Hurt who is known for roles in films including Alien, The Elephant Man, V for Vendetta and Hellboy has said that the success of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy shows that filmmakers should not underestimate their audiences.
The actor who can also be seen as Dexter in Melancholia told London's Metro newspaper that film-goers are more than capable of keeping up with less simple films.
Hurt said he was "enormously happy" with the success of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy which he co-stars with some extraordinary Brish acting talent including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Mark Strong and added "My instincts were correct - you should never underestimate the audience.
It's a film which invites you to take part, you don't just put your feet up and say 'entertain me'. Film producers often underestimate the intelligence and participation of the audience.
It's ever present. We go through periods with film. The 1960s and 1970s were extraordinarily experimental, both in film and TV.
We've become less daring and films have become much more expensive - far too expensive at the top end. When you're dealing with blockbusters, it's such a massive audience that the material gets more facile."
While he can currently be seen in Melancholia and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Hurt returns to cinemas on November 11 as Old Zeus in Tarsem Singh's Immortals alongside new Man of Steel Henry Cavill.
IMMORTALS HITS CINEMAS ON NOVEMBER 11