Director Chloé Zhao reflected on her creative journey during a masterclass at the Venice Film Festival, revealing that she once aspired to become a manga artist before pursuing filmmaking. Despite lacking drawing skills, her desire to tell stories ultimately led her to cinema, a path she initially didn’t consider viable. Zhao’s career has since produced critically acclaimed work, including the Oscar-winning “Nomadland” and the Shakespearean drama “Hamnet.”
Among Zhao’s diverse filmography is Marvel’s “Eternals,” which allowed her to work with comic book material she described as the Western equivalent of manga. Speaking at the festival, Zhao defended the artistic merit of superhero films, arguing against dismissing them simply because they don’t fit traditional notions of high art. She emphasized that all storytelling forms serve an important purpose in helping audiences process their experiences through archetypal narratives.
Zhao drew parallels between her big-budget superhero venture and “Nomadland,” suggesting that both films share thematic similarities despite their surface-level differences. The director also candidly discussed her unconventional path to filmmaking, including years spent working as a bartender before discovering her passion for cinema. Now at a point of major success, Zhao acknowledged grappling with an existential question about whether her constant focus on capturing life through screens prevents her from fully experiencing it.
Originally reported by Variety →
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