Coens diss Wayne in interview

The Coen Brothers pretty much dissed John Wayne’s version of True Grit, their recently-released movie, in an interview with Deadline.com recently. Both admitted they saw the movie when they were young but barely remembered it and did not watch it again until their version of the movie was made.

That’s not all that uncommon; probably even wise. But when discussing Wayne’s Oscar, here’s the exchange that disgusted me:

JOEL COEN: That’s what I’ve read about it [Wayne's Oscar for TRUE GRIT] too, that it was a kind of valedictory thing.

ETHAN COEN: You’ve been around a long time, we love you, here’s an award.

The dismissive way they mention Wayne’s Oscar win – the only one of his career – was a step too far, in my opinion, in trying to minimize comparisons between Wayen’s film and theirs. Uncouth. That’s like asking someone to apply for a credit card in the middle of a church service.