Jonah Hill says nobody saw his best acting performance because Amazon ‘f****d up’ its release

‘Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot’ was a box office bomb in 2018, with Hill blaming its distributor Amazon Studios

Jonah Hill has claimed that nobody saw his best acting work, because Amazon failed to properly release it.

The actor, who was nominated for Oscars for his work in Moneyball and The Wolf of Wall Street, said that 2018’s Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot featured his strongest performance.

“It’s the best acting I have done or will ever do,” he told GQ, “but no one saw it because Amazon completely f****d it up.”

In the film, Hill portrays the Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor for a quadriplegic, alcoholic cartoonist played by Joaquin Phoenix.

An eclectic cast that included Rooney Mara, Jack Black, Kim Gordon and Udo Kier also appeared in the film, which was directed by Gus Van Sant.

Hill’s performance was often singled out for praise. The New York Times called Hill’s work “revelatory” at the time of its release. Rolling Stone, meanwhile, suggested it could score him an Oscar nod.

“A word here about Hill,” critic Peter Travers wrote. “His portrayal of the gay, bearded, caftan-wearing, trust-funded father figure is a marvel of nuanced acting. Could this be the comedy star’s third Oscar nomination … for showing his dramatic chops? The actor comes up aces.”

Such a prediction proved not to be, however, as the film collapsed upon release and grossed just $4.2m worldwide on a budget of $3.5m. It was distributed by Amazon Studios.

Speaking to GQ, Hill went on to praise Van Sant for his past work, recommending his 1989 film Drugstore Cowboy in a list of movies to watch while self-isolating. His other picks included Moonlight, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping and Amadeus.