The new movie is basically Santa Claus in ‘Die Hard’ with elements of ‘Home Alone’ and ‘Bad Santa’ thrown in for good measure.
On Christmas Eve, when a wealthy family is held hostage in their home by mercenaries led by Mr. Scrooge (John Leguizamo), the real Santa Claus (David Harbour), who has lost the Christmas spirit must summon his strength to defeat the bad guys and save the family including a young girl named Trudy (Leah Brady), who still believes in the magic of Christmas and Santa Claus.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with David Harbour about his work on ‘Violent Night,’ the unusual screenplay, his version of Santa Clause, and shooting the incredible action sequences.
You can read our full interview with David Harbour below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Harbour, John Leguizamo, and director Tommy Wirkola.
Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction this screenplay and it’s “Santa Claus in ‘Die Hard’” concept?
David Harbour: I mean, before they even gave me the script, they sort of pitched me the idea and I was initially like, “This is insane, no thank you.” They were like, “No, no, no. The director and the producer would really like to talk to you about it, and we’d really like to send you the script,” and they did.
Tommy, the director, is this kind of childlike, Norwegian elfish weirdo who just loves Christmas, and David Leitch has done incredible action movies. They sent me this script and it had such a unique blend of this ‘John Wick’ action, which I love and have always wanted to do.
I saw Charlize Theron in ‘Atomic Blonde’ and I was like, “Oh, I want to be doing that. I want to be the guy doing the choreography.” On top of that, it’s like ‘Miracle on 34th Street,’ where it really does have a Christmas heart beating at the center of it, about a little girl who wants to believe in Santa Claus. The fact that those two things were together, it was such a unique thing. I’d never seen it before, and I got really excited about it.
MF: What was your approach to playing this exaggerated version of Santa Claus?
DH: I mean, what I was curious about is we have this mythological figure that we lie to our kids about. We say he’s real and he’s delivering presents to you, which by the way, I think is fantastic. It’s hilarious that we all just lie to children, I think it’s great. But we don’t really know much about him, except he’s a big fat guy in a red suit who delivers presents to nice, and not to naughty kids.
So, I wanted to have the image of the “Coca-Cola Santa” in the beginning with the little glasses and the curly white beard, but then as the movie goes on, I wanted to see who’s underneath that mask?
(L to R) Jason (Alex Hassell), Gertrude (Beverly D’Angelo), Alva (Edi Patterson), Linda (Alexis Louder), Trudy (Leah Brady) and Santa (David Harbour) in ‘Violent Night,’ directed by Tommy Wirkola.
10,000 years ago, there was a guy in Christian mythology called St. Nicholas, who he’s based on. There’s other traditions, Germany has a guy called Weihnachtsmann, and different cultures have different versions of this guy. So, my interest was, who really is this guy? I think as the movie goes on, we sort of peel back that he wasn’t always such a jolly, fat guy, that there’s some complexity there, and that really interested me in going deep into who that guy was specifically.
MF: Finally, can you talk about your preparation for the action sequences and what it was like shooting those scenes?
DH: It was brutal and great. I mean, I have gotten into a little bit of the fight world through ‘Stranger Things,’ and through the Marvel series (‘Black Widow’ and the upcoming ‘Thunderbolts’), but I’d never done anything as intense as this.
The guys who did this are the stunt guys that do the ‘John Wick’ movies, which are known for their incredible action sequences. They trained me for a couple months in Jujutsu, and Greco-Roman wrestling, and I was working with a couple stunt guys who I got to know their rhythm very well.
But that choreography, it’s just a lot of training. You’re just training and tired all day long, but it’s so exciting to be able to represent what that can be. It was a lot of fun, but it’s really hard work. I mean, watching those fights on UFC and stuff, I have a newfound respect for the guys that do that discipline. It really is exhausting.
David Harbour stars as Santa Claus in Universal Pictures’ ‘Violent Night.’
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As the song goes, “You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout…” We’re telling you why – Santa Claus is not just coming to town. He’s going to town battling baddies who decide to take hostage and rob a wealthy family.
‘Stranger Things’ David Harbour stars here as Father Christmas, who when we first meet him in the trailer, is drowning his sorrows. He’s the OG Santa, and has been at this game a long time, starting to lose some self-belief.
What could restore his Christmas spirit? Try showing up at the home of young Trudy Lightstone (Leah Brady), whose wealthy family have gathered at their remote compound to celebrate the season.
(L to R) Jason (Alex Hassell), Gertrude (Beverly D’Angelo), Alva (Edi Patterson), Linda (Alexis Louder), Trudy (Leah Brady) and Santa (David Harbour) in ‘Violent Night,’ directed by Tommy Wirkola.
Yet when their party is rudely interrupted by a group of mercenaries led by John Leguizamo’s Ben – a gang who want to rob the family of the $300 million sitting in their vault – Santa will have to dish out some season’s beatings.
Expect a lot of Christmas puns in this one, which comes across as ‘Die Hard’ meets ‘Bad Santa’. While Harbour’s take on the character isn’t as badly behaved as Billy Bob Thornton’s, he’s certainly not your average, jolly Kris Kringle. This Santa knows how to fight.
With David Leitch – who became friends with Wirkola after running second unit and stunts for him on ‘Hansel & Gretel’ – producing alongside his partner Kelly McCormick and their 87North company, you know the combat scenes are going to be intense and inventive.
Boasting a host of Christmas decorations around to use as weapons, Santa will be dishing out rough justice to all those the naughty list, and even swapping out the usual lump of coal for a grenade down someone’s pants. Christmas lights, decorations and candy canes are all utilized to take out the baddies.
David Harbour in ‘Violent Night,’ directed by Tommy Wirkola.
Expect a load of references and Easter Eggs – though perhaps that should be Christmas baubles – to other festive films here, including ‘Home Alone’ and as mentioned above, ‘Die Hard’.
The tone is silly fun with a side order of furious chaos; after all, how many other films have Santa beating someone up with a sock filled with pool balls and then a joke about stepping in reindeer poop? You know what you did, Prancer.
With a script by ‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ franchise veterans Pat Casey and Josh Miller, ‘Violent Night’ will be in theaters on December 2nd. Always bet on red…
(L to R) David Harbour and director Tommy Wirkola on the set of ‘Violent Night.’(L to R) David Harbour and John Leguizamo on the set of ‘Violent Night.’
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American comic book artist Cliff Chiang once said, “A hero is only as good as his villain.” Imagine ‘The Dark Knight’ without the Joker, or ‘Star Wars’ without Darth Vader, they just would not be the same movie!
There have been some unforgettable cinematic villains over the years, and with Hayden Christensen‘s recent return as Darth Vader in Disney+‘s ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi‘ series, we thought now would be the perfect time to look back at the best villains in movie history.
Gollum is a wretched hobbit-like creature whose mind was poisoned by the Ring after bearing it for centuries. In ‘The Two Towers’ he joins Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Samwise (Sean Austin) on their quest, but eventually betrays them in ‘The Return of the King.’
Al Pacino‘s performance as Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola‘s ‘The Godfather’ is still one of the greatest cinematic performances of all time!
Michael Corleone begins the film as a quiet, timid young ex-soldier and transforms over the course of the movie into a cold-blooded killer and the head of the Corleone crime family.
Michael would go on to show just how ruthless he truly was in ‘The Godfather Part II,’ when he had his own brother Fredo (John Cazale) murdered for his betrayal of the family.
Based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, Kathy Bates won an Academy Award for her terrifying performance as Annie Wilkes in ‘Misery.’
When novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) has a car accident during a blizzard, he is saved by Wilkes and taken to her remote cabin where she attempts to nurse him back to health. Annie claims to be Paul’s “number one fan” but becomes violent when she discovers he is planning to kill off her favorite character in his next book.
After director James Cameron chose to make Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s character the hero in ‘Terminator: Judgment Day,’ he needed to find an actor that could be a threat to Arnold’s good-guy Terminator.
Enter actor Robert Patrick, who does not look like he could toe-to-toe with the former California Governor, but thanks to Cameron’s upgrade of groundbreaking visual effects, the T-1000 is one of the scariest movie villains of all-time.
With the ability to morph into liquid metal, you’re left watching the movie wondering, “How will our heroes ever be able to defeat this guy,” which is the mark of a great villain.
When Quentin Tarantino was casting ‘Inglorious Basterds,’ he feared that the role of Hans Landa was “unplayable” and credited actor Christoph Waltz as “giving him his movie.”
Known as “The Hunter,” Landa is a ruthless SS officer who’s presence looms over the entire movie. The performance kick-started Waltz’s American acting career and earned him the first of two Oscars he would win for playing Tarantino characters, the second being for ‘Django Unchained.’
Winning an Oscar for playing Dr. Hannibal Lecter in ‘Silence of the Lambs,’ Anthony Hopkins would go on to reprise the role in ‘Hannibal‘ and ‘Red Dragon.’
Created by the novelist Thomas Harris, Lecter is a former-respected forensic psychiatrist turned serial killer who eats his victims. After being captured, he consults with the FBI, first with agent Will Graham (Ed Norton), and eventually with agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster).
But in 1988, English actor Alan Rickman gave an unforgettable performance as Hans Gruber, a thief pretending to be a terrorist in ‘Die Hard.’ Rickman played the role with intelligence and charm, and was a challenging foe for Bruce Willis‘ iconic cop, John McClane.
The performance was celebrated as ushering in a new era of believable screen villains, and was better than anything the Bond franchise had offered in decades.
Ledger, who also won an Academy Award for his role, gave a frighteningly realistic performance making the character a dangerous psychopath more interested in watching the world burn rather than obtaining money or power. Ledger’s Joker is easily the best big screen version of the iconic comic book character, and unfortunately would also be one of the actor’s final roles.
If Disney+’s ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ series did anything … it reminded us how much we love Darth Vader!
When he was first introduced in 1977’s ‘Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope,’ the character was mysterious, dark, and terrifying. While most fans now know Vader’s backstory thanks to the prequels, when the character first said, “Luke, I am your father” in ‘Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back‘ it was truly shocking and disturbing to audiences.
While the character has been humanized over the years within the ‘Star Wars’ cannon because of the prequels, animated series, and live-action shows like ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi,’ Darth Vader is still the greatest movie villain of all-time!
Bruce Willis is one of the greatest movie stars in cinema history!
The actor, who is been working professionally for over forty years, began his career in the mid-80s by starring on the groundbreaking TV series ‘Moonlighting,’ opposite Cybill Shepard. His movie career exploded in 1988 when he starred as John McClane in director John McTiernan‘s action-classic ‘Die Hard.’
In Terry Gilliam‘s bleak sci-fi thriller, Willis plays a man who goes back in time in an effort to prevent a massive outbreak that kills most of the earth’s population.
And yet, Willis commits fully, in a role that has him involved with suspense set pieces, romantic sequences, and even portraying multiple versions of the same character. Challenging is the right word for this kind of performance. Another word you could use is brilliant.
In 2257, a taxi driver (Willis) is unintentionally given the task of saving a young girl (Milla Jovovich) who is part of the key that will ensure the survival of humanity.
Directed by Luc Besson, and coming off of the huge success of ‘Die Hard with a Vengeance,’ Willis was the perfect actor to lead the sci-fi action movie, which also stars Gary Oldman and Chris Tucker.
In ‘Looper,’ Willis played the older version of Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s character, a man who, through time travel, meets and antagonizes his younger self. It’s a high concept gimmick that could have been a disaster, especially since Gordon-Levitt is saddled with make-up effects to give off the vibe of a younger Willis. But, man, Willis is great.
Virtually silent, he does some very un-Bruce-like things, including but not limited to murdering a child, attempting to murder another child, and basically being a bloodthirsty bad guy. But it’s an extended flashback sequence, where we see what happened to Willis’ adult wife, that gives the character pathos and pain.
When the girl (Halle Berry) that detective Joe Hallenback (Willis) is protecting gets murdered, the former NFL quarterback (Damon Wayans) and boyfriend of the murdered girl attempts to investigate and solve the case. What they discover is that there is deep seated corruption going on between a crooked politician and the owner of a pro football team.
Directed by the late Tony Scott, this was the first successful non-‘Die Hard’ movie the actor made after becoming a bankable movie star. While he is basically playing another version of “John McClane,” it was great to see Willis make a buddy-cop movie with Wayans, which at the time was a very popular genre of film.
Following an unexpected tragedy, a child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe (Willis) meets a nine year old boy named Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), who is hiding a dark secret.
M. Night Shyamalan‘s classic 1999 movie marks the first of four times (if you include ‘Split‘) that the filmmaker has teamed with Willis. The actor gives a quiet performance, which is one of his best, playing opposite Oscar nominee Haley Joel Osment. Willis should have been nominated as well for his performance, especially for his excellent and subtle work during the film’s big twist ending.
In 2012, Willis took a chance on a couple of younger, art house directors, and both performances remain the highpoint of this stage of his career. One of those performances was for Wes Anderson in ‘Moonrise Kingdom.’ As Captain Sharp, the law enforcement on a fictional island, who is tasked with retrieving a pair of kids who go missing, his performance is warm and open-hearted.
Honestly, just thinking about his character and where he ends up, makes me a little choked up. This never should have worked on paper, the terse Willis teaming up with the twee Anderson, but it turned out to be a match made in heaven. Willis was rightfully applauded for his role and earned a Best Supporting Male nomination for his work at the 2013 Independent Spirit Awards.
Perhaps one of Willis’ finest performance ever came in M. Night Shyamalan’s thoughtful deconstruction of the superhero genre (before the superhero genre was even a thing). Yes, their previous collaboration, ‘The Sixth Sense’ made more money, but it’s “Unbreakable” that is the true classic.
Somber and forlorn, Willis’ arc of a man who comes to understand his inner strength (both emotionally and physically) is a profound work by an artist who, at the time, was always willing to challenge himself. Willis is underrated when it comes to subtlety in his performances; this is nothing but that.
This was another left-field appearance, the world’s biggest movie star (at the time) was going to appear in the sophomore feature of a relatively unknown indie director named Quentin Tarantino. Well, ‘Pulp Fiction’ ended up being the coolest movie ever and Willis’ performance as Butch, a down-on-his-luck boxer who ends up throwing a fight the other way, was electric and revitalized his career in a profound way.
Willis’ mini-arc is absolutely astounding, he gets to be physical but also incredibly comedic and tragic (the watch!). Few actors can really make Quentin Tarantino’s ratatat dialogue sing, but Willis did so handily. Zed’s dead, baby, indeed.
Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) wakes up to find her staff have quit and all her money has been stolen. One of her few remaining assets is a loss-making investigation agency run by David Addison (Willis). She sacks the staff but David is determined to keep it going.
David Addison is the role that turned Bruce Willis into a star. Playing the charismatic yet comedic character in the groundbreaking 1980’s series made the actor a household name and his casting in ‘Die Hard’ even possible.
The series still holds up to this day, especially it’s brilliant two-hour pilot, and you can see why the actor has had such a long career, as his charm is evident in every frame and he has unforgettable chemistry with co-star Cybill Shepard.
Willis received a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical in 1987 for his role as David Addison on ‘Moonlighting.’
When Willis was cast in John McTiernan’s ‘Die Hard’ he was still mostly known as the star of ‘Moonlighting’ (and his previously big movie was Blake Edwards’ comedy, ‘Sunset‘). People were confused as to what a funnyman was doing anchoring a big budget action spectacular. But watching ‘Die Hard’ you get the sense that this was the role that Willis was born to play: an everyman thrown into a truly fantastic situation, who uses his wits and his will to get his way out of it.
His physicality is unparalleled, and you can watch how his posture changes not only after his shoeless brush with broken glass, but as he gets more and more exhausted. More than that, the character is soulful and tortured. There’s an early scene that’s always struck me, when he’s at the party and looks across the way to a pretty girl. It speaks volumes to the character’s struggle within.
In some sad news for the movie world, Bruce Willis’ family has made an emotional announcement that the veteran actor is to retire from his career.
The post, which was placed across various members’ social media channels, explained that the ‘Die Hard’ and ‘Sixth Sense’ star had been diagnosed with aphasia, a medical condition which leads to the loss of ability to understand or express speech.
“To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” the statement reads. “As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”
“This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support,” the statement continues. “We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that.”
While the condition can be managed with treatment, it often results in the patient’s inability to stay in their chosen career and for an actor, language skills are a critical part of their job.
“Bruce and I have worked on over 20 films together. He is a terrific actor and legendary action star, an incredible father, and a close friend,” producer Randall Emmett told The Hollywood Reporter. “I fully support Bruce and his family during this challenging time and admire him for his courage in battling this incredibly difficult medical condition. Bruce will always be part of our family.” The pair collaborated on such films as ‘Midnight in the Switchgrass’, ‘Survive the Night’, ‘Hard Kill,’ ‘Extraction’, ‘Fortress’ and ‘Out of Death’.
If Willis’ more recent career – with exceptions for the likes of his reunion with ‘Sixth Sense’ and ‘Unbreakable’ director M. Night Shyamalan for ‘Glass’ – may not have reached the heights of his earlier days, he remains a genuine star who combined an ability to be wise-cracking, tough and charming in one package.
Peers and fellow filmmakers paid tribute to his career, including Gale Anne Hurd, who posted to Twitter and, perhaps more controversially, director Kevin Smith, who famously fell out with the actor while making ‘Cop Out’ and now expresses regret for his comments.
Sending ❤️ and 🙏 to #BruceWillis his family & family. One of my close relatives has aphasia and she is still enjoying a happy, fulfilling life (but she also had to give up her career). It’s inconceivable to think of #Armageddon without his powerful and heartfelt performance. https://t.co/uy2FbrMDtJ
Long before any of the Cop Out stuff, I was a big Bruce Willis fan – so this is really heartbreaking to read. He loved to act and sing and the loss of that has to be devastating for him. I feel like an asshole for my petty complaints from 2010. So sorry to BW and his family. https://t.co/npSgvkb5v7
“Speed” is now 25 years old. And just like stars Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, this classic action movie doesn’t show its age one bit. That’s the power of a strong, simple premise. Celebrate this movie milestone by learnign more about the making of “Speed.”
1. “Speed” can thanks its existence (at least in part) to legendary director Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa wrote the screenplay for 1985’s “Runaway Train,” the plot of which inspired Graham Yost to write “Speed.”
2. Yost originally titled his screenplay “Minimum Speed,” but decided to cut the adjective.
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3.Quentin Tarantino was among the directors approached. Though he turned it down, Tarantino later included “Speed” in a list of the best films released since the 1992 debut of “Reservoir Dogs.”
4. The film’s snappy dialogue can be credited to Joss Whedon, who performed an uncredited, last-minute rewrite and focused specifically on making Jack Traven’s lines better fit actor Keanu Reeves. Early (and now highly sought-after) posters feature a writing credit for Whedon.
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5.Stephen Baldwin was originally offered the Jack Traven role, but turned it down after complaining the character (pre-Whedon rewrite) was too similar to “Die Hard” protagonist John McClane.
6. Both Halle Berry and Ellen DeGeneres were considered to play Annie Porter before Sandra Bullock was cast.
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7. There’s a reason Annie is so adept at driving the runaway bus. Originally the screenplay revealed her backstory as an ambulance driver.
8. Studio executives were aghast at Reeves’ decision to cut his hair in a close-cropped, blue collar fashion, fearing it would hurt the movie’s marketability.
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9. The film went over-budget, to the point where a test screening had to rely on storyboard animatics for the subway sequence. Fortunately, the audience’s response convinced Fox to hand over more money to finish the film.
10. The climax of the film was originally supposed to take place in Dodgers Stadium, but the setting shifted to LAX when the production couldn’t secure the rights to film at the stadium.
20th Century Fox
11. A total of 14 buses were used for production, with different buses designated for interior shots, undercarriage shots and high-speed scenes. Two buses were designated solely for explosion shots.
When Samuel L. Jackson popped up, post-credits, in 2008’s “Iron Man,” it was a startling cameo, especially for fans of the comic, who recognized that Nick Fury, the war-hardened taskmaster, was modeled after Jackson for the “Ultimates” comic book line. But few could have imagined that that moment, which promised the reveal of a much larger universe, would have yielded the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a 10-year, 20+ movie experiment that has reshaped the moviegoing landscape. Through it all, Jackson has been a constant, and a harbinger of very big things (he assembled the Avengers and uncovered the plot to destroy SHIELD, amongst other things). And nothing is quite as big as the introduction, this week, of “Captain Marvel,” the studio’s first female-led movie and their first set in the 1990s.
For Jackson, he got to don a younger look (aided by some cutting-edge technology) and reunite with his BFF Brie Larson, who plays Captain Marvel and who starred with Jackson in “Kong: Skull Island” (she also directed him in her filmmaking debut, “Unicorn Store,” set to debut on Netflix later this year). Jackson is amazing in the film, showcasing a different side of Fury, and his chemistry with Larson is totally effervescent.
We got to sit down with Jackson and talk about his more notable 90s action movie roles, what it was like getting digitally de-aged and what he knows about “Avengers: Endgame.”
Moviefone: This is very much a 90s-set buddy action movie and you made some great buddy action movies in the 90s.
It was pretty great. I was going another movie in New York. I was doing “Kiss of Death” and I had auditioned for “Waterworld.” So I was waiting on an answer on whether I was going to be in “Waterworld.”
What character was it in “Waterworld?”
Whatever character it was, Fishburne got the job. And he was supposed to do “Die Hard,” and they came to me the other day and said, “Well okay, you’re not going to be in ‘Waterworld’ but want to be in ‘Die Hard?’” I was like, “You mean like ‘Die Hard‘ ‘Die Hard?’” They said, “Yes, we’re making a new ‘Die Hard.’” YES! Because I had always coveted … My friend Reggie was the cop outside Nakatomi Plaza. I remember thinking, How’d Reggie get that job? I don’t even remember them auditioning people. So I was like, “Hell yeah, I’ll go hang out with Bruce Willis.” I got the “Simon Says” script then.
Yeah, because it wasn’t a “Die Hard” movie, right?
Yeah, it wasn’t “Die Hard” yet, it was “Simon Says.” The rest is kind of how it happens.
So your character was in the earlier version?
Oh yeah. Always. Zeus was always there. He was the guy who could answer the riddles.
McT was great. In the beginning, we didn’t really have a real structure other than Bruce was uptown and he had that sign on and we had to figure out a way to get from 160-something street down to the 70-something street. They get to the first riddle or whatever it was. And we would go to Bruce’s trailer and John would say, “Okay, I want to go 15 blocks today. So in order to get 15 blocks, Bruce, what are you going to say?” And Bruce would say, “Well, I can say …” And I would say, “Well, if he says that I answered …” And they write it down, write it down, write it down, and we go, “Okay, great, let’s go!” and we’d go shoot him. So we did that for about 60 blocks. It was great.
New Line Cinema
Another great 90s buddy action movie you made was “The Long Kiss Goodnight,” which you say was your favorite character you ever played. Why is that?
He had a lot of heart. He’s kind of bumbling but wry and a perfect foil for who Geena was. Her being such a bad ass and him, you know, him not being such a bad ass. So it’s kind of perfect. And we had a really great relationship. We spent a lot of time in the car, like, you know, like Brie and I do it in this movie. It’s a road movie. Yeah.
When you did that first cameo in “Iron Man,” did you have any idea that this was going to be such a huge part of your career and life after that?
Well I knew I’d signed a nine-picture deal.
You made that deal before you shot the “Iron Man” scene?
It kind of happened while I was doing it. When they asked me to do it, they said it to me. I figured, I guess what I did that we we’d be getting to the ninth picture about now. It used to take a little longer to make a movie. It takes a little longer to have an idea and I didn’t realize the universe was going to expand in the way that it expanded and I would be required to do specific things to connect stories on a specific kind the way. So I knew it was going to be big, but I just didn’t know it was going to advance as quickly.
Marvel Studios
What was your response when they said, “This is going to be a prequel, we’re going to meet Nick Fury with both eyes as a young shield agent?”
I don’t think anybody said it was a prequel, they just said, “It’s just a younger Nick Fury with two eyes.” It’s not really an origin story because there’s a lot missing. I mean you meet him kind of post-war, post-shadow world spy stuff. I guess it’s the Cold War and now he’s stuck on a desk. And you finally get something interesting to do. So this the awakening of nuclear more than anything else. Because she’s just first extraterrestrial and he finds out, oh okay, there’s things from somewhere else. And in his mind being Nick Fury, he probably realized, You know, the people I worked for probably know though, he never said anything and they’ve been holding out on me. So now I’ve got to figure out a way to make the battlefield even but I don’t think I’m going to tell them about this either. That’s the beginning of his plot.
Did they explain that kind of technical side of this performance to you when you signed on? In terms of the DA aging and, and all of that?
Yeah. I had nothing to do with that. All I had to do is show up for work and they put dots on my face. And I’m fortunate enough that I had a couple of films from the 90s that they reference.
New Line Cinema
Did they tell you what they were referencing?
They looked at a lot of different things. I think they settled on Danny Roman from “The Negotiator.”
Can you talk about your relationship with Brie, because you’ve co-starred with her, you’ve been directed by her and then you’re in this together.
Well for some reason, you know, we great friends almost immediately. Part of it was the difficulty of shooting a film like “Kong” on those remote locations and having to be out in the wild with no cell phone reception. So people don’t get a chance to disconnect when somebody said cut. We got to be together, fighting off bugs get, some water, kind of trying to try to stay warm or cold or warm up, whatever’s going on. And the trials and tribulations of that being able to find a way to laugh together while you’re out there to make it not seem so miserable.
And then joining forces with her on her directorial debut after kind of tricking her into casting me. Because I knew she had written this script and she wanted to have somebody else. So I kind of gave her a whole bunch of shit about it. You know, “So you really think that guy is better than me and you don’t want me in your movie?” She said it was because “I didn’t want you to say no.” It was like, “Your never asked me, you never gave me a chance to say no. But now I’m saying no, I don’t want to do your movie.” And then she’s like, “Please Sam!” So I ended up doing it and a great experience. It brought us closer together. We were together a lot more. We learned to have this little banter and we have a very easy way with each other and our level of professionalism is almost the same. We’re very, very well prepared to show up the next day and do what we’re supposed to do and try to do it as efficiently as well as possibly can. We have mutual respect and joy for being in that together and looking at each other and laugh when we’re done doing the scene.
Marvel Studios
Did you ever take her under your wing and your wing and say, “Listen, your life is going to get a lot more complicated?”
I don’t have a wing, but you I was just trying to say to her that, you know, this thing is different than any other thing that you’ve done. There are levels of popularity. Yes. But now you’re moving into, you know, where people are going to put you on a religious sort of a pedestal that is reserved for characters in “Star Wars” and the Marvel Universe. It’s one thing to say it and to intellectualize it and understand it, but it’s not going to strike on until the film actually gets out there to the masses. When I saw the film the other day, I really think I underestimated what I told her, because of the resonance of what happens in this film that hasn’t happened in a whole bunch of other movies. It’s easy to like Tony Stark, it’s easy to like Thor. But when you do a character like she did this one that so many young girls and women can look at it and go, “Oh, I want to do that. I’ve been knocked down eight times and got up nine. I had to do it. I played that. I succeeded in a male-dominated world.”
Before she becomes Captain Marvel and when she starts to rediscover who she is, realizing I accomplished some things, I was a formidable woman before these people gave me these powers and they claim that they we made you.” I’m not, I am someone that will self-made already. And the relationship she has with Maria, the best friend who went through the same thing and the closeness and support that they give each other through that trial is very resonant for a lot of women that are going to watch this film too. And a little girl who tells them, “You’re my role model and if you don’t do something special, then I don’t have to aspire to something special, but I want to be special. So go out there and be special.”
It’s like, oh, there’s a whole ‘nother thing that she’s got going on. She’s going to be on posters on little girls’ walls off and they’re going to want to wear this costume to school.
With “Endgame” coming up, how much do they tell you about the future of the MCU?
I mean I have no idea what’s going on in “Endgame.” I’m like everybody else waiting on it to happen.
“Captain Marvel” opens across the galaxy on Friday.
