In my recent Captain Marvel cast interview, a couple of Marvel geek dreams came true.
- Kevin Feige remembered me from a brief meeting at an awards ceremony a few months ago (you can read about that amazing evening over here)
- Brie Larson asked where we got our Marvel gear, so I got to show her, Lashana Lynch and Jude Law my “Higher, further, faster” necklace and earrings.
It was amazing.
What else was amazing that we got to learn a lot about the early stages of bringing Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, to life!
This press junket was held at the beautiful Beverly Hilton on Wilshire, coinciding with the 2019 Publicists’ Awards ceremony. The hotel was abuzz with excitement, possibly the busiest I’ve ever seen it, and it was funny to watch the mix of Captain Marvel attire with the business professional attire.
In attendance for the Captain Marvel cast interview were:
- Brie Larson
- Jude Law
- Gemma Chan
- Lashana Lynch
- Clark Gregg
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Kevin Feige
- Director Anna Boden
- Director Ryan Fleck
What a lineup, right?
If you’ve seen the trailer — and how could you not, there are a few and they’re on a LOT now — you know that Captain Marvel is a very physical role. When asked about the physical transformation, Brie was very straightforward. Sometimes she’d fall flat on her face, sometimes she’d have a bad take, sometimes she’d nail it, but there were times where her trainer would say “oh, she’s crying again.” After training for hours every day for nine months, it stirs up emotions while being exhausting, as there’s so much more that goes into these movies than the flawless action you see on the screen.
Coming through that entire process, from start to finish, Brie was able to realize she wasn’t doing it for anyone but herself, and she is stronger than she realized. I think that’s an over-arching message from this whole movie, but more on that in my next blog post on Friday, where I share my no-spoiler review for the movie. (Be sure to check back on Friday at noon!)
Speaking of strength, by the end of the movie, Brie was able to push her trainer’s jeep up a hill for 60 seconds (and we’ve seen that on Facebook), dead-lift 225 pounds, and hip-thrust 400 pounds. Those are some impressive stats!
One very important part of the movie was setting up a believable 90s scene, kind of a 90s wonderland. The directors put together a play list, gave it to the crew and some of the cast, and at the end of the movie, they put everything together, threw songs in and waited to see what stuck. What you will see in the movie is that whatever they did, it was magic. You ARE transported, and the sound track is fabulous.
Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) was asked what in particular he liked about embodying the 90s version of Fury, the leader of SHIELD. “Oh, you know, sort of a kinder, gentler, not so cynical world-weary, chip-on-the-shoulder Nick Fury. “
When you make a movie that goes back in time, using characters who we’re all familiar with, you’re faced with a challenge of how to de-age those people in a way that’s believable. As we all saw in Captain America: Civil War, Robert Downey Jr. was aged back to a very young adult, and he looks exactly like what we all remember.
In Captain Marvel, two characters had to be de-aged: Fury and Coulson (Clark Gregg). When Kevin Feige was asked about the process, he said something that had us all laughing: “Well, the technology is spectacular and we’ve done it in a number of films and I think this represents the peak. However, the two people up here who we, who we did do it to, Sam Jackson and Clark Gregg, are the two human beings on earth who don’t need it.”
Jude Law also had us laughing when he was asked what his kids thought about dad being in a Marvel movie. The written words don’t do it justice, but basically, the kids were typical teens; they cared, but only in so much as a “yeah, that’s cool” kind of way any parent of teens can relate to. “I was just saying to Kevin, they saw it this week and then there’s a screening next week in London and the fact that they all want to come again is a very good sign. With friends.“
There’s so much more to the movie than we could ever cover in a press junket, but the Captain Marvel cast interview got everyone more pumped to see the movie a second time. Just like the rest of the movies, you pick up little clues to the MCU overall in each viewing.
The gorgeous Gemma Chan and beautiful Lashana Lynch were perfectly cast, and while their characters are polar-opposites (which I’ll leave for you to see in the movie), they are both critical to the plot and both portray a different type of relationship. (And Lashana’s dress!)
The movie hits theaters this Friday, and you can buy your tickets now! It’s just a little shy of two hours, so buy your food and bevs before it starts and settle in for the fun! Here’s the trailer to watch again!
You can Marvel-bound and buy various accessories and pieces of attire. I got the Captain Marvel jacket, which I’m totally looking for excuses to wear. Thankfully, we’ve had one heck of a rainy and cold winter here for SoCal, and that jacket’s getting a lot of use. Look at these bags!
Don’t forget to visit again on Friday for my review!
Higher, further, faster!
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