I'm Anthony Breznican with Entertainment Weekly And we're here with the Avengers. Were in the endgame, the original six Avengers and Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios Who's like the Nick Fury in real life and that's been said
--That's Sam. Sam Jackson. --You bring--but he's dust so we need you here to help bring--put out the Avengers --Proud, proud to do that. So, you guys can't talk about Endgame, right? So, can you tell me just the most outlandish lie, you can think of about your character?
-Another lightning round? One thing you can guarantee Endgame's that it's gonna begin and then it's gonna end.
-At some point, it will be. Just keeps running
-I'm going to have PTSD from this junket. I mean, honestly, it's so stressful-- It really is. It is.
-You're doing great, kid. Well, you know everybody at the end of every day, I lie awake at night and I think about all the things I almost said --and it gives me panic. Oh, you think you feel that way? Tell us about it, Mark.
How do you feel? You're a repeat offender, Mr. Ruffalo. Not at every education camp. What's the biggest one you've spilled? What about when you streamed the first 10 minutes of--? I saw people running up and down the aisle.
What are they doing anyway to Mark? That was the one that got me the call from the up-high. You could hear it that's all they could he was laughing then it must be good Well it sort of turned around on me because when I came to work on Monday everyone ran up to me I thought they were coming to scream at me, "Barry?"And he threw his arms around me and he's like, That was genius! Yeah, we got more press than that. We could have possibly paid for Spoilers. Yes Barry Curtis, one of our supreme security at Marvel Studios who now is immortalized as the blockbuster parking lot security guard in Captain Marvel. Finally!
That's Barry. Yes cards, right? There's a cameo in the future Personally, what's been the biggest change in you since you began working on the Marvel movies? My waist size, yeah. Thinner?
I don't know now. I haven't checked.
Fluctuating. Let me like a weather a lot of people here Popped out children like three three you guys Major like I didn't affect my waist Any like people always ask what do you bring to your character? Is there any part of The person you play I find like the the there was a much clearer kind of this is who the character was in the first Time I played it and then Adam just like a holiday something different You know it slowly just became me screwing around and kind of having fun and no. No, I'm not saying I'm Become completely the character, but there's more of me more of me in the character now than ever I think just because that's the most honest place you can operate from especially in knowing everybody I feel like I ran into personal or personal relationships I start to echo through you know, and then what you see the authenticity of you know I'm and and the Captain America or whatever on screen. There is a real friendship with Chris and Robert So then it starts to just come through whether we love it enough Do you all feel that way like parts of you or in this character? Yeah, yeah I mean well It's impossible not to take a little piece home anytime you play a role when you're in a certain headspace all day You can't help but take some of that home with you. And sometimes you play roles where that's really Exhausting and it can be like a Cave a darkness. Sometimes you can't wait to shed and other times you kind of can't wait to get back to it and that's the fun thing about the role that you know most movies when you when you're when you're done you kind of Close the book on that when you move on this one, you know You just kind of put on hiatus cuz you know you're coming back to them And it's it's it's really it's a it's this the same way that these are all friends. The character becomes a friend to you You're visiting an old friend. How do you feel about that? You kind of kicked it all off quiet as it's kept consciously or otherwise Kevin you put us in a position where we lived our lives looking at each other in the eyes and claim these big stakes moments and and being in trouble together and saving each other and Worrying about each other. So it was kind of like these these six souls became it's just it's this Impossible to explain thing is getting a little tired I think it just comes down to the smallness of our lives has has been has been the constant in in this massive Endeavor and I think you know, it's impossible not to be humbled by it. Hell if I I've been then it's completely These characters have grappled with their With their past and they have grappled with their destiny, and I think we've seen them Over this past ten years sort of come into their own as like fully realized people With all of their flaws and and have an acceptance of their flaws and actually come to see them as you know Strengths and I think that's probably reflective of a lot of the journeys we've all had in the past I mean just having ten years of time and growing and you know Having ups and downs in our lives and sharing our lives with one another You know has been a real pillar of strength and in all kinds of crazy times and you know I think that's what the audience also reacts to is that the characters have grown in a way that feels reflective of their own Experience. I mean I met this girl yesterday. He was like a black widows superfan She was awesome and she was like I saw the first movie with you Yeah I first saw Black Widow when I was six and now she was you know 15 and she was like I just I grew up with you and it's so exciting and you know, I was thinking god she was a little girl now She's this, you know, beautiful young woman and you know She probably feels also like the journey of these characters coming to into their own is very much a part of her own experience And I think that's how are we kind of have? Reflected, you know ourselves in within the characters as well People are so emotionally invested in all of these characters anything you tweet about them or any hint in a trailer that they might be In jeopardy, and like people would get really worked up about it. It's kind of amazing to see if you're all out There you see yourselves that feel odd, or does it feel moving or powerful? What's it like seeing that? a little scary You you you become more careful You you have you have a bigger responsibility but you also see kind of the power of storytelling and You know, the one thing I think the about these movies that's really exciting is they they're forward leaning in in in the narrative of good versus evil and so we're able to transcend some of the divisive Narratives that are happening now I mean the one thing is that these stories do kind of talk to a lot of Different kinds of people with different kinds of belief and I really believe that and all are coming together to yeah Though is it's about worth of it Right and it's about you know, people who have you know, civil wars the is the ultimate example of that, you know And I always look at them now And I always feel like somehow we're always one or two steps ahead of the political scene, yeah and You know and and the bad guys win sometimes yeah, you know and and we lose good people and II unless you lose sometimes You don't value winning and winning doesn't mean anything. That's true And I feel like that's been this final journey into our end game Like gosh perilous mean that is a redemptive act happening in real time. I think you're back at zero now The no read left in your legend, right Just hanging out Cover it now. Well scarlet last time we had you guys all together We were talking about Black Widow and the lack of female superheroes What part do you feel that Natasha and Black Widow have played in changing the way people look at female heroes? I don't know. It's a good question. I don't know that I have total perspective on it but you know the character has certainly Grown in a way where we've seen her You know, I think Fabri got a lil offended when I called her a second sexy secretary. He was like well she was undercover Um, like okay. Yeah. Definitely that was true that you know, She I think through the, you know through Avengers and then certainly with Winter Soldier had an opportunity to become a Woman who realized? Oh I have not You know I haven't really made any active choices in my life and was and was really coming to terms with as shield like you know Disintegrated and you know certainly now after Civil War with the Avengers, you know they also kind of disintegrating and being in all these different places and everybody kind of having their own reaction so that she's Come into her own as a woman saying oh, I actually like Who am I? and Where is my you know like what do I want? And what do I need? out of my relationships and also out of my my own self and she's someone who's understanding her own self-worth and that is such a powerful journey anything to see anybody take but certainly to see a woman on screen represented in that way a flawed superhero with a sort of You know kind of grey moral compass coming to terms with what's happened to her and that's happened over, you know the course of these films ending obviously finally with this end game and I think in a pretty impactful way, but you know, It's it's definitely I think You know shown some sort of path for you know these other female superhero was to Be able to kind of walk down I've certainly don't take credit for that that way but you played a part there was a time not so long ago that There was a belief that there couldn't be a leading female superhero. Yeah, not by this guy, by the way No, I know ever but there that was an industry-standard Thinking and if they were it was strictly like sexualized. Well the secretary with a skillset. Yeah, exactly So I think Black Widow helped change it a lot and change the way people looked at Yeah, you did honestly, you know, I think Joss was a huge part of that too. He just is such a you know, huge believer of strong female characters and storylines and he really celebrated the characters flaws and wanted to bring them to light I say flaws, you know, not really but She perceives to be and you know That was just having his support and he you know him wanting to shine the light on that character really made a huge difference So, you know part of the journey is the end. We said goodbye to Stanley after a big long life this year And do you guys have any poignant memories of him or stories of meeting him? I know he didn't always shoot his cameos with you guys around but did you if you all gotten in a Stan Lee encounter? I I I'm gonna make this joke again. I love it. I'll act like I already Playing Hulk is like my generations Hamlet. We're all gonna get a chance So it's been you know and so I was really nervous about you know, would I please him and I didn't see I didn't meet him until the premiere of Avengers and I kind of walked up to him. She plac'd saw him He's like hey, and he's like you got it kid Like That's amazing, thank you mister, you know, but I was so nervous about From other than been down he and Kevin like I was so nervous that he would be happy with with what I've done How about you Robert on the first Ironman? Is that when you met him for the first time I yeah, my time goes to an Civil War he Roadie and Tony are having a moment At the end and he's the like a UPS guy or a FedEx guy And so he was outside the glass and it was just this thing of like, you know, it's like all of us He's really big deal. But he's just another monk. We have to get his coverage in the can - and like emerald sound He's like I have a delivery photo nice tank And then right great It went completely downhill after that. I was like not only is that my memory through the glass But also I'm I am exactly like him it all goes downhill after that when you got to capture before I Believe you're right actually take two is my strong team, but you should we should stop after one And he guided it back to himself changed I Also had a similar moment when I saw him I think was after the Iron Man 2 premiere and I was I didn't know how the audience or anybody would react to this the loved' character and my interpretation of her and Especially because I wasn't originally cast and so I also had like a lot of feelings about that but yeah, I had a lot of feelings about it and and I saw him also in the theater and he was he was very Excited and I of course was like I had a big sigh of relief after that, you know Just he was he was so happy with that You know, but he got to see that character on screen and it was pretty cool You must have a lot of memories of him Well, yes lots and lots of it the amazing thing is just as as you've all said He said the right thing to the right person at all times. Yeah every interaction That was what one's dream interaction with Stanley would be he made that come true every single time I've talked before about he left me a voicemail once in like 2004 something. I never got a voicemail from Stanley I kept it for years until I think the phone disintegrated but it was fearless Feige Stanley here I couldn't listen to it over and over And that's sort of what he was always like and always supportive. We've put a we've put a Video together that I think I'm not sure when we're gonna put it out In the in the home video window probably but it is a Baha'i we've never done this before a behind the scenes of every cameo and all the b-roll that was shot and his stand-ups there and You know, his passing was very emotional for all of us But it suddenly all came back to me just last week when I watched it It's tremendous and it's you know he outside Disney Hall that first that first time and the Tony stank FedEx and the he deleted the Deleted kami the first cameo. He did on Avengers when you tour in the cafe. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, see I was going back to Fantastic Four III have yes, the first time I met him was 2004 when I was doing Johnny Storm, and yep the day that he was on set We actually happen to have a b-roll crew on set that day for whatever reason and one of my first interactions with him It's all caught on b-roll and I've found the footage At the time he was you know, I was very early in my career as the biggest role I'd ever done to me someone like him was so So overwhelming for me and he was so, you know true San lien format, you know just so full of life and just so kind and Garius and and just made me feel right at home And and yeah We have we have the entire exchange on film somewhere and it's just that was that I tell the story and the story actually is From from Fantastic Four one in Toronto when he came to do his cameo and suddenly You couldn't find the crew like Stan was getting ready in the trail and you look around and were in the middle of the city and half the crew is gone and I went what and The ad said they all they all ran to the comic shop on Queens Whatever to buy comics to have him sign sure enough He came in he shot and then he signed it And that was sort of the beginning of what I call the national holiday every time you can Talk about how like that his was his like ultimate vision to have this stuff all up there on the screen or like I mean would always he was always so Despite how gregarious and taking credit and I should have more role He was so humble and he always just talked about how over well me. It was that this at all Yeah gotten this big and Right up until they even the last time I saw All I'd want to do is talk about him creating the characters and how amazing that was to to co-create All these legends these icons and he'd go. Yeah. Yeah, but the cameos You don't get a curtain killed right in comic about you Jeremy I Aspire to be as strong my the guy has lived an amazing life and it's he's still always stick with me because I spent a lot of time with him more recently and You know when you're that It's so full of life. Right and when you spend time with him, you know This guy just it's just burning of a fire of life. He's got a great sense of humor a smart smart mind and You know, I hope and aspire to be Anywhere half of what would he was as a man? Right? It's really really fantastic. I get really really enjoyed my time with him Well, I like you Chris. Um just to sort of childlike wonder And attitude and enthusiasm, you know There's something that every time he'd come on the set with all of these are the stories you hear of him coming on in You know, you'd want to talk about something more kind of like well what do you know what it all means and so on and it was just like now, I'm just Telling stories that were having fun in this entertainment and yeah there's a deeper meaning and a message and so on which he achieved so beautifully, but the The the the childlike nature about him. Oh, I thought well, you did good. We can all just stay big kids forever You know, he's the perfect So some movies come and go over they're gone in one week this these movies have endured for 10 years I think the last for 30 Beyond what do you want people to see in these movies 30 years from now. What do you want them to feel? What do you hope they'll think about them? I mean, I'm always amazed with the ability to Kevin has had to house this. Yeah this giant Tapestry of all these woven plot lines. I Don't think it's ever gonna happen I don't think anyone has the ability to kind of Launch all these different rockets and then kind of like years down the road have them all kind of explode at once it's it's it's it's just kind of the planning and the the care and the Subtlety to it. It's just clogged raphy Yeah It's just I I I just don't know that it'll happen again And I take a lot of pride that I get to have a small part of it Yeah, I wonder what the ripple effect would be of it like 15 30 years ago Like look what you know baggies done. Like how do you do like a series of film? 22 films I hope they're still how do you do that? I'm saying Absolutely absolutely could guarantee that I mean that's it's impossible not to that's very right is that I mean like you think about it's like Star Wars I mean Right bond yeah impossible but it's they're not but there's not kind of Bond doesn't have the Continuity, it's very constant reinvention Yeah, Star Wars has a similar continuity But that was a big start and stop thing this all took place in a finite amount of time and that finite amount of time is a decade which isn't even a snuggie that's Kate yeah, and he managed to make this unbelievable ribbon of amazing, you know following the footsteps of what Stan and Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby we're doing when it was a small group of them in in a in a bullpen in Manhattan and having fun and it's been relatively small group of us at Marvel Studios for For a decade or more and the advantage we have is we have real people That can inhabit these characters and then the audience's fall in love with a minute We fall in love with and it's what's fun for me on the tail end is I'm intimidated by actors I'm intimidated by their ability to Do what they do because I got these cameras on me and it's I'm shuffling and I can I don't like it so it's a whole other almost like a whole other species and when they're in their costumes I get intimidated because I'm standing in front of these superheroes that I'm that I've been dreaming about so it takes me about 10 years People as as people and and these six in particular and Starting to talk to them creatively and and as they've all gotten a which even from the start but certainly as the films have continued a Stronger and stronger voice in how the characters and how the movies are made And then I could talk because if we're gonna talk about story talk about the movies Okay, good that that's language I can understand on that on that creative level and that's happened with everybody sitting around here and it's and it's been you know The pleasure of my life with these six and particularly. Are you really? You're not gonna like this I'm noticing over time even just the last couple days look look into Kevin's eyes He's looking at us lovingly like a proud parent Again like you were concerned like it was DEFCON five Really been your labor of love and you look over it like a conscientious parent and now I see fear in your eyes But I love that I've just seen I was just seeing there is love in your eyes and in your heart for all of this and for all of Us and I think you you just you've just loved us up I do I don't I don't have any, you know Regrets creatively, I do regret that we haven't had more time around tables together and stuff Maybe as we begin to junk it and thank you anything for putting out putting you together No doubt for the for the last the last episode of Star Trek The Next Generation the card sits down with his Crew at their weekly poker game and he said and they go oh and he didn't attend the poker games Why am I talking about Star Trek? And the crew is like always sitting down and they go oh captain is everything okay, he goes yeah I'm doing something I should have done a long time ago and I and wouldn't be poker with this team It would be boggle and I would be terrible The Avenger game boggle baggage but something I should have done a long time ago. Well more time. We thank you so much Avengers junket, ah The Avengers one chunk. It was the first and only junket I went on the entire, press tour and it was an amazing experience and I learned oh This is hard work glamorous hotels Oh first place. No. No, it's hot It's nonstop hard work and I appreciated that ever since but there was one night in Rome. Very ladylike. I survived that like that Where we also wanted and talked a lot about in the future and talked a lot about what could happen if wine now Here we are and everybody wants to stay in this but it's yeah They're gonna snap my fingers and turn me to dust in a second Thank you very much
This is by far the best interview of this press tour so far
Fiege confirms they are releasing a compilation of behind the scenes of all of Stan Lee's cameos at some point soon.
This stuff shouldn't make me cry but when Robert put his arm around Chris (and I know he does that to many people) I was just waterworks.
This is amazing. The interviewer did an awesome job of getting everyone comfortable and talkative and some really awesome stuff came out of it. All the talk about Stan was touching, the way the actors talked about their off screen relationships, their praise for Feige and vice versa...it was just fun to watch and honestly gets me WAY more hyped for Endgame than any of the other press stuff we've seen. You can only watch these guys and the Russos give non-answers to uninspired questions so many times before you start craving substance and spirit. Big time kudos to EW for doing this and putting it online for free!
This is pretty wholesome
2 mysteries that will most likely never be answered-
What happened in Budapest?
And
WHAT HAPPENED IN ROME?ο»Ώ
It is so amazing to see the camaraderie between all these actors. It feels like they genuinely love each other and enjoy each other's company. You can see how much this experience means to them, just as much as it means to the fans growing up these characters over the past decade. The OG 6 will be sorely missed! :'(
That was ace. Starts off like the usual fluff, but it was so nice as they settled into it and talked more openly. Especially towards the latter part where Kevin chimes in and engages with everyone. Lovely stuff.
I'm really looking forward to seeing some of them on the Graham Norton show, where there's less time pressure, (more drink) and more of a chance to talk like human beings rather than having to withstand the same questions over and over about a film they can't talk about.
Regardless of how things shake out after the events of Endgame, the folks at Marvel should absolutely do a special on the incredible journey they've all been on. And not just the actors either, but where they can, include the crew too. Maybe a book would be better. And THEN we could hear some more about what went down in 'Rome'!
Edit: A missing word
Mark & RDJβs Stan Lee impressions were spot on though.