An Interview With The Cast Of Fantastic Four
On a late
Saturday night (July 24, 2004) after the Fantastic Four panel
was finally said and done, I had a chance to sit at a roundtable
with a bunch of journalist to talk to the cast of Fantastic Four
and speak about long awaited Marvel comic book made into a movie.
In attendance were Jessica Alba as Sue Storm, Michael Chiklis
as Ben Grimm (The Thing), and Ioan Gruffudd as Mr. Fantastic.
Not in attendance was Chris Evans who play Johnny Strom. Below
is what they had to say to us:
Are you
guys going to do Fantastic Four the right way? The way it is supposed
to be done?
Michael Chiklis:
That's what its all about...I think among us, I was the fan of
and the most aware of the Fantastic Four growing up. Of course,
that makes me the oldest. But I really, truly was a fan. I am
aware of how rabid the fans are. How aware they are of every nuance
and every aspect of this. Even more familiar than we are about
it. I'm a fan. Like I said downstairs at the press conference
I thought I was a fan. Until you come here and realize people
can quote just about every episode number and it's taken to an
extreme. I think we all feel the weight of it. But at the same
time, we're so thrilled to have the opportunity to be involved
in it that we're going to have a blast. And we're going to do
it right. And we're going to enjoy it.
Despite
all the special effects, do you see any similarities between this
character and the characters you've played before?
Michael:
Interestingly, there are some similarities. This is a guy who
can be very scary, and also be really likable, and downright cuddly
(Laughs) so, yeah, there is a through-line in that way. But his
problems, meaning Ben Grimm's, The Thing's problems, are different,
certainly, than that of Vic Mackey, (The Shield) and other characters
that I have played. There are similarities, and some specific
differences. Yeah.
Can you
talk a little bit about how this is a departure from a lot of
stuff fans have known for the past forty years, and what is new
in this incarnation?
Michael:
No. In a word, I can't. You know, again I'm not as familiar with
the comic. I'm not nearly as familiar as I thought I was. I was
just a kid who loved comics who read them. I didn't study them.
I didn't memorize them. I liked them. And I had a particular affinity
for Benjamin Grimm, for The Thing just because I related to him.
I could understand a guy feeling unattractive, and feeling like
he's on the outs. But yet feeling like he had something to offer,
and feeling like he had something to do, having a good inside
of you and all of that. I just liked him on a personal level.
As far as the nuances between this version versus that version,
you're better off asking Avi Arad, or Tim Story.
Are we going
to see the love triangle between the three characters in the film?
Michael:
Not in this installment. You're referring to the love triangle
between Ben Grimm, Reed Richard and Sue...I thought you' were
talking about my girlfriend. I think that's a later thing for
down the road. There is no triangle here. It is a square.
Jessica,
are you still moderating the fights between The Thing and Johnny
Storm? (Chris Evans was not in attendance)
Jessica Alba:
Yeah, between The Thing and Johnny. I keep Ben from strangling
his best friend for making him the way he is. And from Doom becoming
a maniacal, evil bad guy. She's trying to keep everybody together.
She just wants everyone to be okay. And it seems like when she's
trying to do that everyone is so caught up in their problems,
that that's when she disappears. So it’s very metaphorical.
I love it. I’m not that familiar with the comic books. And
then I read the script, and it's just great. It's about family,
and it's so hopeful. So many people, so many families are breaking
up...And so many people are quick to sue people, and go and fight,
and go to war. This is just about solving problems.
 This
question is for all three of you, what do you think producers
and director saw in you that related to the character that you
were cast?
Jessica:
I don't know...(to Ioan)
Ioan Gruffudd:
I'm a mathematical genius (Laughs)...Gosh, I don't know...
Michael:
I'm the thug that you want to hug. (Laughs)
They saw
so many people for these roles, and obviously there were a lot
of people that were going out for them. Why do you think they
chose you?
Ioan:
I don't know. I think getting knowledge of it a little bit today
and you getting to see us today, we're sort of all a bunch of
down-to Earth people. And I think that's the main attraction of
these characters. They are real people and you can associate with
them. And they're just in these incredible situations. So I think
that's the main attraction, and possibly we’d like to think
we were cast because of that.
Did you
guys test together, or did you all just meet recently?
Jessica: We (Mike) actually
met at an awards show we presented together. And then I met (Ioan)
him at the hotel bar.
That’s
a scandal…
Jessica:
No, no...With the director.
Ioan:
Yes it was an official meeting (Laughs)
Jessica:
He was doing press for King Arthur (Ioan played Lancelot), so
he was in the middle of all this stuff. And I honestly didn't
know that this was going to happen because I so easily often get
type-cast as the kick-ass girl, or the hot girl, or whatever kind
of thing. Half naked in this, and that; this is really who I am.
I am a problem solver. I've been working since I was twelve. I
have come from a really big family, and I'm the oldest of fourteen
cousins who all live in Southern California. So I've always had
to mediate. And I think when I sat down with Tim, I think he saw
that. That's my nature.
Do you think
your role in Sin City prepared you at all for another comic book
character?
Jessica:
No, not at all. No. Sin City was a whole other thing.
What have
they told you about the Special effects that they'll be using?
Ioan:
Nothing much, really. I think all the other movies have raised
the bar, Spider-Man 2 in particularly. I have faith that they're
going to take it to the next level.
Michael:
I find it interesting. Thus far, we've been kept in the dark about
a lot of things. And now, things are starting to be reveled. I
think part of that is there is so much anticipation, and there
are so many people wanting to know early about what’s going
on. The policy for them meaning the studio has been, "The
fewer people we tell, the less the leaks."
Jessica:
Even though we’re the people (Laughs)
Michael:
Even though we’re the people. But you know what? It is on
a need-to-know basis. I've been insured many times that the resources
are there. They are going to bring everything to bare. There are
going to be some spectacular effects in this. For my part, I did
not want to do this if Ben Grimm was going to be a CGI. If he
was going to be done the way The Hulk was done. And I felt that
I would be wasted. I was assured from the get-go that that wasn’t
going to be the case, and I was thrilled. That they would use
some CGI enhancements in moments in creating nuances. And they
told me some ideas that I just thought were so hot shit, I thought
they were awesome. For an actor, it's a thrill to be involved
in this type of thing. I've not done really anything of this scale.
Everything I've done has been about the acting work. About character
development and people interacting. This is still very much like
that, but with a huge scale of technical support around it. And
that's what really attracts me to this project from a directorial
standpoint. Tim has said from the beginning, "The technical
will support the character development." I think fans will
love to hear that too. That's a thrill. All to often, with big,
huge, multi-million dollar pictures like this, the studio or the
director makes the mistake of rushing to the next explosion. As
you all know, if you don't care about your central characters,
you don't care if they blow up, or not or what they blow up. So,
the idea that the onus will be on the development of this family...I
think that's why Spider-Man 2 is so successful and so good. Its
well-drawn, well-developed characters. And yeah, there are spectacular
special effects, but you care. You care about Tobey and Kristin
getting together. You know, you care about them, so they take
you on the ride. So those effects are effective.
Avi said
that the different thing about this one is that there are no secret
identities...
Jessica:
No, there are none. They’re all out in the open.
Michael:
That is a different thing than any of them. We become discovered.
Jessica: And
what's great is that Johnny Storm he acts as every Pop Star young
guy who’s in Star Magazine, the People Magazine, the US
Weekly. He gets a bunch of money, and the cars...
Michael:
Dude, he relishes it.
Jessica:
He loves it, and he's living out the fantasy of every pop star
American Idol, Pop Star wannabe guy. Yeah. Mr. Fantastic is a
scientist, and all, in his head, and he doesn't capitalize on
the fame thing. And I think actually Ben Grimm has a really difficult
time with it, because he can't get away from it.
Michael: I'm
the one that looks at it as a malady. She’s still gorgeous
but she can knock people down with a force field. She can disappear.
He can stretch himself. But he's still the handsome, dashing cad.
And yet I'm this leper. And then when I...Ooh, I don't want to
give anything away...But I'm dealing with a sense of betrayal
in this picture as well. Because, you know, I want to believe
that's one of the great things written about this. You have Dr.
Doom, who is trying to create a wedge between the relationships
of the Fantastic Four. Particularly Mr. Fantastic and I, and he's
causing this mistrust, and a sense of betrayal between us. And
it's like what Jessica said, it is about overcoming that. And
those feelings, and coming together as a core. And then the ultimate
metaphor is, as a core, as a family, overcoming evil. So, there
it is.
There's
the jealousy between Ben and Reed, but will there be that playful
part where they are like brothers?
Ioan:
Yes, I think so. The beginning of the story is us as real people.
And then the accident happens. So yes, certainly you’ll
have that aspect.
What about
the hair?
Ioan:
I'm not sure how to play him from the beginning. Did he go gray
from the age of nineteen, as a student? Or did he then develop
those little, gray hairs after the accident? That's something
to play with. We have to discuss this type of stuff.
 (To
Alba) And you're already blonde for the role.
Jessica:
I am. I was actually blonde in Sin City, and in Into the Blue.
This is my third.
Michael:
And I'm blonde too.
Will you
be throwing any couches in the role?
Michael: I'll
be throwing all kinds of shit. Yeah. I have a really cool moment
with a lamppost. It's one of those things as an actor, and I know
you guys are going to hook to this, when you read the script and
you go, "Oh, cool, honey, I GET TO DO THIS!!! You've got
to read this!" No, I can't tell you specific moments, but
there are so many where I'm just like, "Oh, that is hot shit!"
Jessica:
(Pretending to turn the pages of the script) and then, and then,
and then...
Michael:
It's really well written. As an actor, the hardest thing in the
world is when you read a script and you go, "Oh, boy..."
On any level. And if it's just okay, there's this feeling that
you have to lift it. That you have to bring something more to
it. When it's good on the page, it really raises your confidence
level. You go into it feeling armed. The best example I have is;
I did a one-man show on Broadway once. And it was really successful.
And it was successful because it was a great script. And I used
to go out there on Friday Nights, which is the worst night in
the world on Broadway, because it's all the New Yorkers, who are
sitting there (with their arms crossed) like this, "Alright
asshole I paid sixty-five dollars. Make me laugh." It was
called Defending the Caveman. But I felt confident, because I
knew I was armed with the material. I could go out there and say,
"I know you're copping an attitude, but by the time I get
to ‘Alright I'm an asshole', I'm going to get the laugh."
It feels really good to be armed.
Do you
have the blind girlfriend?
Michael:
Yes. But I don't know who she is yet. And I can't wait to meet
her.
When does
this start for you guys?
Jessica:
In a month
Michael:
In a month. Less than a month.
Are you
guys training, or doing anything specifically to get into these
roles?
Michael:
I'm training like a freak. Because I need to trim down at the
waist, and bulk up at the shoulders.
Stairmaster.
Michael:
I'm hitting it big time.
Jessica:
I've been training.
Michael:
She's always looking hot.
Jessica:
No...But, I always train for a movie, because it's quite exhausting.
We're on the set, literally, and have to be there fourteen hours,
on an easy day. In order to do that, you've got to be on your
game.
Have you
guys tried on your costumes yet?
Jessica:
Yeah. I tried mine on. Have you guys tried on yours yet?
Michael:
One of the most humiliating moments of my life was putting on
the spandex. It's always nice when four women pull you into spandex
when you're in Jockey shorts.
Jessica:
All the zippers are on the inside...And the crotch.
Michael:
And the pinching.
Jessica: I
was so scared of the pinching. They had to use a tool to get my
right leg in.
Michael:
Did they use the fan on you? That causes shrinkage.
Jessica: I
had the guy making the costumes kind of look at me in disgust.
I'm like, "Is there a problem?" He's like, "No,
I'm just looking."
Michael:
Well, that guy prides himself on being a pro, and he looks at
you like you're a mannequin. He's doing his job.
Jessica:
Yeah, I know he is. But the costumes are very cool. We do have
spandex, and we do have gloves and boots.
The 4 signal
as well?
Jessica:
Yes the 4 is on our chest.
Michael:
Now, of course, they are also building The Thing deal. And thankfully,
they've thus far spared me a lot of the pre-stuff. They're basically
going to pare the process down to about five hours before they
try it on me. Right now they are doing it on my life cast.
Which company
is working on this?
Michael:
Someone's gotta tell us the name, because I've forgotten the name
of the company. Spectral Motion, I think, are the people doing
it. The people that did Hellboy. That's right. They're a fantastic
group over there. I know, if you're a claustrophobic, it's a nightmare.
Thankfully I'm not. I don't know about these guys.
Jessica:
It was really strange for me. I was with a bunch of guys, and
I was by myself, and it was 8 in the morning. I had this bodysuit
on, and they're like, "We're going to put Vaseline all over
your body." I'm like, "Oh, okay. Everywhere?" And
they're like, "Yeah, everywhere." So, I say, "Okay."
Then they got closer and closer to certain areas that only certain
people are allowed to go, and they were really lubing it up. So,
it was weird.
Michael:
Yeah, but they were guys. Think about when they lubed me up. I
was like, "Dudes...Guys...Don't pause."
What are
they lubing you up for?
Jessica:
They have to lube you up before they put on the cast thing, so
it won't stick to you.
What did
they need the life cast for?
Jessica:
I think they just wanted it so they could build a costume on it.
I don't even know.
Michael:
The life cast is for a number of purposes. They are for the action
figures. They are for the spandex suits have to fit perfectly,
and be anatomically correct. A life cast, once they rip it off
you in half, and then put it back together, then pour the liquid
cement in there...It dries, and they have Jessica Alba's body
exactly. Now, I'm not going to say the other reasons why they
wanted to make these things. No. But there are practically issues
for all of it.
Jessica:
(Looking at Ioan) have you done it yet?
Ioan:
No. No I haven't. I'm the perfect specimen.
Jessica:
You're the sample size
How about
the action figures? Are you guys ready to see yourselves in Toys
R Us?
Jessica:
I've never been in Toys R Us, by the way.
Michael: I
have. I have two children. (To Alba) You've lived that. And I
have too. With The Shield, they've made a bobble-head doll.
Jessica:
It's strange. I had two of them. One was very voluptuous, and
the other was very masculine. I guess we'll see what this one
is like.
Do you pay
any attention to fan comments about casting on the internet?
Jessica:
Honestly I was worried obviously. But at the end of the day, when
this opportunity came up, I couldn't say no. I wouldn't be able
to sleep at night if I turned this movie down. Because it's such
a great story. And I'm going to work my ass off. Hopefully, people
will be pleased.
Is there
anything you're doing non-physically to prepare for starting filming
are you researching the comic books?
Jessica:
Yeah, falling in love with a guy who just won't tell me his emotions.
Yeah, I'm doing that.
Michael:
I'm re-familiarizing myself with the comics. I think we all are.
Jessica:
I'm reading the graphic novels.
Michael:
Yeah, I think we're all hungry to get up there and see the nuts
and bolts aspects of this. How we're going to achieve certain
things. It's different when you read stuff in script form, and
you see it in your mind's eye. But then you go, "How the
fuck are we going to do that?"
Jessica:
Especially that first moment where they put their powers at use.
It's pretty fucking...Excuse my language...But it's incredible.
Michael:
They got me and the Doc going down in the subway.
Jessica:
You can't say things.
Michael: It's
a brushstroke. A brushstroke.
What about
the classic hat, and the sunglasses? And the trench coat, will
you be wearing that?
Michael:
I will be.
How about,
"It's clobbering time!"? Will you be doing that?
Michael:
You'll hear...(Does the voice of his character) "It's clobbering
time!" I think that's about the right pitch.
|
