THE AVENGERS - Stars Reveal Detailed Character Dynamics
Yes, today is apparently Avengers day. It seems like every time I've checked the web today there's some more news for Joss Whedon's The Avengers that need to be posted. In the latest issue Entertainment Weekly each of the films stars talk about the character they play and in the process reveal some cool detailed information on the story and character motives and dynamics. It's also revealed which one of the Avengers can take down and tame the Incredible Hulk.
This is some revealing information so if you don't want to know a lot about the film then don't read ahead. There are no real spoilers here though. Read what each of the actors had to say about their characters and tell us what you think!
Robert Downey Jr. on the scripting process:
What were Robert Downey Jr.'s first meetings like with Whedon when the script was being developed? Well, I said, 'I need to be in the opening sequence. I don't know what you're thinking, but Tony needs to drive this thing.' He was like, 'Okay, let's try that.' We tried it and it didn't work, because this is a different sort of thing, the story and the idea and the theme is the theme, and everybody is just an arm of the octopus. But what was I like?" He laughs. "As usual, just f-ing aggressive and hurtful; whatever. The usual.
Scarlett Johansson on 'Black Widow' measuring up to the other Avengers:
The other day we were doing this big reveal shot of all the Avengers. Thor has got his hammer, Cap's got his shield, Hawkeye has his bow and arrow, and Hulk is huge. Then it pans over to me and I've got guns. Iron Man's like, hovering above all of us, ready to go. I was like, 'Joss... um.. do I look okay holding these guns?'" Whedon's response reassured her: "She's a total badass. She's a killing machine.
Chris Evans on the Captain America and his character in The Avengers:
Chris Evans says the Steve Rogers we see inThe Avengers is a much darker, more cynical version after awakening for the first time since World War II. It's just about him trying to come to terms with the modern world. You've got to imagine, it's enough of a shock to accept the fact that you're in a completely different time, but everybody you know is dead. Everybody you cared about. He was a soldier, obviously, everybody he went to battle with, all of his brothers in arms, they're all dead. He's just lonely. I think in the beginning it's a fish out of water scene, and it's tough. It's a tough pill for him to swallow. Then comes trying to find a balance with the modern world.
Mark Ruffalo on Bruce Banner's motive and Tony Stark dynamic:
Bruce Banner really wants to join The Avengers, but because of his past and the group's sort of overall fear of him, he's the outcast among outcasts. "He's the most - guy, but a total loose cannon. No one wants to set him off except for Iron Man, except for Downey, who just wants to see him pop," Ruffalo laughs. "It's funny, there's a really cool dynamic between Tony Stark and Banner. Banner actually enjoys it, and finds it really refreshing. They're a lot alike in a strange way. They're both these kind of scientists who are mavericks, kind of renegades. Banner, for all his mild-mannered mythology, he's still the dude who was testing some pretty crazy s-t on himself, so he has that rebel streak in him."
Chris Hemsworth on Thor's motivation:
His hammer-pounding god is not just once again fighting Loki, his villainous brother from Asgard, but also secretly trying to protect him. "I think [Thor's] motivation is much more of a personal one, in the sense that it's his brother that is stirring things up. Whereas everyone else, it's some bad guy who they've gotta take down. It's a different approach for me, or for Thor. He's constantly having to battle the greater good and what he should do vs. … it's his little brother there," the actor says. "I've been frustrated with my brothers at times, or family, but I'm the only one who is allowed to be angry at them. There's a bit of that."
Jeremy Renner on Hawkeye's place in the film and with Black Widow:
Like Black Widow, he's the only regular human in The Avengers, which gives him a working-class-superhero pride. "The only sort of thing I cling to is the relationship of past experiences with Scarlett's character, with them both being human. I can cling to that," says Jeremy Renner. But there's no insecurity. "Quite the opposite," the actor says. "He's the only one who can really take down The Hulk with his tranq tip arrows. He knows his limitations. But when it comes down to it, there has to be a sense of confidence in any superhero."