The Apple Store on Regents Street is buzzing as usual. Their gleaming phones and iPads line every table and surface in the large room. I casually walk in with my Samsung phone wondering if I will get asked to leave. I am not here to join the apple/dark side by trading in my Samsung phone, I am here because up stairs the directors of the new movie Captain America: The Winter Soldier and two of its stars, Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie are here for a quick Q & A regarding Marvels latest offering.
Its a small crowd in the sectioned area of the store that await the arrival of the panel and some have really made the effort. Immediately I notice two girls dressed as Captain America and a sea of Marvel fan tees.
To open the talk we are treated to an extended version of the trailer for the film that draws a huge round of applause. The first question comes from mediator Plumb and is one anyone whose seen the trailer will be thinking. ‘So what’s is the name of Caps barber shop quartet?’. We never really find out but its something to ponder on.
Something that is always interesting to know with the release of a new superhero film is ‘what is it like to wear the costumes?’. Chris Evans had already doned the suit twice with both The First Avenger as well as The Avengers but what is his suit like in this movie and how was it for the new comers? The directors answer for an absent Evans in that ‘this films suit is more up to date. The first had a lot of spandex and was essentially tights but this time its more built and structured’.
Mackie states the he had two very specific conditions in playing Falcon, ‘No spandex and don’t make me look stupid’, which draws laughter from the crowd. Although fans may be very attached to the original graphic novel drawings of their heroes you have to agree with Mackie. Spandex and skin tight may work on the page but on the screen its looks a little silly. The only issue with Mackies suit was that his impressive wings were added mostly post production so he had to envision himself with giant wings. ‘So the directors would be like we’re doing a landing scene, so jump, run then stop and do this’, Mackie does a chicken motion. ‘Are you sure I don’t look stupid?’ he continuously asked his directors’.
For Sebastian Stan who plays the films villain The Winter Soldier the experience was very different. ‘I had to gain thirty pounds in muscle for the role but I’m pretty sure I sweat that off in three weeks in the suit’. Apparently its gets hot on sets when your doing stunts, who knew. Mackie is quick to mention that Stan’s diet was a dominate force on set, ‘what we ate as a group he’d have for a snack. You couldn’t hold on to a protein bar becuase he’d eat it right out of your hand’. The mask was also difficult for Stan to don as ‘I couldn’t breath properly during some scenes’. The panel immediately draw attention to the suits in the audience and compliment the fans on the effort they have made.
The films genre is as much political thriller as it is action hero film but how did the directors keep that balance on screen? The Russo’s state that ‘the films story is where the political thriller elements are seen. The film as a whole has both serious and light tones’. To keep the film light and still accessible to its mixed audience the interaction of the characters adds comedy. ‘It not situation comedy, like slap stick, its the banter. A lot of the comedy comes from Mackies character. Falcon isn’t Caps sidekick in the comics they’re partners’. The Russo’s admit that they did sometimes think Captain America was a bit uptight and too patriotic for his own good. ‘Falcoln doesn’t have as intense a background as Steve does so through Falcon Cap lightens up and we get to know him better, it a strong relationship’. I’m sensing a Captain America, Falcon bromace blooming in the Marvel film Universe.
So what attracted Mackie to the role of Falcoln. As Marvel’s first African America hero the character has a lot riding on Mackies performance. Mackie had two dream roles as a child, ‘I wanted to be a superhero and I wanted to be in a Western’. Two very ambitious yet standard childhood dreams. ‘Marvel contacted me and said we have a role but we can’t tell you who your playing until we shoot.’ He asked, ‘am I playing Black Pantha?’ which they replied no. ‘Are you making Iron Man Black? I had no idea’. Once the audience have stop laughing the Russo’s praise their infectiously charismatic choice to play Falcon. We knew the character had potential to grow from this film so we needed an actor who was both charming and yet could pull off the development of the character’.
Sebastian Stan was the clear and obvious choice to play The Winter Soldier. For fans of the series who know his true identity it was the only logical move but your getting no spoilers from me. Stan qouly says, ‘it was great to reprise the role and go in such a different direction’.
With any sequel, especially action, the expection is that you up the stakes, but how have the directors done this with Winter Soldier? ‘We tried not to think about more action as apposed to deconstructing the mythology of the characters’. Their approach was to open up and challenge their leading hero. Having said that they admit that ‘a lot of the bigger action comes from The Winter Soldier himself. Hes been obeying orders for seventy years straight, hes a machine. He’s the exact opposite of Captain America in morals, good vs bad. As good as Cap is at his job, protecting and saving people, Winter Soldier is equally good at his, maybe even better. The First Avenger was so much about the War but this pits Captain America against a nemesis’.
Most of the great comic book adaptations are inspired by a particular run of comics but which run influenced the directors?
‘We didn’t really take from just one run we kind of mixed it up. Captain Reborn is a good run and I really liked the ideas behind The Ultimates, with alternate vesions of superheroes. We first got into comics around the time Frank Miller released The Dark Knight so I guess that this time period is the one we most relate with’. As this time period is slightly dark the directors were worried that the film with its thriller elements wouldn’t get a PG rating, (making in unaccesable for younger fans), ‘but thankfully it did’.
Clearly Mackie is happy that the original look of Falcon was not carried over to the film. ‘I’m so happy’, he agrees. ‘Well before I was offered Falcon I had just done a body building movie (Pain and Gain) so I felt like I was in pretty good shape. I walked on set feeling confident then I saw Chris Evans and I was like Damn that guy works out’. For anyone whose seen his two previous outings as Captain America its safe to say that Evans really beefed up for the role.
Stan says that he would have to pick teleportation as ‘there's nothing cooler’. The directors agree on making pizza man. ‘Just to be able to create pizza any time any place would be amazing’. I see their thinking and the girl next to me adds ‘ice cream girl’. I see her ice cream girl and raise her ‘chocolate woman’.
The duo are to resume their role as director for the third installment of Captain America so of course Plumb ends by asking if they can reveal anything about the direction it will take. ‘Of course not, the chips in our necks would explode if we give anything away’.
With that the panel say goodbye. Captain America: The Winter Soldier hits cinemas this weekend. The film adds to the growing world of the Marvel film universe and perhaps may give us some hints as to what The Avengers: Age of Ultron will have in store.