When it comes to profitable franchises, Disney seems to have the edge on most other entertainment companies. After all, they do have the Marvel Cinematic Universe under their ownership, and the the films are often pretty well-received critically).
What’s more, the cast has often been very open in speaking about their time working on the movies, and these quotes shed light on what makes their characters, and these films, work so well.
Paul Rudd: “You Don’t Want To Be The Weak Link. A Character Like Ant-man, Yeah, Very Few People Knew. They’d Say, ‘Well, What Does Ant-man Do?’”
Leave it to Paul Rudd to be self-effacing when it comes to Ant-Man’s powers. To be fair, Ant-Man is one of the less physically imposing of the MCU pantheon, even if he does come to play a very crucial role in the events of the final films (and his own film was pretty great, if flawed in some ways).
It just goes to show that even the most unlikely of heroes can come to determine the fates of the many of those in the universe.
Chris Evans: “I Always Thought I Kinda Had Big Dumbo Ears And Whenever They Tried The Helmet With The Ears On, I Was Like, “Please Don’t Make Me Do This. I Look So Silly.”
There’s no question that Chris Evans is one of the most lovable actors working in Hollywood today. Despite the fact that he is considered incredibly handsome by almost everyone and that he has headlined his own juggernaut films, quotes like this one reveal that, deep down, he’s just a regular human being like everyone else.
There’s something reassuring about hearing this from the man who played Captain America.
Chris Hemsworth: “In The First Films, A Lot Of The Time You’re Seeing Thor Going, “Come Back, Loki, And Da-da-da-da.”
The relationship between Thor and Loki is a bit... tempestuous, even at the best of times. In the beginning, however, there was a sense that Thor genuinely wanted Loki to come back into the fold.
This is a dynamic that Hemsworth himself clearly picked up on, and in this quote, he draws a pretty clear distinction between the first film and its successors, in which Thor gradually grows utterly disenchanted with his villainous brother.
Tom Hiddleston: “So I Just Said To Chris, ‘I Think You Should Just Hit Me In The Face’. It’s A Terrible Idea. I Went Down Like A Stone.”
It’s fairly unusual to find an actor who is as charming as the character that they play in a film, but that certainly seems to be the case with Tom Hiddleston, who has become almost synonymous with his character of Loki (who has some good reasons to be evil).
As this quote makes clear, he’s obviously been willing to take a few chances when it comes to filming, not all of which turned out very well for him.
Chadwick Boseman: “You’re Not Thinking: ‘don’t Screw It Up,’ Exactly. It’s More Positive Than That. It’s More Like: ‘seize It. Enjoy It.’”
The late Chadwick Boseman really changed the entire dynamic of the MCU when he appeared as Black Panther. For the first time, people of color could finally see themselves represented as superheroes.
In this moving and profound quote, he reveals that he didn’t really think of what he was doing as a burden but instead as an opportunity to make this great stride forward in of representation, to relish this amazing chance to move the needle in a positive direction.
Josh Brolin: “I Am On Acting Acid Right Now. There’s A Lot More Colors And A Lot More Dimensions Than There Should Be.”
There’s something intense about Brolin. No matter what role he appears in, he really does seem to give his all, and his realization of the villain Thanos is no exception. For all that he’s a very powerful, genocidal monster, there’s no question that the viewer simply can’t look away from him.
In this quote, Brolin makes it clear that he, for one, is relishing this opportunity to bring such a fascinating and complex character to life.
Benedict Cumberbatch: “I Was Giddy, Like A Child At Halloween. When I Saw It…”
No matter where he appears, Benedict Cumberbatch always makes an impression, and his performance as Dr. Strange is no exception. In this quote, he reveals that, just like everyone else, he’s more than a little in love with the idea of being a superhero.
To be fair, though, who wouldn’t feel like a kid at Halloween if they saw the sort of great costume that Dr. Strange gets to wear?
Brie Larson: “It Just Feels Surreal. And A Lot Of The Time It's Just Like Simple Moments. I’m Just Walking And I'm Like, This Is My Life.”
Sometimes, it seems as if stars become something other than human, as if they literally exist in some sort of space that’s so different from the one that everyone else inhabits so as to be a different universe.
When one sees an actress like Brie Larson say something like this, however, it’s a poignant reminder that, beneath all of the makeup and special effects, stars are sometimes as bedazzled by their success as everyone else.
Dave Bautista: “I Don’t Think It’s Hit Me Yet That I’m Part Of What Could Be The Biggest Movie Ever. I’m More Excited As A Fan Than Anything.”
There’s something refreshing about a star who is as big of a fan of comics as anyone else, and that certainly seems true of Dave Bautista.
As he points out in this quote, he’s still struggling to really wrap his head around the idea that he’s now part of a massive media franchise, and it’s actually kind of cute to see him it that he’s both a fan and an actor.
Scarlett Johansson: "When We Went On To Do Avengers, The First One, All Of Us Were Totally... I Think Everybody Was Feeling Very Uneasy About The Concept. It Was Just So Absurd."
When it comes right down to it, Johansson does have a pretty good point about many films in the MCU (and she should know, having been in some pretty great films). They are, when looked at in a certain way, very absurd.
The brilliance, though, of these films, and of her performance, in particular, is that they elevate the material, allowing the audience to see the ways in which they actually matter to audiences everywhere, giving meaning and inspiration to all of those people out there in the dark.
