Completing the award-winning cast of
“ Marvel’s The Avengers” proved to be a breeze for the filmmakers. “One of the
great things when you make a film that’s been set up like this is that you
start the casting process 80% done,” informs producer Louis D’ Esposito.
Leading
the cast are Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth,
Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård
and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
Every
team has a go-to guy when the chips are down and “The Avengers” is no different
as they turn to billionaire, industrialist playboy Tony Stark aka Iron Man. One
of the cornerstones and fan favorite of the Marvel Universe, the first two
installments of the “Iron Man” franchise, starring Robert Downey Jr. have
grossed a combined 1.2 billion at the worldwide box office.
“Robert
is a tour de force as Tony Stark and he injects that confidence and sense of
humor that brought to life and defined the character in the best way possible
in both ‘Iron Man’ films,” says producer Kevin Feige. “We wanted to give Robert
scenes with all the characters as we knew it would be a lot of fun to watch
Tony’s interaction with Captain America, Thor and The Hulk. When Robert walks
on the screen, the audiences embrace him in a very big and palpable way; he
really is a powerhouse for us and the film.”
Downey
shares, “Tony initially thinks forming the team is ridiculous, but being Tony
Stark, he is more open to the realm of possibilities that exist in the world of
‘The Avengers.’ Tony already had hints of it from Nick Fury who has been
stringing him along for a while about becoming part of a larger universe.”
The
director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics
Division) and the person trying to convince Tony Stark to join “The Avengers”
team is Nick Fury played by Samuel L. Jackson.
For
Jackson, having Nick Fury front and center in “The Avengers” was a welcomed
change to the many cameo roles in the other Marvel franchises leading up to
this film. “It’s great to be the guy who is the organizer of The Avengers
team,” says Jackson. “He’s the guy who has the raison-d’être that kind of
understands the threat and has to get them to understand the nature of the
threat; that we’re a lot stronger together than they are individually. Using
Coulson in a manipulative way to get them to do what he needs them to do is not
above Nick’s character. He does kind of fudge the truth a bit to get them to
take the bait and join in, and eventually they all do.”
One
Avenger who is suffering a little heartbreak is Captain America, played by
Chris Evans. Frozen in a block of ice since 1945, Captain America awakes from
the deep freeze to find a world he knows nothing about and where all of his
friends and comrades have passed away.
“It’s
not just that Captain America wakes up in a whole new world; it’s the fact that
he has to deal with the emotions of finding out that everybody he knows is
dead,” says Chris Evans. “Every single person he called brother on a
battlefield is gone and the world around him is a different place. It’s more
fast-paced and impersonal because new technologies have put barriers between
people. In the ’40s there was much more of a direct and honest sincerity in the
way people behaved and I think human interaction helps breed manners. Waking up
in modern day is just an extremely different way of life that Steve Rogers now
has to get used to.”
“Starring
as Captain America was scary and exhilarating at the same time,” says Evans.
“’Thor’ had already opened and done very well and so I kept thinking Captain
America better open and do well because I don’t want to be the weak link of the
‘The Avengers.’ Luckily the film did well and it was an amazing feeling to see
kids’ faces light up when they saw me in the costume. It really was a
completely new experience for me, for which I am very grateful. ”
Another
newly christened franchise in the Marvel Universe is “Thor.” The film kicked
off the summer of 2011 with a bang when it opened #1 at the box with $65.7
million and went on to gross $446 million worldwide. In “The Avengers” Chris
Hemsworth reprises his title role as the hammer-wielding Norse god Thor.
Hemsworth
explains why family issues force Thor to return to Earth in “The Avengers”:
“Thor has conveniently come back to earth briefly because Odin summons dark
powers from the universe and it’s very costly,” explains Hemsworth. “He’s come
back to retrieve Loki, who’s running madness on Earth and causing a lot of
chaos. He also has some questions of his own he wants answered like, ‘How did
this happen and where did I and my brother go wrong?’”
The
actor continues, “In ‘Thor’ my character learned a whole lot about humility and
gained a new respect for humans because they were able to help him discover who
he needed to become in order to earn his powers back. I also think he feels
very protective of humans now because of his relationship with Jane. Joining
The Avengers team is also tricky because he has a personal investment in that
his brother Loki is the one who’s causing the chaos and he fears that the
others may just want to kill him instead of just stopping him and taking away
his powers.”
Helping
Nick Fury keep The Avengers on point for their mission is Natasha aka Black
Widow. Reprising her role from “Iron Man 2,” Scarlett Johansson was happy to
slip back into the sexy suit of her character’s alter ego Black Widow.
“To
be honest, I really didn’t know what the future would hold for the Black Widow
after ‘Iron Man 2,’” informs Johansson. “I didn’t know how the fans would
respond, but to be a part of the Marvel Universe and playing such a dynamic,
ass-kicking character is pretty exciting. The first time you saw this character
in ‘Iron Man 2,’ you didn’t get to learn much about her because she’s a bit of
a slippery fish. She still has many different faces she puts on and, to this
day, she still is divisive in that way. In this film, audiences will get to see
more of her history and kind of shady past, which to me is very exciting
because the darker part of the character was always very appealing to me.”
Black
Window sets off to find Bruce Banner, played by Mark Ruffalo, who has gone off
the grid in order to stay away from anything that can bring stress and conflict
into his life.
For
Ruffalo, his friend and colleague Robert Downey Jr. was the inspiration he
needed to take on the role. “’The Avengers”’ isn’t the type film that I’ve done
in the past or that I am usually invited to do,” laughs Ruffalo. “I was a
little nervous about it because when Joss Whedon and I first met about the role
there wasn’t a script. I thought a lot about Iron Man. I thought about what
Robert Downey Jr. did with that part—he is one of my hero actors. I really
loved what Robert did; he reinvented the genre. It made me feel like I could
fit into that world with whatever it is I do. I had one meeting with Joss, who
I liked instantly, so between him and Robert I was in.”
“What
appealed to both Joss and I about the character is that he would have a common
man sort of feel to him and possess this world-weary charm,” says Ruffalo. “We
also agreed he should have a sense of humor about his situation. Based on the
last incarnation of The Incredible Hulk, there was the promise that Banner may
actually have a little control over the Behemoth. We wanted him to be fun and
interesting as Banner and awesome as Hulk.”
Playing
Hawkeye is two-time Academy Award® nominated actor Jeremy Renner who says
playing a character in the Marvel Universe who is human and grounded in reality
was an attractive element that intrigued him.
“Producer
Kevin Feige showed me images of Hawkeye from ‘The Ultimates’ and they were very
cool, but what I liked more then anything was the idea that he’s a human being
with a high skill set who is a bit of a rogue agent. I’ve played a few snipers
before and there’s a really interesting mentality that comes along with being a
sharp shooter, so I thought it was a pretty fun character to play.”
With
the casting process completed, producer Kevin Feige reflects upon his deeply
talented cast and his desire to keep their characters grounded in authenticity.
“The great thing about the Marvel Universe is that it takes place in the real
world; it’s not a fictitious Metropolis,” explains Feige. “A big part of this
equation is having a team that can deliver that right balance of emotion so
that audiences can connect to the human element of the story. We have been
rewarded for making those slightly against-the-grain choices in finding the
right actor for the job, whether they’ve ever been in these types of films or
not. When I think about the cast in this film from top to bottom, I still get
giddy with excitement because they all are fantastic artists who understand
what we need in terms of performance and all bring their own unique
sensibilities that elevate each of their roles.”
(“Marvel’s
The Avengers” is distributed by Walt
Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.)
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