Moviefone recently had the chance to speak with the legendary Stan Lee. Of course they covered comics, Stan's new company POW! and other assorted topics. It was an inevitability that the topic turned to CBM's.
Here is part of the interview from Moviefone....
We're obviously in a cultural environment right now, in which comics and superheroes are hotter than ever. Why do you think that is?
Well, first of all, people like to see things they haven't seen before, and we haven't seen many superheroes [in movies], until the first 'Superman' movie, which started it all. Then, Marvel took the reins and carried it through. These stories are imaginative and they're full of surprises. They're like eye candy. You're sitting in the audience while seeing all these great spectacles, special effects and things you haven't seen before. After so many movies and television series over the years, the public is a little jaded and they're always anxious to see something new. These comic book movies and these superhero stories, they do offer new looks at things.
But there seems to be so many superhero movies these days; do you think audiences will ever reach a breaking point?
Only when the writers run out of ideas. I'll give you an example: Ever since I can remember, and I can remember a long way back, there have been gangster movies. There have been movies about, you might say, cops and robbers -- movies involving detectives, police and criminals. Now, they still have movies like that. You would say, "Well, isn't the public sick of seeing cops chasing the bad guys on the screen?" Not if it's done well and not if each story contains some surprises.
I think I'm going to have to agree with you, because there are bad comic movies, and then there are good comic movies.
Of course, and that goes for everything. There are great romance movies and there are some that are corny. Everything depends ... Well, now with movies it depends on more than just the story. You start off with the story, but it depends on the right casting, the right directing and the right camera work. Entertainment has become so complex now. But ,again, if everything comes together well, then the public enjoys it whatever it is.
Do you feel that you have to flex different muscles as an actor than you would normally as a comic book writer?
All of it is fun. Writing comics is fun, working on movies is fun and doing this little bit of acting is fun. As long as you're with people who you like, who you respect and who you get along well with, everything you do is fun.
Speaking of cameos, what are you planning for your next batch? Will you play someone else like you did in 'Iron Man 2' or will you go back to playing yourself?
That really depends on the director, it depends what he wants me to do. Now, in the 'Thor' movie, I just play a nameless person doing something -- and I won't tell you what it is, because I want you to be surprised. I haven't done my 'Captain America cameo yet; they're shooting most of it in England. I'm hoping they shoot some scenes here in America, so I can be in one, and 'The Avengers' ... I don't know. I haven't spoken to the people yet. I've just been told that it will be in Los Angeles, so I'm assuming I will have a little role in that also.
Are you still holding out hope that one day you will receive a bigger role in any of these films?
In the back of my mind, yes. I'd love to get a real role in one of these movies. But, practically, I know that it's almost impossible, because then you have to spend a lot of time with the production company during the shooting. If you have one or two scenes, you don't shoot them quickly and go home an hour later. It might take three or four days of staying on the set before those scenes get completed. And I don't have the time to do that, because I'm so busy with my work at POW! Entertainment. So right now, these little cameos are really all the time I have to do. Although, you're right, when I daydream I would love to have a big role. I would've love to have played Odin in the 'Thor' movie, but Anthony Hopkins [who plays the role] is one of my favorite actors. I will tell you something in confidence, something I don't say to other people too often: He is a far better actor than I could ever be. [Laughs] I think I made the right choice.
For the entire interview, follow the link below.
Hawksblueyes: I always love hearing what Stan has to say.