Following the events of 2015's Ant-Man, few expected to see Darren Cross resurface in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but resurface he did in last month's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, albeit in a wildly different avatar that practically no one saw coming: M.O.D.O.K.
The always excellent Corey Stoll (House of Cards; Billions) returned to the role and following the film's release, we were granted an exclusive opportunity to sit down with the actor to talk about the wildly unexpected and strange experience it was to play one of Marvel's most bizarre villains.
He breaks down director Peyton Reed's initial pitch to him and how they actually transformed his face into M.O.D.O.K., as well as how his experience differed between this film and the original. He also gets into whether they discussed any alternate endings, stretching his comedic muscles, and a whole lot more!
Read on for our full interview with Corey Stoll and please remember to SUBSCRIBE to my channel for exclusive content!
ROHAN: After wrapping the first Ant-Man and sealing Darren's fate, had you even considered the possibility of returning to the role of Darren? Was M.O.D.O.K. ever discussed? Or was it all just a very pleasant surprise when you got that phone call from Peyton?
COREY: Yeah, no, I had no sense. I had no expectation that Darren would ever come back. There were alternate endings in the script for the first one, some more definitive, like he's dead and others that he's sort of, you know, just shrinks infinitely. So, I was glad to see that in the end, it was left somewhat ambiguous, but I sort of hadn't expected to hear anything, and it really came out of nowhere. I got a call that Peyton wanted to talk and it was like a week before we were able to talk and that was a week where my mind was really going crazy. Like how could Darren come back? Is this just a flashback?
But never in any of my fantasies about coming back to it did I imagine that Darren would turn into M.O.D.O.K., and yeah, that was the first thing he said, ‘Do you know this character named M.O.D.O.K.? And I went, yes I do, the guy with the giant head? And explained how it would happen. The call was before they'd actually done the writing, and he just wanted to make sure I was on board before they wrote it, and I definitely gave the go ahead. I mean, how could I not?
ROHAN: M.O.D.O.K. is such a strange and unique villain with a very distinctive look and in the movie, they obviously really use your face. What was the process behind transforming your face into M.O.D.O.K.? Did you record any mo-cap?
COREY: Nothing was ever filmed, it was all dots on my face, and it was actually a really, great organic process where I was there, right before they started principal photography, and I just had a couple of days with the rest of the cast. We sat around the table, and went through the scenes.
So, I was able to engage with everybody, and then we would go through the scenes, and then maybe be like, ‘Oh, well, this, we should really get up on our feet, and it really felt like the first week of working on a new play, where you just sort of try to figure out what the scene is about, and try it this way and try it that way, and all without having to stop and set up lights and cameras and everything like that. So, it was really almost closer to theatre than filming.
ROHAN: Was returning to the role and getting this closure on your Darren character cathartic for you as an actor? Or was it more just exciting to play in the Marvel Cinematic Universe again?
COREY: I mean, I think it's both. I mean, his deathbed conversion is, you know, people can decide whether or not they feel like he deserves to have a happy death. - I love Darren and I think it solidifies that all Darren really cared about was being loved. He just wanted his father figure to love him and he wanted this brother figure, who he was very competitive with, to love him and that's all he wanted, and he obviously acted out in a really terrible way. Whether he deserves forgiveness, I’ll leave up to the audience.
ROHAN: Compared to the first film, where you're playing the lead villain, this time you're a secondary villain who gets to also gets to provide some comic relief. What was your experience on this film versus the first one?
COREY: Yeah, both very different experiences. I mean, especially just in terms of time on set, because of the way that the performance capture stuff works. I was able to film it all in a very short period of time, whereas I was obviously on set for months for the original. They're both fun, and they both have challenges in their own way. Sometimes I felt like it was the perfect crime to do this, you know, I pop in and out, without having to spend hours and hours, days and days sitting in my trailer waiting for for lights.
ROHAN: Darren/M.O.D.O.K. does earn his redemption by helping Scott and company defeat Kang, but he ultimately succumbs to his wounds and dies. Were there any discussions about keeping him alive? Or any alternate ending?
COREY: No, I, having had the experience of, I mean, almost every day somebody comes up to me and says, you know, ‘Oh they shouldn't have killed you in House of Cards.’ And so, there was a definite moment where I said to Peyton and to Jeff, just for the record, I have to say, ‘I think M.O.D.O.K. should live. I just think he should live. I just think he's great.’ But it's a great death.
ROHAN: Considering the nature of comic books and comic book movies, there's always a chance M.O.D.O.K. could return in one way or another. Would you be open to a return?
COREY: Oh yeah, I have had as much fun shooting on those few days filming this [Quantumania] that I had in my entire career. It was so much fun, and working with Paul and the rest of the cast was so great. It's a dream, it was a dream role. Despite how crazy the character is. In a lot of ways, it's sort of like, for one, I get to play comedy in a way that, in my professional career, I haven't had that much chance to do, and it marries the way you work in theatre in this very organic way with film, and yeah, I would do it again and again.
ROHAN: Speaking of comedy, throughout your career, you've done some heavy dramatic roles, including on House of Cards and Billions, but this time, you really get to stretch your comedic muscles. How fun was that for you as a performer?
COREY: It's easy when the script is good, and the script is truly funny and you have a director who understands the rhythms of comedy and you have a co-star like Paul who is so funny and easy to play with. Yeah, so I think they are different skills. It's stuff that I, you know, in acting school, we had to clown, we had to do this great broad commedia dell'arte stuff and that stuff is very difficult. There's a rigor to the performance, there’s a math to the comedy that sometimes can be really challenging, but yeah, they're very certain things.
Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible.
Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a. and Stephen Broussard, p.g.a., “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” also stars Jonathan Majors as Kang, David Dastmalchian as Veb, Katy O'Brian as Jentorra, William Jackson Harper as Quaz and Bill Murray as Lord Krylar. The sci-fi adventure opens in theaters on Feb. 17, 2023.