The folks from
I Am Rogue recently caught up with actor Stellan Skarsgard, whose reprising his 'Erik Selvig' role from
THOR, in next summer's
The Avengers. Discussing the size of the role, who majority of his scenes are with,
THOR's post-credits scene, and filming progress among other things, read on below.
"It was shot by Joss about half a year or more after we finished shooting Thor. So that was the first time I had worked with Joss and I think the forth time that I worked with Sam (Jackson)."
On whether that was his first time on The Avengers set...
"Yes. When we shot the tag from Thor to Avengers, we shot it with a 3D camera that was a horrible contraption with two cameras and the mirror and stuff. It was extremely clumsy. I was considering not wanting to do the film if we were going to shoot it with machinery like that. But they decided to shoot The Avengers now on the small electric cameras and then digitally make the 3D afterwards, which is much more comfortable. I prefer to work with light and fast equipment because as an actor if you have to wait twenty minutes every time they change a lens the energy sort of fades out of the performance."
On whether the post-credits scene was included in THOR's script...
"No it was not because I don’t think they had the final story for The Avengers ready at that time. So that developed last fall when they contacted me and asked me if I wanted to be in The Avengers. Then they started sending me pages and stuff."
On his first realization he'd be appearing in The Avengers...
"Well when you sign up for these films, because of the way Marvel works, you are prepared to do five films for them and you negotiate for all those films. So I’m on their payroll so to say."
On whether he was surprised by the direction with 'Erik Slevig' and The Avengers...
"Yes. I was."
On exactly how Loki entered the post-credits scene
"Well with the scene we did in Thor, it was like Loki, one way or the other, entered Eric’s mind. And in Avengers, you will see more clarity in how Loki is using Eric’s mind."
On the size of his role in The Avengers...
"(My character) is of importance but the size of the role is not big. It’s a small role and it is a pretty crowded film with a lot of actors in it."
On how his character fits into the ensemble flick...
"Most of my scenes were with Tom Hiddleston, yeah."
On whether hes finished filming The Avengers...
"I’m completing work now. I’m in New York to shoot the final scene of the movie so I will be wrapped here in a second."
On the experience of working with Joss Whedon...
"It’s been very nice. He is a lovely man. He’s very different in energy from Kenneth Branagh. Every time you make a new film you sort of meet a new temperament but he has been very lovely to work with and you feel freedom to come with your own input and have fun on the set."
On whether hes impressed with Marvel Studios' interweaving direction, as an actor...
"It’s incredibly impressive. I mean those stories are modern American mythology and there are tons of fans out there to who these characters are very vivid and living. But if they would have done those films fifteen or twenty years ago they would have concentrated on just the special effects, but now they are hiring the best writers, the best directors, and the best actors which means specific quality products that are entertaining to people who are not even familiar with those super heroes."
And also, if you haven't already seen it in it's original quality, check it out below, via Anton Volkov.
Marvel's The Avengers picks up when an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security. And Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. With director Joss Whedon at it's helm, and an ensemble cast including Chris Evans (Steve Rogers), Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Chris Hemsworth (Thor Odinson), Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner), Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff), Clark Gregg (Agt. Phil Coulson), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), with Tom Hiddleston (Loki Laufeyson), and Stellan Skarsgard (Professor Erik Selvig), the film releases worldwide May 4, 2012!