Mark Strong On the Difference Between the Villains in Green Lantern and John Carter of Mars

Mark Strong On the Difference Between the Villains in Green Lantern and John Carter of Mars

Mark Strong discusses his trepidation about playing two comic book villains on the big screen and the differences between the two characters in Green Lantern and John Carter of Mars.

By Hawksblueyes - May 17, 2011 11:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Green Lantern
Source: Latino Review



Latino Review has just posted an article covering their on set visit to Green Lantern in New Orleans back in August. Included in this report is an in depth interview with actor Mark Strong who we are all aware portrays Sinestro in the upcoming film. While much of the interview is information that we have gathered in bits and pieces over that last 6 months, there are plenty of new tidbits to read about. Below are a few excerpts from the interview pertaining to Strong's ability to play so many different villains. He also discusses the difference between the character of Sinestro in Green Lantern and Matai Shang in the upcoming John Carter of Mars due out next year.

Did you have any trepidation taking on another comic book villain?

I definitely thought about it because how often can you play something that shares its DNA with other characters before it either becomes uninteresting to me and to an audience or you hit a dead end with variation of what one could introduce to the character. But it didn’t bother me because--- I suppose if you were playing a leading man you have the same problem. Harrison Ford is essentially the same in every movie he’s in, but it doesn’t cause us any problems because it’s the story that’s important and the place of the character within the narrative of that story that’s important. And if the story and the film are successful and work, you won’t be considering that and I don’t consider that. I take everything on its own merits…so I considered it, but it doesn’t bother me at all.


Having just done John Carter of Mars, was there any technical stuff you picked up on doing that sci-fi film that you’re able to apply here?

It’s ironic never having played an alien in my life, like buses, two have come along at once. It’s unbelievable…but they are different and similar because they occupy a place in the film, which needs them to be---they’re similar in a sense that they are both kind of introduced in the first movie and if the franchises go to more, they will become more omnipotent in both. The similarities and differences are that Sinestro is incredibly physical character whereas Matai Shang in John Carter is very cerebral. He ex---your not even sure if he exists and the characters on Mars aren’t sure if he exists either. In fact they’re consider to be a race, a godlike race that nobody knows whether they really exist. The truth is they are parasitic race, they travel the universe, mining worlds for their own particular reasons, so it’s in their interest to stay hidden. So he’s a very calm, very wise, knowledgeable, very peaceful omnipotent character. Sinestro, I think, is much more visceral, much more physical so….there was nothing in their alienness that I could use to differentiate them. It was just those characters happened to be aliens.


Hawksblueyes: This was taken from an extremely long, in depth interview and to read it in it's entirety at Latino Review click on the link at the bottom of the page.

By: TwitterButtons.com

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Hawksblueyes
Hawksblueyes - 5/17/2011, 11:50 AM
;P
Retardo
Retardo - 5/17/2011, 12:20 PM
umm this might sound dumb, but who is this John Carter of Mars? sounds like some lil kid thing
Owlman88
Owlman88 - 5/17/2011, 12:23 PM
mmm, and what about Kick-Ass´ Frank D´amico??

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WrathOfOTB
WrathOfOTB - 5/17/2011, 12:40 PM
@Tittie moron.. I am going to physically hurt you wimp boy!
Hawksblueyes
Hawksblueyes - 5/17/2011, 12:46 PM
SUP3R: John Carter of Mars is by no means a lil kid thing. It's directed by Andrew Stanton and stars Mark Strong, Willem Dafoe, Taylor Kitsch, Bryan Cranston, Ciarán Hinds, Lynn Collins, James Purefoy and Thomas Haden Church. Due out next year.

Civil War vet John Carter is transplanted to Mars, where he discovers a lush, wildly diverse planet whose main inhabitants are 12-foot tall green barbarians. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, who is in desperate need of a savior.
JosePetrelli12
JosePetrelli12 - 5/17/2011, 1:06 PM
@ Tittie - The funniest part of your post was "Bazinga!"

@Grif - I totally agree, he will definitely have played the most bad guys when its all said and done!!

I couldn't even imagine him as a "Good Guy"...
Frecks
Frecks - 5/17/2011, 1:10 PM
@WrathOfOTB Leave Tittie alone, it was a joke...
Retardo
Retardo - 5/17/2011, 1:13 PM
@ Gusto

Cheers

@ Hawksblueyes

Hmmm... cast sounds sweet, and concept sounds cool enough, might b one 2 check out... Cheers 4 the info
AaronX
AaronX - 5/17/2011, 1:50 PM
Cool... Seems that Grif is getting kinda cool... Wierd
marvel72
marvel72 - 5/17/2011, 2:03 PM
@ grif

mark strong may get the award for most bad guys in movie history.

but who is the current champ ? must be gary oldman he's played a few.
Hawksblueyes
Hawksblueyes - 5/17/2011, 2:13 PM
Oldman has played a bunch marvel. Bruce Dern had the title back in the day. Michael Ironside has been the bad guy in 90% of his films.
marvel72
marvel72 - 5/17/2011, 2:20 PM
@ hawksblueyes

i forgot about michael ironside & bruce dern.
Hawksblueyes
Hawksblueyes - 5/17/2011, 2:22 PM
marvel: There are a number of actors from back in the day (and I'll be damned if I can think of any of their names) that you knew immediately were the bad guy if they showed up in a movie. That was their entire career, playing the grease ball. ;D
yankeemanf
yankeemanf - 5/17/2011, 2:42 PM
@marvel72 what bout alan rickman? he has played a bad guy in every movie i eva saw him in except for like alice in wonderland lol
Hawksblueyes
Hawksblueyes - 5/17/2011, 2:46 PM
Rickman for sure yankee.
Lert
Lert - 5/17/2011, 3:41 PM
he was a good guy in Body of Lies- at least turned out to be a good guy in the end!! but he had that bad guy mentality throughout the movie...
Hawksblueyes
Hawksblueyes - 5/17/2011, 3:57 PM
Gazara for sure Dusto and you mentioning a Ben reminds me that Ben Kingsly plays nothing but bad guys these days.
Rexgabe
Rexgabe - 5/17/2011, 4:33 PM
This whole interview was good. Strong is going to be badass in this.

Rango
Rango - 5/17/2011, 9:01 PM
mark strong kicks ass.
localman
localman - 5/18/2011, 6:09 AM
Alan Rickman was a good guy in Galaxy Quest. He was also a good guy in one of those period films . . . Sense and Sensability, I think, where he ended up marrying Kate Winslett.

But he is a phenominal bad guy.

Hugo Weaving is another great bad guy.

Peter Lorre was always the bad guy or the bad guy's sidekick.

Christopher Lee was another great bad guy, especially playing Dracula so many times, and Sauruman in Lord of the Rings, Count Dooku in Star Wars II.
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