Despite the incredible hype--and controversy--surrounding director
Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass, the title star of the movie,
Aaron Johnson, said that he just tries to stay grounded and not get swept up in it.
"I don't think you ever try to let something like this sink in. What am I supposed to do, am I supposed to give myself a pat on the f*cking back? You've got to keep your feet on the ground and be gracious and humble about these things. I don't think anyone deserves to be a f*cking diva about these things. Yeah the hype has ben ridiculous, and the fans have been enthusiastic, and it's been great. I'm lucky to be part of something like this."
Johnson said that, while most of the fight scenes, particularly those involving Hit-Girl (played by
Chloe Moretz) were heavily choreographed, Vaughn did not want Johnson's scenes as Kick-Ass to look more natural.
"[The donut shop scene] was one of my favorites, yeah. We just improvised it there and then choreographed. It was choreographed there, and I picked up the routine, and then we said, 'What if we put in a thing here, what if he smacked my head with a trash can.' We did it there and then. There was a special camera as well that was in a big foam board, and they threw the camera and smashed it up and knocked it about."
Part of the appeal of Johnson's character is that he is somewhat of a sad sack "everyman," but Johnson revealed that after filming the ending of the movie, Vaughn decided to change it to give him at least one heroic moment.
"My character never became a hero at any point throughout the movie, and [in the original cut] Hit-Girl dropkicks Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) off the edge of the building. And six months later we came back and they made an alternative ending, and we reshot it, that my character picked up the bazooka and shot him off the edge. Matthew edited the movie and was like, [frick], he's this pathetic kid who never gets his break, and can't be a hero. There were moments where they tried to introduce my character as a bit of a hero, and a bit more charming to look at."
But, despite Vaughn's change of heart on this plot point, Johnson said that fans should not expect to see a more ripped-off, ass-kicking Kick-Ass in
Kick-Ass 2:
"I don't think my character should change too much. If I came back it was like, oh yeah, Kick-Ass is now bulky, and he can fight. That's not Kick-Ass. No one would give a f*ck then. My character Dave Lizewski, when he's Kick-Ass he's still Dave Lizewski he's still just a kid who loves comic books. He's just persistent, he's got a lot of heart and soul. That's who he is, that's why you like him, you relate to him. If he came back like f*cking Arnold Schwarzenegger, it would be dumb. You don't want that person to change. If Kick-Ass became more like Hit-Girl, it would be boring."
Kick-Ass is in theaters now!