INTERVIEWS & Q & A: The Avengers: Infinity War Q&A

by Fred Topel

With so many superheroes in Avengers: Infinity War, there was only time to ask each one one question. Gonzo was at the Los Angeles press conference in which 24 cast members from all the Marvel movies assembled to talk about the long-awaited crossover film.

You know the characters from their own films. Chadwick Boseman just had the latest Marvel Blockbuster in Black Panther, Chris Hemsworth is Thor, Tom HOlland is Spider-MAn, Benedict Cumberbatch is Doctor Strange, Mark Ruffalo is the Hulk, Zoe Saldana is Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy and Don Cheadle is James Rhodes from Iron Man. Josh Brolin joins the cast as their ultimate nemesis, Thanos. Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters now!

Gonzo: We have to wait for Black Panther 2 but how much of Avengers: Infinity War is at least Black Panther 1.5.

Chadwick Boseman: Avengers: Infinity War is Avengers: Infinity War. It’s not Black Panther 1.5 or Black Panther 2 or anything like that. I think we have a strong presence in the movie. It was great to have some of these people, I’m not going to say who exactly, in Wakanda. It is its own movie. It was great to go from what we did with Black Panther and bring some of that into Avengers. It was a relief actually. It’s its own thing.

Q: Chris, what scene was most challenging to film in Infinity War?

Chris Hemsworh: The first day, what you saw in the trailers, Thor meeting the Guardians. It felt like the first day at school for me. They all knew each other and I was the new kid. They’d all been shooting and I hadn’t. It was a weird sort of nervous butterflies flutter in my body. Chris Pratt gave me a big hug. That was a fun scene. It was great to throw down a whole new dynamic. This whole film, meeting all these people, the characters I watched on screen, to be on screen with them as Thor but as Chris also was pretty damn exciting.

Q: Zoe, how do you feel knowing that people of color are seeing more and more representation in the Marvel universe since you were among the first?

Zoe Saldana: I’m happy. I’m super, super happy to be an American right now, to be in the entertainment industry, to be considered a public figure and to also be given the opportunities by leaders such as our studio heads, when they take on the task of broadening the narrative for our stories. Plain and simple, I think as actors regardless of our race and our gender, we just want to be given an equal opportunity to be able to be chameleons and continue growing and connecting with our audiences. So when directors, writers and producers understand that change needs to come from within, as public figures we have the responsibility to take the lead in broadening that narrative. It just makes someone like me who would be nothing but a positive recipient super happy because I know what that means for our future generations. I have three sons, and nothing is making me happier to know that they are going to inherit an influx of storytelling through media that represents them and makes them feel seen and heard and that their lives and their heritage matters. But only through their merits. I’m just really happy about that.

Q: Tom, what was it like having the new Iron Spider suit?

Tom Holland: I actually didn’t get to wear the Iron Spider suit because it’s too amazing to exist in real life. So I joined the wonderful Mark Ruffalo and stood amongst these gods wearing pajamas. It wasn’t quite as heroic as I like. I haven’t seen the film yet so I can’t tell you what it does in real life, but I’m sure it’ll be amazing. I’m excited to see it.

Q: Rhodey had a tragic story in Civil War. How did you prepare for Infinity War?

Don Cheadle: I think it’s really great about having something like this to anchor a lot of the other things that are happening in the story. Getting to continue it forward in both the films, you always get to have these down notes in a good way. I think there’s always eye candy and very dramatic things happening and big, spectacular fights, really amazing things that we see on screen. And then it comes down to these characters in their interpersonal situations and the personal feelings they have. When it comes to Rhodey, and I’m glad it’s carried through, it wasn’t just dropped. It’s a line that actually goes through both the films and comes into play in a very important way. I won’t give it away but it’s something that factors in, so it’s nice to have something that’s cohesive and continues and keeps me grounded, keeps the character grounded.

Q: There were rumors of fake scripts. Who got to read the complete script?

Benedict Cumberbatch: I read the script. Whether I read “the” script is for them to know and me to find out when I see the movie tomorrow. But whatever script you read, it’s never the film, is it? It always change it. These guys fuss it every day, sometimes after the day, probably in December after the film is out. This wheelhouse is a busy place to work so whatever I read is not necessarily what you’re going to see. I could tell you stuff about it but it wouldn’t make any difference.

Q: Thanos is here to conquer the Avengers. Do any of them put up enough of a fight to impress him?

Josh Brolin: Being a person of the color purple and being naked on the set the whole time I was doing this in order to create a vibe of fear, I really thought I scared everybody. Was there somebody I was impressed by? Oh, Anthony Mackie. Everybody has their weakness, and Anthony Mackie is Thanos’s weakness.

Q: Mark, do you bring your environmental activism to work?

Mark Ruffalo: I drive a Prius. I wear hemp shoes. I have LED lightbulbs. I try not to be that one person who’s always going on about an issue, but I can’t help myself. I think more than anything, I try to use my time outside of the movies to make my friends know that it’s safe to speak up about the things they care about. That it’s important for them. It’s actually enriching as an artist, no matter what that thing is, whether it’s environmental issues or social justice issues or equality issues or education or all the really wonderful things there are to do today. In that way, I feel like I can be the most impactful with this gift that I’ve been given, sitting up here with these tremendously talented people.

Q: Is Tony Stark going to be in Avengers 4?

Robert Downey, Jr.: Yes, we already filmed it. But you never know. I’ve got to see the screening tomorrow. If I die tomorrow, I’m going to be confused. We’ll see.