Seeing all of the Avengers assembled on the press conference stage was this geek girl’s dream come true. The chemistry shown in the film was definitely there - you could definitely see the camaraderie between all the leads and the ease at which they joked with each other. While it was over far too short for my liking, there were some interesting stories shared. Here are the top five topics from today’s press conference.
1. Cobie Smulders is a bad ass.
While she’s known for her work in television as Robin Scherbatsky on How I Met Your Mother, after this summer she’ll be known in the geekdom kingdom as Agent Maria Hill. She spent weeks training with weapons to get comfortable with them while filming, and that definitely played off on the screen. Joss Whedon even tried to shoot and re-cut her action scenes so her face would show more, so the audience would be able to tell it's her doing those things and not a stunt double. Joss Whedon even called her "one of the best stunt people on the Avengers team."
2. Joss Whedon is the glue of this production.
It is a good time to be a Whedonite. When asked about their most memorable moments, Clark Gregg sited the day he read the script. While this film had been in the books since the success of IRON MAN, it wasn't until Joss Whedon's script was finished that many thought this could actually work.
According to Kevin Feige, when he was conceiving the idea of doing an AVENGERS universe, his one fear was that it would collapse under its own weight. With all the action, costumes, backstory, and conflict, it would have been very easy for the characters to get lost in the mayhem - their interaction would be key to its success. It was partly Joss Whedon's ability to balance action, story, and characters in Serenity that made him the ideal candidate for the job. Not only was he the right choice to write it, but his direction and presence on set was commended by many of the cast as well.
3. The Hulk was inspired by a child.
There are so many interpretations and versions of The Incredible Hulk that Mark Ruffalo wasn't sure where to start. Joss Whedon mentioned the television show with Bill Bixby, so he watched a handful of episodes with his 10-year-old son. Afterwards, his son just looked at him and said "Papa, he's so misunderstood." That inspired him to base his character on his son, who "has all of the force of nature screaming out of his body, while at the same time having everyone around him to control himself."
4. Samuel L. Jackson would love to be Scarlett Johansson for 15 minutes.
The press conference was so fun because it was obvious that the cast was comfortable around each other and actually friendly. But my favorite quip of the night was, when asked who they would be on the Avengers if they were anyone but themselves, Samuel L. Jackson said he'd be Scarlett Johansson. Why? Well, he'd just love to be that cute for a little bit.
5. There's a last minute addition to the movie.
As previously discussed, it looks like the movie they screened for press and at the premiere was only 99.9% complete. After the press day, the cast and crew met to film a short scene that will be added in for the theatrical release.
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