JAMIE BELL

What can we expect from this version of Fantastic Four?

It’s a very unique take on a beloved comic-book property. Familiar characters with familiar powers, but told with a very new lensing. With a director [Josh Trank] whose previous work, Chronicle, was very similar in that he took a familiar idea — what happens when kids somehow get superpowers — and made something very different. Here, you’re going to see something you know and love told in a unique way. I’m excited to be a part of it because I haven’t really seen a superhero movie quite like this.

This film sort of dips into various incarnations of Fantastic Four from the comic books, is that right?

Well, I am not a comic book mythologist, but I did pick up a few of the early editions just to see the 
origins of these people. Like most comic books, as they progress and evolve, there’s always new 
incarnations, new versions of these people all the time. Fantastic Four has its own versions of those 
things. So I think Josh as a filmmaker and Simon [Kinberg] as a writer are influenced by the 
source material, but I just don’t think they’re dependent on it. I don’t think this movie is being lifted from one set of pages anywhere, but they’re agreed on a tone and have taken these characters into that tone. They are the comic world’s first family. That idea still exists. The best thing about Fantastic Four is that idea of family, and we stay true to that. But the rest is not specifically lifted from anything.

Let’s talk about your character Ben Grimm, The Thing. It seems like it would be a good challenge for an actor to play someone so physically different. And did your experience of motion capture work on Tintin help?

I’d met Josh previously and we’d talked a lot about Tintin (in which Jamie played Tintin)... about the process... which he was really fascinated by. A year later, he calls me and says: ‘How would you feel about doing this?’ Suddenly his interest made sense because it’s the same process that we would need to use for this character. I was intrigued. I mean, if you look at the work of the great Andy Serkis you can see how powerful a tool it can be in terms of bringing a character to life. I talked to Josh about the character and his simplicity. 
There’s nothing too complicated about any of these people, really, but especially my character, Ben Grimm — at least in this incarnation. He’s a faithful servant to his best friend. He’s someone who errs on the side of caution. In some ways, he is a parental figure for Reed Richards, who is not understood 
by his own parents. He has a gift of higher intelligence that can’t be controlled; a thirst for science 
exploration that doesn’t really belong in a suburban Long Island residency. And I think Ben knows this. Ben’s his protector, and I think he understands that his role is to take care of him. 

Can you tell us more about the process of creating Ben?

Well, obviously there is so much physically that is beyond my capability. Ben’s supposed to be 6’8” I think, which I’m certainly not! And then he’s also as wide as he is tall. The one thing that Josh was 
unmovable on was that this character still retains his human soul and  the way we access soul is 
through the eyes. So on every setup where I would play The Thing, there were always six to 10 reference cameras shooting my face, sometimes even just the back of my head, just to get everything, 
to capture reactions.
With Tintin, that was a movie based solely in an animated environment, so you have so much more control. This was trickier. But the performance aspect always remains the same, in that you 100 per cent come to life as a different being. It’s so immersive and it kind of has to be. For the technology to really work, you have to focus on every tiny little physicality. I would say: ‘When I come to a stop, can we just make sure that dust comes off me?’ I just wanted to make sure that we never lost his organic matter. Fortunately, Kevin Mack’s (visual effects superviser) kind of a genius with that stuff.

Is it like the Hulk, in that you can ‘see’ Mark Ruffalo in it? Will we be able to ‘see’ Jamie Bell?

With this character, because he is not flexible — he’s literally made of rock — to some degree his facial 
articulation is complicated, painful almost. His face doesn’t move... he’s kind of paralysed. So I think 
Josh very wisely is going to use certain moments where suddenly you’re going to see these eyes looking like there’s a human being in there. I think it’s more effective. I think with Mark, there isn’t any restriction, you can see a real face.

MICHAEL B. JORDAN

What are your thoughts on your character Johnny Storm?

Well, Johnny’s Johnny, you know! Like all of them, he’s figuring out who he is. He’s charismatic. He’s fun. But he’s got to deal with stuff. It’s about when life throws curve balls at you, how do you adapt? How do you deal with obstacles that you may encounter in your life?

How did you approach the role?

Pretty much how I would approach any other role. You’re playing a person, a kid who is dealing with things. Obviously, I was excited to do it. I didn’t really need to research the role as I was a huge Fantastic Four and comic book fan already.

Is it different though, being cast as a superhero?

Specifically for this project, I’m not cast as a superhero. I’m Johnny Storm, who’s just a regular guy who becomes something. We’re becoming the Fantastic Four that everyone 
else knows. It’s the journey to get there.

Are you a fan of superhero movies in general?

Yes, I definitely am. I’m a big Iron Man fan. I also really like X-Men, First Class and Days of Future Past are my favourites. I’m a fan of all of it really.

Is there a pressure making a superhero movie, knowing there are a lot of people out there who are very passionate about this genre and very vocal if they disapprove of anything?

Fans are very passionate about their properties and stories they grew up on, so as an actor you try to take it as seriously as you would anything else. Do the homework if you’re not familiar. I believe if you put your best effort into it you’ll do it right by the fans. 

Josh Trank stressed that he wanted the right actors for the roles... what did you and Josh discuss before you signed up for the role?

It wasn’t really that straightforward. We’ve been friends a long time and we’d talked about it. When he said: ‘Would you play Johnny?’ Of course, I said: ‘Yeah! I’ll play Johnny!’ That was kind of how that got started. We talked about it and developed ideas over a long period of time.

How much did you know about Fantastic Four before you got involved with the film?

I grew up loving comic books so I was a big fan. And so it’s great to get to play a character like this. It’s a big deal for me.

This new Fantastic Four feels almost like a science-fiction movie. Would that be fair to say?

I think we prided ourselves on taking the science part of it very seriously. We had some of the smartest guys there for authenticity to make sure that the science we were referencing was as true to life as possible. 

What would you say are the main themes the film explores?

Family, self-discovery, coming of age, action, suspense  drama, light notes of comedy... a little bit of everything. A perfect mixture of all. 

What does it feel like when you see yourself on screen with superpowers?

It’s really cool. All your imagination and fantasies as a comic book fan growing up come to life. You know when you’re a kid and you’re playing and figuring out what superpower you would want to have? Well, actually getting to visualise it and have it not just in your head is awesome!

Can you explain a little about your powers in the film? 

Johnny Storm has the ability to produce flames so he can engulf his entire body into them. He can also control and absorb other fires as well as fly. 

BOLLYWOOD

third time lucky?

Vikramaditya Motwane’s jinxed project Bhavesh Joshi has found a leading man at last. After Imran Khan was dropped from the film and Sidharth Malhotra bowed out, the Lootera man was left in the lurch with his ambitious project about a young man who turns into a superhero one day. However, Motwane has now reportedly signed on Anil Kapoor’s son Harshvardhan (left) for the film that goes on the floors sometime next year. Harshvardhan’s debut film Mirziya, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and starring debutante Saiyami Kher (Shabana Azmi’s niece), releases early 2016.