STACK #166 Aug 2018

DVD & BD

FEATURE

Other Famous Kiwis

Sam Neill The second thing you think of when you see the words Jurassic Park (after Dr. Ian Malcolm, of course), Neill also starred alongside Dennison in Hunt for the Wilderpeople . Good old Julian Dennison isn’t the only one to make a name for himself from across the ditch.

[Wade Wilson] is sort of like a father figure, but like a really horrible father. The worst. Russell is a good influence on Wade

With the chance for a super cool cameo team-up in Deadpool 2 (that we won’t spoil here), and despite not being much of a fan of the comics themselves, it’s clear that Dennison has put a lot of thought into which other superhero he’d love to join forces with if given a choice. “Hulk [Mark Ruffalo] and Thor [Chris Hemsworth] have a really cool relationship in Thor: Ragnarok , and I’d definitely like to team up with a bigger character,” he muses. “Maybe Hulk, or She-Hulk? It’s cool seeing little Russell’s size in comparison with a bigger character.” Given the secrecy surrounding

behind-the-scenes changes for the teenaged actor – not least the quality of the food on set. “[ Deadpool ] was on a much bigger scale; the budget was bigger, the catering was probably better – actually, not probably, it was better,” laughs Dennison. “[The experience] was really different and I got to meet so many new people. It was such a physically challenging movie as well – all the stunts and coordination, and the CGI was really cool as well.” Dennison got the chance to work on a few of his own stunts, and had an absolute blast in the process. “I got to do the beginner stunts, not the bigger ones,” he clarifies. “There was supposed to be this cool one where I wear a harness and go up in the air, but they ended up not needing it, so I was really gutted about that.” Fortunately, the actor got on

Taika Waititi Though you might not recognise his face, Taika Waititi does a lot of work behind the camera, directing Neill and Dennison on Wilderpeople and even dabbling in the MCU himself, directing and starring in Thor: Ragnarok .

really well with his stunt double. “His name was Jason and he was a really cool dude.” If you’ve seen either of the Deadpool films, you’ll be aware that the Merc with a Mouth is not necessarily very child-friendly. Thankfully, Dennison had a great father figure both literally and metaphorically in Reynolds and his character of Wade Wilson. “He’s sort of like a father figure, but like a really horrible father. The worst. Russell is a good influence on Wade – he changes Deadpool’s life, and makes him care about something apart from himself.”

Russell Crowe Try as we might to claim him as an Aussie, Crowe was born in New Zealand, and moved over here when he was young. He’s starred in Les Miserables , Gladiator , and Man of Steel , just to name a few. Cliff Curtis This New Zealander can be seen in everything

Marvel Comic adaptations, sometimes the actors don’t even know how long they’ll keep their roles, and Dennison is no exception. “I hope they don’t kill

from the live action Last Airbender movie to Fear the Walking Dead .

me! I hope the writers don’t go ‘yeah, we’re getting bored of this character,’ and he gets shot or dies in the first act. It would be cool to have a solo film, but I’ve always wanted to be in a team-up movie like The Avengers, too.” And of course we couldn’t speak to Ricky Baker without getting him to give us a little Russell Collins

Peter Jackson No, not the suit maker. Sir Peter Jackson is of course best known as the director of both The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies.

haiku: “My name is Russell Collins. I Am Firefist. I have the best super powers.” Close enough.

• Deadpool 2 is out Aug 22

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