STACK NZ Sep #66

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ISSUE66 SEP '15

Issue 66 SEPTEMBER 2015

Games Editor Paul Jones Creative Director Karl Lock DVD Consultant Jason Hewitt

EDITOR’S LETTER T he premiere of The Walking Dead spin-off Fear The Walking Dead – starring our own Cliff Curtis – has generated plenty of media coverage of late and we can’t wait to see it on disc. But in the meantime, the original show is going from strength to strength and in this month’s STACK the stars of TheWalking Dead give us an insight in what to expect in the fifth season, which is just one of a number of big new DVD and Blu-ray releases out this month. Elsewhere in this bumper edition of your essential home entertainment magazine, there are interviews with Mad Max: Fury Road star Charlize Theron, Orphan Black ’s Ari Millen, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who plays Quicksilver in the latest Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Age Of Ultron . On the music front, as well talking to homegrown faves Eb & Sparrow and Eden Mulholland , we catch up with British artist Foals and Scottish group Chvrches . Don’t forget there’s heaps of extra content in the digital edition, including a special TV review section.

Games Consultant Sachi Fernando Production Manager Craig Patterson Social Media Manager Sally Carlier-Hull Contributors Graham Reid, Judy Ewens, Gareth Thompson, Ian Marriott, Scott Hocking, Jonathan Alley, Zoë Radas, Gill Pringle Alesha Kolbe, Doug Wallen, Ryan Huff, Simon Lukic, Michael Dwyer, Chris Murray, Doug Wallen, Denise Hylands, Bec Rowlands Correspondence 31B Bertram Street Warkworth Auckland 0910

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CHVRCHES Every Open Eye

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All information believed correct at time of printing. All images used for promotional purposes only. Copyright of respective owners is acknowledged. © 2015 Scribal Custom Pty Ltd. No part of this magazine may be reprinted without the written permission of the publisher. For further details, read fine print.

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The large print giveth, the small print taketh away. RIPRufus (Jack) 2002–2014

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SPRING IN THE STEP FOR KIWI COUNTRY New LPs fromTami Neilson and Delaney Davidson, plus tours andTV shows.

CHILLS DEFR0STED Flying Nun legends The Chills return next month with their first full-length studio album in almost two decades. Silver Bullets was recorded at Albany Street Studios in Dunedin and an early listen confirms that mainstay Martin Phillipps has not lost his knack for timeless melodic pop. The Chills have kept a low profile for most of the 2000s, but have enjoyed a revival since signing with UK label Fire Records, which last year issued The BBC Sessions and the live album Somewhere Beautiful .

I t’s shaping up to be a bumper spring for fans of homegrown country and roots music. Hot on the heels of the release

more country music featuring on the second season of The Brokenwood Mysteries , which is expected to air on Prime shortly. Tami and her brother Jay have written the score for the new series of TV movies and we have heard a whisper that the murder of a country musician is one of the plotlines this time around! No word yet whether the soundtrack will be released as an album but Neilson fans can look forward to her new album on September 25. Don’t Be Afraid features contributions from both Jay and Davidson, while the title track was the last song written by her late father Ron Neilson, who passed away earlier this year. And the first single, Lonely , is the completed version of a song first demoed by Ron back in 1972. Look out for more on Neilson in the October edition of STACK ; for a review of Delaney Davidson’s new album Lucky Guy , see page 52.

of sophomore album from Eb & Sparrow (check out our interview on page 32), this month sees the release of new LPs from Silver Scroll winner Tami Neilson and Delaney Davidson. And next month, the latter two, together with Marlon Williams and The Warratahs’ Barry Saunders – both of whom have also issued new albums this year – will be hitting the road for the annual Church Tour, which will feature concerts at some of our most historic and beautiful churches. This year’s event is also being filmed as part of new addition to Prime Rocks documentary strand entitled The New Sound Of Country , which will explore the revival of folk and country music in New Zealand. Fans can also look forward to plenty

Silver Bullets by The Chills is due out on October 30

With the latest James Bond adventure Spectre now less than two months away, now is the time to get reacquainted with one of the world’s biggest franchises. This month sees the release of a brand new Blu-ray and DVD box set which

brings together all 23 Bond films plus two new featurettes ‘The Shadow Of SPECTRE’ and ‘The Story So Far’.

The James Bond Collection is out on September 23

Delaney Davidson, Tami Neilson, Barrry Saunders & Marlon Williams

CUMBER-BARD

Benedict Cumberbatch has been getting back to his theatrical roots, with two new Shakespeare productions in the pipeline. In November, New Zealand audiences will get a chance to see him as Hamlet in a new National Theatre Live cinema presentation taken from his sell-out West End run. And next

year the British star is just one of the big names assembled for a lavish new BBC trilogy The Hollow Crown: The Wars Of The Roses , which is based on Shakespeare’s Henry VI – parts 1 and 2 – and Richard III . Cumberbatch will play the latter in The War Of The Roses , while the star-studded cast also includes his Sherlock adversary

Andrew Scott, plus the likes of Judi Dench, Michael Gambon, Hugh Bonneville and Keeley Hawes. The first Hollow Crown trilogy, which gets its DVD debut here on September 15, boasts a similarly starry ensemble, with Ben Whishaw as Richard II, Jeremy Irons as Henry IV and Tim Hiddleston as Henry V.

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NEW REBEL HEROES FOR STAR WARS DISNEY’S WOW FACTOR As well as updates on StarWars and Marvel, the Pacific-themed Moana was among the new animated titles showcased at Disney expo D23.

ue in cinemas next Christmas, Moana tells the story of a teenager in search of a fabled Pacific island and will feature the voice talents of Dwayne Johnson as the god Maui. Pacific music icon Opetaia Foa’i and his Pacific fusion group Te Vaka gave attendees a taste of the music soundtrack with a show-stopping live performance. Other upcoming animated blockbusters showcased at D23 included the next big Disney movie The Good Dinosaur (in cinemas in December), Zootopia (April 2016), two highly-anticipated sequels: Finding Dory (June 2016) and Toy Story 4 (June 2017). A new Pixar short Riley’s First Date? , which will be featured on the Blu-ray edition of the next Disney blockbuster Inside Out , was also premiered. As well as sneak peeks and music performances, there were also appearances from stars such as Ellen DeGeneres, Ginnifer Goodwin, Rashida Jones and Ty Burrell. Pixar chief and Toy Story creator John Lasseter said: “We really have an unbelievable range of movies in production at our studios right now.” In addition to the animated line-up, Disney also gave a run through of the studio’s upcoming live action slate, which includes remakes and reboots of classics such as The Jungle Book (April 2016), Alice Through the Looking Glass (May 2016), Pete’s Dragon (September 2016) and Beauty and the Beast (March 2017). There was also a surprise appearance on stage from Johnny Depp in full Captain Jack Sparrow costume for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales . Unsurprisingly, the events that attracted the most media attention were the sessions devoted to Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic D

To whet your appetite for the upcoming big screen return of Star Wars, this month sees the DVD debut of the brand new animated series Star Wars Rebels . The first season features 15 episodes and follows the adventures of the motley crew of the starship Ghost who have taken the fight to the Empire, five years after the events of Stars Wars IV: A New Hope . Receiving help from familiar heroes such as Lando Calrissian, Ahsoka Tano, and Jedi Master Yoda, the series also features an appearance from Star Wars’ most infamous villain Darth Vader. Freddie Prinze Jr, David Oyelowo and Jason Isaacs are among those providing the voices for Star Wars Rebels ; a second season is already in the works.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

universes. Although there were no ground- breaking revelations, more detail was confirmed about the spin-off Rogue One , the first of the standalone Star Wars stories due to hit the big screen. Gareth Edwards ( Godzilla ) is directing and the cast includes Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn and Donnie Yen. Meanwhile, Colin Trevorrow was confirmed as the director of Star Wars: Episode IX , which is scheduled for release in 2019. There was nothing really new announced about Star Wars: The Force Awakens , but there was wild applause from the audience when Harrison Ford joined director J.J. Abrams on stage during the presentation. As for Marvel, there was an early glimpse into the world of Doctor Strange (November 2016), featuring a video greeting by Benedict Cumberbatch, while Chris Evans and Anthony Mackie joined producer Kevin Feige on stage to show never-seen-before footage from Captain America: Civil War , due in cinemas in May 2016. The superhero blockbuster follows on from the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron , which is out this month on DVD and Blu-ray.

Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season One is due out on September 2

Te Vaka

Former Soundgarden man Chris Cornell, who returns to New Zealand for three shows in November, this month releases his fifth studio set Higher Truth . Produced by Brendan O’Brien, the new LP is due on September 18 and is inspired by the stark arrangements of the likes of Nick Drake and Daniel Johnston. Expect to hear plenty of tracks from the new LP during his acoustic shows in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland in November.

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MAD MAX: FURY ROAD BLU-RAY GIVEAWAY What a lovely, lovely day it will be when you win one of five copies of Mad Max: Fury Road on Blu- ray. Thanks to Roadshow

Q1 This 2014 movie takes the plot of Limitless (2011) a mind- boggling step forward. Title please. Q2 In what movie does a lone character refuse to step forward to support Col. William B. Travis and his brave band of Texans? Q3 This Russian-born actress was brought to Hollywood to rival Greta Garbo, but after starring in three movies which all proved box office failures, she was swiftly released from her contract. Name her. Q4 Who played a hobo named A-No. 1? Q5 Which US film director shot most of the location scenes for his 1971 movie in and around St Buryan, Cornwall, England?

Q6 Who, in 1992, played an extremely violent neo-Nazi white supremacist gang leader? Q7 Which clever 1966 heist caper was disastrously remade in 2012? Q8 In this movie, a clergyman, whilst under the influence of alcohol, recalls his past life as lightweight industrial espionage caper he appeared in so much, he swore never to watch the film. Name both the actor and the movie. Q10 Name the movie in which a character, after setting a bull and a cow free, says "Wherever they go they'll be on my land." a dog. Title please. Q9 In 1967, an Irish actor apparently hated a

TWO HOLLYWOOD-STYLE ENTOURAGE PRIZE PACKS UP FOR GRABS

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WIN FIFA 16 ON XBOX ONE The world voted and Stephanie Catley joined Lionel Messi on the cover of FIFA 16. Take home your own piece of FIFA history when you win the game on Xbox One. Thanks to EA Sports

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(2002) A10. Tom Ford with A Single Man

(1987) A9. Reign of Fire

A8. Holly Hunter in Raising Arizona

A7. Ten Little Indians

(2014) A6. They have all played film characters who have one hand missing.

(1965)

(1963) A5. As Above, So Below

A4. Richard Harris in This Sporting Life

& Clyde A3. The Trip to Bountiful

A2. Gene Hackman in

A1. Waterworld

Bonnie

Quiz Answers August 2015 (Issue 65) -

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Sound bites

MILLEN’S BACK IN BLACK Ari Millen tells Scott Hocking about the challenge of playing a clone in Orphan Black .

Director Brad Bird on taking a positive view of the future in Tomorrowland .

O rphan Black star Ari Millen was literally beside himself in the third season of the cult sci-fi series: that’s because in season 3 there are four of him. Millen first appeared in the cult sci-fi TV show in Season Two as Mark Rollins, but this time he not only reprises that character but plays his clone brothers Rudy – AKA Scarface – Seth and Miller. And the Canadian actor admits that playing multiple characters does get a little complicated from a performance perspective. “I have a fantastic clone double named Nick Abraham,” he explains. “We would read the scene that has two Castor clones in it, then we would talk with the director and block it. So I would be dressed as one clone, he would be dressed as the other, and we would shoot it. “The challenge was I had to

Leda sisters’ main adversaries in Season Three. Growing up in a tight knit, secret military wing, the Castor clones are a cohesive, brutal wolf pack, called upon to do the military’s worst bidding. “Coming into this season, we’re discovering that they need something from Project Leda and they have a lot more intel on Project Leda than Leda knows about them,” according to Millen. So what else can we expect to see in Season Three? “What Clone Club can really look forward to is Project Castor is really going to help Project Leda sort of tighten up and pull together and see what’s really important in the greater scheme of things. For the last two seasons we’ve been asking a lot of questions and the world is getting bigger. Now, in the third season, I think Clone Club can look forward to getting answers

“Pessimism has become the only acceptable way to view the future, and I disagree with that. I think there’s something self-fulfilling about it. If that’s what everybody collectively believes then that’s what will come to be.When I was a kid, even though there were many negative things going on, it was acceptable to view the future in a positive light. Now there’s this sort of giant cosmic shrug and I hate that. I just don’t think that we’re on the planet to do that. We hope audiences will be entertained but with luck we’ve also made something that will give them something to think about later…maybe even start to imagine a different kind of future.”

to some of those questions. More questions will be asked, and there’s going to be some really great payoff in this season. I think Clone Club is really going to love where we’re taking them.”

remember what he was doing once we switched – we would shoot it, he would step out, I’d put in an earbud, there’d be tennis balls for eyelines, and I would act to the air and we would flip and do the whole process again. Thankfully the visual effects people would put it all together and make it look real, and fool even me!” Millen’s characters, dubbed Project Castor, are Orphan Black heroine

Tomorrowland is out on September 30

Orphan Black: Series Three is out on September 2

Tatiana Maslany and her Project

There’s a definite Tarantino vibe to the structure and tone of the film; what were your first impressions? I loved it. It was clever, entertaining and unpredictable. Even though the characters were committing these heinous acts, you feel the mortality and fragility underneath. There is a discomfort in the paradox of people trying to kill people in between punchlines, but if you allow yourself to go on the ride, it can be entertaining. This style of film is not for everyone, but the absurd irreverence is the point. How did you see the character of Jack? Jack is a tragic character. He’s a romantic and an artist at heart. He’s sentimental, loves deeply, and cannot accept he has lost his wife’s love. That

was crying in some of the scenes where it might not have seemed an obvious choice.

broken bitterness causes him to turn “evil” and become the “bad guy”. It’s my job to create depth, dimension and complexity to these types of characters. Even with characters that are completely horrible, you must find the humanity underneath. Apparently there was more to Jack than what made the final cut; can you elaborate on what was left out? In the script, Jack had terminal cancer. There was also a scene where Jack forced Alice to sing a song in front of a packed bar of well wishers for her birthday. As he watches her sing Slipping Away , he remembers how much he loves her and ends up in tears. He walks away in disgust with himself. This said so much about who he was. The cancer gave a background to his actions, which explained how he came to make the choices he made. He was a dying man. The cancer was why I

Simon Pegg doesn’t immediately come to mind when talking about movie villains, yet he’s perfectly cast here. What do you think he brought to the film? I agree. He was a wonderfully interesting choice for the role. Simon has a gravitas that grounds the film. He’s incredibly charismatic and charming which makes for the perfect villain, really. If you consider Christoph Waltz or Javier Bardem, it’s so much more interesting when the villains subvert the stereotype. Simon is a highly intelligent, witty guy. Most great comedy actors are just phenomenal actors.

This Aussie actor, best known for tough guy roles in Underbelly and Bikie Wars, is one of the targets of hitman Simon Pegg in the black comedy Kill Me Three Times . Callan Mulvey

Kill Me Three Times is out on September 9

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Kody Nielson Silicon

Q1/ Tell us how this project came about and where did it fit in as far as working on the latest Unknown Mortal Orchestra album with your brother Ruban? I have been just chipping away at it in my spare time whenever I got the chance. I had worked on it a little bit before I started working with Ruban. I showed him a bit of my new stuff and we kind of did a little bit of co-writing when he was touring last time and then he offered to have me involved in his [new album]. I kept working on it more afterwards and it started to feel like more finished towards the end of last year. Q2/ Why go down the electronic route? I kind of got a bit bored with ‘band’ music. I certainly found it a little bit more inspiring to be able to do something new. It was also a little bit of a return to the way I used to make music when I started out – by myself with a sampler and a sequencer. I had a Roland W30 and I did a ton of music on that and recorded it to a four track. Q3/ Although it harks back to the sounds of the earlier analogue pioneers, there is also a bit of future soul vibe to it, particularly on songs like Love Peace . What music were you listening to when you made it? I had been listening to a lot of Kraftwerk and George Duke – I have been listening to him for years, I’m a big fan. I definitely like some R&B but I used those influences in different ways. I try and draw influences from anything I can. I like Love Peace – it was one of the first ones I wrote; I wrote it on the piano first… Q4/ You recently played drums with your partner Bic Runga and Tiny Ruins on their joint tour. Did you enjoy it and will be working with Bic on her new album? It was pretty relaxed – it’s always fun to play drums. Yeah, it would be cool to help her out. We recorded one of her new songs Dreamed A Dream and that was fun, but I think she is still in the process of tidying up the songs and finishing off the writing.

Foals singer Yannis Philippakis on the baggy vibes of their fourth LP. By Zoë Radas. uppers and downers

I t seems as if with each successive album, Foals are releasing ever more vicious and clever hounds from their brains. But lead vocalist Yannis Philippakis believes butting at the boundaries of one’s previous release is imperative, if a band wishes to remain meaningful. “The only danger is not pushing it out far enough,” he tells STACK . “The ideas that interest me are often the ones when

That said, there’s a definite Stone Roses feel about lead single Mountain At My Gate , and Philippakis agrees that there is probably something distinctly British about Foals’ sound. “I remember when we first started playing Mountain , and thinking it was kind of baggy, it had a baggy feel to it. It would be impossible for us to not sound in some way English, because I think the musical landscape and the reference points that we all share in

I’m falling asleep or have woken up in the middle of the night and my brain’s going a bit haywire. I had this last night, actually: I woke up at 4 in the morning… It’s just different ways of unpeeling the layers that thicken, in the

It would be impossible for us to not sound in some way English. You can’t help but have it make up part of the band’s DNA

the band, a lot of them are steep – you can’t help but have it make up part of the band’s DNA.” In the same way, he isn’t afraid of pushing the

group’s limits because you simply can’t un-Foals something,

boredom of everyday life. Sometimes I wish I was the person that I was when I wake up in the middle of the night.” What Went Down is the fourth studio album from the British five-piece, which burst onto the music scene in 2007 with their acclaimed debut Antidotes . For their latest, Foals teamed with James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine) for a primal, sometimes harrowing, album of extremes.

when these five play together. “There’s a kind of central belief that everything that we write will basically sound like us,” he says. “There’s a kind of pin that holds everything together in some way, by virtue of the way we write together. The danger would be in making a record that’s too safe or that repeats itself, so the main thing is that we try and push the songs out further from each other.”

Q5/ The first Mint Chicks album F**k The Golden Youth was reissued earlier this year on vinyl – are you looking to revisit any other Mint Chicks albums?

That would be awesome. Those records didn’t come out on vinyl – well, Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!

did but I never actually saw it – it only came out in the States.

Personal Computer by

What Went Down by Foals is out now

Silcon is out now

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CHVRCHES Every Open Eye

CINEMA, DVDs, GAMES & MUSIC

CINEMA

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Hollywood superstar Jake Gyllenhaal’s portrayal of a tortured boxer in Southpaw makes his previous turns in blockbusters like The Day After Tomorrow and Prince of Persia look like child’s play. Never a man to do things by halves, he tells STACK what's required for such a physically and emotionally intense role, and of course how he got ‘that body.’

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interview

CINEMA

Donnie Darko

Nightcrawler

Everest

"I “It's not about a genre, or a specific character; I never go for that. For me, I want an honesty and a beating heart that exists underneath the material. I want to feel the emotion of the story. And I seek out friendship and honesty and truth.” Like the characters he is known for playing of late, Jake Gyllenhaal is a serious man. Given the level of success he's achieved you would think he’d give himself a break, but this isn’t the case. "I get down on myself," I'm no longer the person I was in movies I made ten years ago. I'm a different incarnation of that person.

meat. But that's nothing when compared to his training for Southpaw , where he reached a level of fitness a professional boxer might aspire to. “It was mostly about skill. Learning the skills, the knowledge. The ability," he explains. "I trained for five months, went to a training camp, immersed myself in that skill. Not just for the body but also for the mind. I was trying to hone the unconscious, have it become part of my routine, two times a day. And with that stuff, it just happens to your body,”

Southpaw packs an emotional punch as well as in the boxing ring. Following the murder of his wife (Rachel McAdams), Billy ‘The Great’ Hope (Gyllenhaal) is a broken man. It's less a story of redemption and more about Billy trying to salvage some part of himself, never truly recovering from the tragedy. “It's a very human story,” he says, “about fragility and loss and life. It's about the people that support you, who give you heart to get through that pain. That makes you into a champion, and ultimately a real man.” In September, Gyllenhaal will star alongside SamWorthington and Keira Knightley in epic disaster film Everest , based on the 1996 tragedy where horrific snowstorms led to the death of several climbers and their guides. Gyllenhaal describes it as a “tragic, huge movie”. When asked what brought about the desire to tackle these meatier roles, he says it is simply the passage of time. “That's all down to growth and maturity. I'm no longer the person that I was in movies I made ten years ago. I'm a different incarnation of that person. And one of the aspects that changes your career is that, in the initial stages, at the beginning, people

Southpaw

he explains, head cast downward. "I never feel like I truly get a part. Like, I really nail it. You constantly hear you should have no regrets but I do, I always do." When you consider the dedication some of his recent films have

are telling you what you fit into. That's part of it and you listen.” But from the man whose breakthrough was playing the

required, you can’t blame him for being intense – in fact, some of the preparation has bordered on madness. For 2014’s Nightcrawler , in which he plays a sinister voyeur reporting on car crashes, murders and mysterious crimes in LA's dead of night, Gyllenhaal lost a substantial 30 pounds, sustaining himself on kale salad and a little

oddball lead in indie gem Donnie Darko , did we really expect anything less?

Everest is in cinemas on Sept 17

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Adam DeVine returns as Bumper in the aca-awesome sequel that crosses all the boundaries – Pitch Perfect 2 . BUMPing IT UP!

What did you think of the script when you read it? ADAM DeVINE: Well, that’s what made me want to do the movie. Kay Cannon wrote the first script and she was writing the second one, so I knew it was going to be funny. I read the script and it was great! I was really excited and I actually have a lot more to do in the second movie. I have the love interest with Rebel, which is super fun to do because we’re good friends, so it was great to shoot a lot of scenes with her. How did Kay Cannon develop the arc going from the first Pitch Perfect to the sequel? In the first film it was sort of a “we are the troublemakers and the top dogs of campus,” and they end up finding themselves and coming together as a team to win the nationals. In Pitch Perfect 2 , this is an international competition… now they have to start from rock bottom, but if they win the international competition, they will be allowed to be reinstated for national competitions. What makes your character, Bumper, tick? I think he was wrapped up, like a lot of us do in college and when we are younger, in the social aspect of being the best at whatever you’re doing. Being popular and those sorts of things.

What did you think of Hailee Steinfeld, the new Bella? Hailee is so sweet, so great, and she’s such a good actress, too. She is like one of those people where you think, “Oh man, she’s such a good actor. I need to be a better actor. I’m so much older than her. How have I not figured it out the way she has?”

TheTone Hanger Bros: ReggieWatts, Jason Jones, Adam DeVine, John Hodgman and Joe LoTruglio.

• Pitch Perfect 2 is out on Aug 6

Your personal relationship with RebelWilson goes back before the first movie. Can you talk about that and how it affected your work? I met Rebel when she auditioned for Workaholics , and we knew we wanted her. She came in, she auditioned, she crushed it, and we gave her a guest-starring role for one episode. First day on set, we’re making out and I’m feeling her up, so we got pretty close right away! I didn’t know that we were going to be starring in two movies with each other over the next couple of years and getting really close. I think it helped

with the dynamic, especially in this movie. We had a scene where we had to make out and look lovingly into each other’s eyes.

It just didn’t feel weird because we were close enough that it was funny and we understood what we were doing. It would’ve been a weird thing if we didn’t like each other.

What do you hope the audience will take away from this movie?

I just hope that they will laugh and love it, just like the first movie. I think that the first movie brought so much joy to people. It was really fun to have teenage girls, little kids, moms, and grown men come up to me saying they loved it. Even the Green Bay Packers, who had a cameo in the movie, said “we work out to the Pitch Perfect soundtrack.” If we catch even a part

He was all about being the best at a cappella, like he’s number one and everyone else sucks. Then he went off in the real world and realised

that he isn’t the best. He got slapped with some reality, so he comes back to the college and he’s now a security guard there.

of the magic that we had in the first movie, we’ll be doing pretty well, and quite frankly, I think, pound-for-pound, Pitch Perfect 2 is a funnier movie.

RebelWilson and Adam DeVine

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QUICK OFF THE MARK

The Avengers face some new adversaries in Age Of Ultron , including Quicksilver, played by British actor AaronTaylor- Johnson. He admits he found it a little daunting to join the superstar line-up, but the fact that his Godzilla co-star Elizabeth Olsen was also on board made things easier. How does it feel to be a new member ofThe Avengers? AARONTAYLOR-JOHNSON : I’m so excited to be part of this group. I’m excited that [ Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron director] Joss Whedon brought me along on this journey with such a great group of actors. It’s fantastic. I was watching the movie the other day and

What was it like to work with JossWhedon? He’s a genius. A real genius.

Other than your own character, who has the most interesting story arc in Avengers: Age of Ultron ? It was great to dive into Ruffalo’s character [Bruce Banner/The Hulk]. There was such a sense and sensibility in that beast, which was really emotional. It was great. How daunting was the prospect of joining such a talented and iconic cast? It’s always a little bit intimidating coming into a big cast like this, but Elizabeth Olsen and I had just worked together on Godzilla and that was a major help. It was great to have at least one friend to come into this with. It felt like having an ally, like we were in the same boat. Stepping onto the set could’ve been really scary, but everyone was lovely. It wasn’t scary at all.

Quicksilver has been really fun to portray. His super power is being as fast as the speed of sound, but he’s quick at everything

thinking, ‘Damn, we’re in another awesome movie!’ We’re lucky. It’s very, very cool. How would you describe the power of Quicksilver in Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron?

What excited you the most about portraying a new character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

It’s just Scarlet Witch [Olsen] and Quicksilver against the world and they can’t do without each other, which I love. They are twins, but there is a yin and yang aspect to the characters, which is interesting. Quicksilver is very fatherly, physical and protective over her – and she’s motherly, nurturing and caring. He’s very quick

exciting to play with this character and, more importantly, to discover who he is.

Quicksilver has been really fun to portray. His super power is being as fast

How easy was it to portray his superhero powers in the movie? I had to perfect the ‘skid-in’ and a very quick ‘dash-out’ for the film. I did a lot of the running in the movie, but it got sped up and they added blur to it. It was a lot of fun. I trained hard to have that mentality and physique by doing lots of sprinting workouts before we started the movie shoot.

tempered and hot headed, but she’s calmer, more emotional and thoughtful, so they balance each other out. You couldn’t really have Quicksilver without Scarlet Witch.

as the speed of sound, but he’s quick at everything. It’s been

• Avengers: Age Of Ultron is out on September 16

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with them. You notice that she’s looking a lot like these Warboys chasing her, and that she’s got an arm missing, and has a mechanical arm. She looks like a boy, but she’s not. I think you can tell that there’s a look of desperate revenge on her face. And I loved all of that.  Her journey starts off that way, and then, obviously, gets derailed when she runs into Max, and she all of a sudden is kind of captured by him. But then, he’s also captured by her.  They’re somewhat stuck with each other on this journey to find hope – a journey of hope in a place where there really is no hope. But she’s this kind of rogue survivor; that’s what she has always been. I think she’s lived a life filled with waiting for the perfect moment to grab her revenge. And I know, because of George telling me, that she was kidnapped to perform certain duties that she could not deliver on, and thus she was discarded in quite a terrible way. We don’t see any of that in the movie, but I think she carries a lot of that emotion with her – of being stolen and then discarded – and is just trying to find a way to rectify that for herself, emotionally. Some members of this generation are going to be meeting Mad Max for the first time in this film, as played byTom Hardy. Can you talk about working withTom and what you think he brings to this role?

CharlizeTheron's character manages to upstage the titular hero as the driving force of Mad Max: Fury Road .

When you first talked to George Miller about Max Max: Fury Road , what drew you to the project and what resonated with you about your character, Furiosa? CHARLIZETHERON: 

Yeah. I think I had ownership because George allowed me to have ownership, you know? 

As an actor, you can’t just kind of take it. I think it’s really up to the filmmaker to invite you into that, and George is absolutely fantastic

Well, the whole thing was pretty secret. There was a script, but it was really just a long storyboard. George and I had several conversations, and he communicated what he wanted to do with Furiosa, I think, later on – not necessarily even in this movie. So there was a lot of backstory that he introduced me to, and a real intrigue in what he wanted to do with the film, which felt really honest.  Every time you make a film with somebody, there is this moment where you have to kind of just jump off the cliff with them. But, in this case, I feel like we were blindfolded, because there was very little to go by, except for George as a filmmaker, which is, I think, why we all signed up. So, for me, what happened with Furiosa was that there was a grain that was really thought out, but the scenes were continuously developing over the years as this project came together. And I think it all happened for a reason, because, at the end of the day, we ended up with a character that I felt was very unique, and somewhat brutally honest. It was interesting for me to play in this world, in a genre where a character’s flaws are celebrated. Once you’d wrapped your mind around this character, did you feel an ownership of her, and did George welcome your collaboration? 

and encouraging of collaboration.  I think he really wanted that for all of us. For me as an actor, that’s

always very important.  He just loves actors, and really loves the process. I mean, we spent a lot of time sitting down one-on-one, or with the group, and just really talking. You can just see in his eyes when something kind of sparks an interest.  He grabs a lot of it, and that’s really nice, to work with a director who values actors that way. Can you talk about who Furiosa is, where she starts out, and your thoughts on the journey she takes in the film? Well, when you watch the movie, you understand certain things about her, but the film is so sparse, and that’s the beauty of it because she really is an enigma. She starts the film in overdrive, helping or kidnapping – we’re not quite sure – these brides of a dictator, Immortan Joe. She basically takes off in one of the trucks, and you don’t quite know whether these girls can trust her, or what she’s planning to do

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Yeah. I think that’s great because I remember that my parents were huge fans of the original, so I had an awareness of it through them. But there’s definitely a new generation of people who don’t even know what Mad Max is. And I think that’s the beauty of Fury Road . It’s a standalone movie, but it has elements that definitely connect to the movies from the ‘70s and ‘80s. There are nice little gems, if you know those films, but you don’t need to. And if you know those films, obviously what you know is what Mel Gibson brought to Mad Max. But I think George was incredibly smart in getting Tom to kind of reinvent this great character, this iconic character, because Tom just doesn’t play by the rules and I think you needed that in order to really create something new. It was pretty brave for him to step into shoes filled by an actor like Mel Gibson. I think it takes a really ballsy, brave actor to not be scared to bring his own thing to it, and yet, at the same time, be respectful of the character that George created with Mel back then, and hang onto the emotional drive that I think is very similar. But he really created something that is, I think, very, very deserving of a new Mad Max film. How did you find the experience of shooting the film in the deserts of Namibia, and driving theWar Rig in pretty much non-stop action?  Physically and logistically, it was definitely the hardest film that I’ve ever made. I think you can bear anything for four months, which is normal for a movie. And we shot, I want to say, six months, seven months? Most of the movie was shot in Namibia. We were really in the middle of nowhere. I think the process of making this movie,

was demanded from us every single day – helped us create these characters. I mean, everything about this movie is determined by fear. All of these people are driven by fear and not knowing. And I found my own life to be that while I was shooting it. That was definitely a strange correlation, and one that I am glad was over after eight months, to be quite honest, because it was really tough. Is there a moment that you remember during production that was particularly intense to shoot or just took your breath away? There are lot of them. We were shooting with these stunt units, and it’s pretty incredible what they were doing. I think as an actor, you kind of prepare for this stuff that you have to do, and, for me, there were these amazing moments when you see what the stunt people were doing around you that you weren’t prepared for – the work on wires and poles that they were doing in the fight sequences. Getting to do that while you were actually driving the War Rig, and having people kind of fall in and out of the truck while this fight sequence was happening, I mean, it was incredible to watch. Or watching real explosions while you’re doing an action sequence. You realise you’re really in a world. There’s no CGI. There’s no green screen. This is, really, a director giving you the opportunity to embed in a whole world. And, as an actor, that’s such a great gift. There was an element of everybody, in a safe way, wanting to really kind of push this film, and for us, on a physical level, we felt that every single day. There’s a scene where we’re driving the War Rig and I have to hold Tom up when he’s falling out of the truck. And because of my character’s mechanical arm, I was attached to him on a wire, but the wire did drop a little too far below so I had to extend my body out of the window. I mean, I think I was prepared for all of this stuff, but while we were in it, it was a little hairy. What do you think audiences have to look forward to when they experience Mad Max: Fury Road , and what do hope they take away from it?  I hope that the movie speaks to an audience on individual terms, because, for myself, as a moviegoer, that’s why I love movies. So, to say what I hope they take away from it, that’s kind of killing the magic of why I think we make movies. We all go sit in a dark room, and a story takes us somewhere, or does something to us – moves us, makes us angry, makes us laugh. And then we walk out and have disagreements about it. And I think that’s the beauty of film. So, I hope moviegoers experience all of those things.

too, was very unusual. I don’t think any of us, as actors, has ever experienced a process like this – not really having a script, not necessarily having scene numbers. The demand was to kind of show up and just be in this movie, not necessarily be in the scene you’re shooting that day. We were really living in this world the entire time that we were shooting, for 130 days. So, it was exhausting at times. For everything that we lacked in dialogue, we definitely made up for in physical contact, brute force, and just being in the desert. There was a physical aspect to this character I had to keep up – upper body strength and a physical look – that was hard because it’s not necessarily easy for my female body to maintain. We were meant to shoot this movie three years earlier, and that was like the perfect time in my life, when I wanted to kind of set off and just live in a tent in the middle of a desert by myself. But then, by the time we actually made the movie, my life was quite a bit changed. I had just become a new mom, and I had different responsibilities. So, mentally, it was a little tricky for me to get my head around it. But, for me, I think all that really helped the movie. Being on that road and the fear we all felt as actors – the not necessarily knowing what

• Mad Max: Fury Road is out Sept 2

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NORMAN REEDUS, Daryl

What did you think when you read the premiere episode? I read the first script – it’s insane. I read the second script – and it’s insane. It is one of those scripts you have to put down every couple of pages to think about it. Fans are going to freak out. The premiere episode is written by Scott Gimple... The way Scott Gimple puts them together is so genius. Every little thing means something. He is really good at throwing people in different directions and you never exactly know where you are going to land. When you speculate what is going to happen, it ends up being completely different. How did Daryl’s time with Beth change him? It changed him a lot. Beth gave him hope that the world wasn’t as bad as he was thinking it was. Even if it is, she hinted that maybe it doesn’t have to be. Do you think Daryl could be the last man standing? That is probably his greatest fear – to be left alone. When you see characters that have been through a lot and they are trying to be better human beings – that is uplifting. He is definitely an underdog. I can see how people relate to him. Do you guys play jokes on each other? Yes, when there were particularly heavy scenes, I would lean over Andy [Lincoln] and whisper, ‘Love You.’

Tell us where Rick is at the beginning of Season Five. Rick is very much back. He has made peace with the fact that there is a very brutal ANDREW LINCOLN, Rick

What did you think when you read the premiere episode? My first thought was, "how are

we going to shoot this?!" My second thought was, "how is this going to fit in 47 minutes?!" The first three episodes are the strongest we’ve ever had. It’s an astonishing, kinetic, thrill ride, but with incredibly detailed character development and really smart storytelling. It’s nothing short

side to him, but he has a humane side too. Both are acceptable to him in his world view. Rick is one of these people who keeps finding himself at the edge of this immoral precipice, and throws himself off of it for the sake of his family and his friends, who are now family.

of insane. I truly feel it is our best season yet. It’s great to come into a show at Season Five and be more excited about it than ever.   What is one of the greatest misconceptions about The Walking Dead ? That it is genre. I don’t see it as genre. It is none  of the stereotypes of genre. It is the opposite.  It is about human beings’ adaptability. Are you afraid of more character deaths this season? Everyone reads the scripts going, "there are a lot of us here..."  We all live in fear.

So Rick is at peace, with a little bit of madness inside him?

The most exciting thing this season is you meet a man who is trapped in the most dangerous situation he has ever been in, and yet he is at his most confident and calm. I’m interested in the guy who keeps reinventing his moral code to suit his needs. When that comes up against other people in the group or in the world, what does that cause?

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Where is Glenn when we start this season? Where we left off last season is a very STEVEN YEUN, Glenn

What are you most excited about with your character, Glenn?

How was the first day of production? It’s happy smiles, high fives, and back to work. Everybody is here, too many. That’s never good.

I’m excited to show other sides of Glenn. The first and second seasons you got to see the light, brash side of him. Then in the third and fourth seasons, we focused on his growth and evolution. This season you get to see a well- rounded, overall fully realised person. What can you tell fans about Season Five? It jumps off where we left off and keeps going at that pace. The beauty of this show is the fact that it is a curve ball at every circumstance, at any moment. You have to watch closely.

What are you looking forward to

doing in the premiere episode? I’m excited to get to the crazy action of it all. This episode is very physical and action-packed. It is a great welcome to the season. This one is definitely a heavy hitter.

good indicator of his disposition going forward. He just went through the toughest test of faith. That solidified a hope that this world can still be good, that there is still something to fight for. There is still humanity left in the world.

MELISSA MCBRIDE, Carol

How do you handle being on such a heavy, serious show? I have always preferred stuff that makes me go to the core of the human experience. In all my work, I have a tendency to deal with the hardest and most profound questions of humanity. I like going into those questions. I think they are important. And we have so much fun. The role of Michonne is also very physical. I like being exhausted as an artist. I come from theatre. I want to be tapped out at the end of the day. That means I gave Michonne all I had.

Where is Carol mentally at the start of Season Five? The great thing about Carol is that she is prepared to do anything. It’s coming to terms with the fact that this is the way the world is. This is what you have to do now. She has come to a place of courage to be able to do those tough things. It comes from a place of caring. What is it like to be shooting in the city? They are going back to the place they were running away from. I love all the different locations we have this season.  

DANAI GURIRA, Michonne

How does Michonne feel about what Rick did to save his son in Season Four? Sometimes you have to have a brutal response. Her man did not go to that extent for her son. She has an understanding of what Rick needed to do. Where is Michonne in Season Five? She is fully committed. These are the people she chooses in this realm. She almost lost them, and she felt that loss. She is not going to let that happen again. The question is how does she respond to various situations and circumstances now that she is integrated into the group.

What surprised you most last season? Carol never expected that Tyreese would forgive her.

Michonne is without her Katana. Michonne is powerful beyond a weapon.

What has been one of the greatest compliments a fan has told you?

That Michonne transcends race and gender. That really touched me to hear that. That means Michonne is getting rid of the categories a little bit. It’s a beautifully multi-ethnic cast. Not just my character, but many characters in this show are transcending those categories. I love that.

• The Walking Dead :Season 5 is out Sept 2

MICHAEL CUDLITZ, Sgt. Abraham Ford

There are three alpha males – Rick, Daryl and Abraham. There is conflict everywhere. Do we learn more about Abraham’s backstory this season? He is ex-Army like the comic book. The rest may or may not be the same. There is a lot going on under the surface of Abraham. What that is... we will see as the series unfolds. Do you worry that your character will be killed off? Everyone is here on borrowed time, everyone.

comics will always be a part of the [television characters] in some way. To be informed as you can from that standpoint helps everyone have a much richer experience. What do you think makes The Walking Dead so successful? It is good storytelling. Ultimately, it does not have to do with the walkers. It has to do with people, how we structure society, and what happens when social norms and governments break down. We are forced to deal with each other.

Is the comic book part of your research? If we can be in touch with what is going on in the comics, even if it is not written in the script, there are elements you can call upon. That is very satisfying for the comic book readers. Robert Kirkman created these characters. The

What did you think after you read the premiere episode? I think it is possibly one of the most satisfying hours of television I’ve ever read. There are so many moments where you will have genuine excitement for what is happening. Things you want to happen, do happen; and things you can’t believe happen, happen.

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