HIGH DEF UNIVERSE

Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?  With the 3D Super Set and Blu-ray Combo Pack of Iron Man 3 about to be released, Guy Pearce– who plays Aldrich Killian in the movie – talks about the epic superhero project…

What physical and emotional challenges did you face in tackling the role of Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3?

As far as challenges go, there’s quite a lot of green screen work on a movie like this. I’d done a bit of green screen acting before and, on some level, it’s actually fun because you’re relying on your imagination. With this movie, it wasn’t so extreme that you were trying to imagine a person in front of you that actually wasn’t there or anything like that. But you’ve got a visual effects team working away constantly, and they’re constantly showing you previews of the scene you’re meant to be doing and then how it’s actually meant to look. You’re in really good hands in a visual sense.

How does it feel to jump onboard a superhero franchise for its third installment?

I think the interesting thing about this is the fact that there are two previous films that were both very successful. Rebecca [Hall, who plays Maya Hansen in Iron Man 3] and I had seen both of those films, and we were both big fans of them. We really admired them, so it was interesting to step into something that already existed.

What was it like to walk on to the set of Iron Man 3 for the first time? And how easy was it to get used to the Marvel style of moviemaking?

I don’t know if you get the sense of what Marvel moviemaking is like, necessarily. [Iron Man 3 director and co-screenwriter] Shane Black and Robert Downey Jr. were leading the charge – but in the end, lots of films feel the same once you’re standing there in front of the camera. You just try to be convincing and do what you need to do.

Did you have any trepidation about stepping into such a huge franchise?

You feel nervous about any film you take on. However, I think if I feel inspired enough by a job to want to take it on, then you’re prepared to face any of the concerns that you have. I don’t think I had any concerns that would have stopped me from doing Iron Man 3. I’m certainly aware that there are a lot of fans behind comic strip films and these Iron Man films, but you know you’re in good hands with these guys. Ultimately, you just want to make sure you can bring a truth to the character you’re playing.

What were your inspirations from your character: reality, the comics, or the script?

My inspirations came purely from the script. I was never a comic strip fan. I spoke to the Marvel guys when we first started and I had a look at them [the comics] – but, in a way, I find that the script has to be the motivation on any job because if it isn’t then you’re in trouble. There had obviously been a lot of work done prior to me jumping on board the movie, where the writers spent time picking and choosing the best bits [from the comic book world] to formulate into a script. For me, it sometimes confuses things to go back to the source material and start pulling it apart because you then have to go backwards through the process that these guys have gone through.

What else inspired your portrayal of Aldrich Killian?

To be honest, the true inspiration was sitting down with Shane Black. We had a meeting, and at that time I hadn’t even seen the script yet – but Shane ran me through the story and the whole thing sounded fascinating to me. I got what I needed from that meeting. When I looked at the script, we also started discussing it – just to make sure that everything I thought I understood was right. I also had some chats with [co-screenwriter] Drew Pearce to be clear about everything.

Your character appears in the first and third acts of the movie, leaving 13 years of unspoken backstory and development that doesn’t appear on screen. How much of that backstory did you work out when you discussed the character with the screenwriters?

We just talked about the development of the company that he had begun and the effects that Extremis had over that period of time. You also see the progression of Aldrich’s look, so it was just a matter of talking through that and making sure we understood it. We talked about when Pepper Potts [played by Gwyneth Paltrow] would have worked for Killian and for how long. But it was all fairly straightforward to understand. 

What are the most important elements to a villain?

That depends on the movie. And it depends on the story, I suppose. I guess it’s ultimately about being able to undercut who your heroic character is. It’s also about the threat, or what they offer as a threat. The thing about Aldrich is that I don’t know whether he entirely knows how far he wants to go.

What do you mean by that?

Well, something that’s dangerous about Aldrich is that he’s propelled at the beginning of the story to get himself out of this ‘black hole’ that he’s in – and that’s amplified by Tony [Stark] turning his back on him. Like a lot of people who obtain power on a particular level, I think knowing where to stop becomes the issue. Self-control is probably something that is questionable in a lot of villains.

The Extremis storyline is an interesting theme in the movie. Do you think science is dangerous?

I guess it certainly can be if it’s in the wrong hands. Technology and any of sort of development can potentially go one way or another, couldn't it? Just look at the internet…