Jason Statham, Paul Feig and Bobby Cannavale Spy Interview at SXSW

Hollywood Journal

Director Paul Feig and Jason Statham discuss the transition from comedy to action film making and Bobby Cannavale tells us what it takes to play a villain in the upcoming action comedy, Spy.

Transcript

00:00Paul Fee, the guy behind Bridesmaids and The Heat.

00:03His new movie is Spy, so naturally I had to ask.

00:07What made you want to do a spy movie?

00:09I'm a big Bond fanatic, I'm a big Bourne fanatic.

00:12I just love action movies,

00:14but knew nobody was gonna really let me make

00:16one of those movies, so I was like,

00:18well, I like working with all these funny women,

00:19why don't I just write kind of a, you know,

00:21this female spy movie, but about a character

00:24that I could really relate to.

00:25Did you come up with the Popemobile line?

00:30Dammit, put your roof on a scooter, what are you, the Pope?

00:33Uh, yeah, I think I did, actually, yeah.

00:35Jason Statham, the guy your girlfriend wishes

00:38she was dating instead.

00:39He also stars in Spy.

00:40Jason, we always know you as like a total badass,

00:43and now we see you in this role.

00:45What was it like making that transition?

00:47You never understand what's gonna happen,

00:48because these are people that know what they're doing

00:50and great at what they do,

00:51and I don't wanna come in and screw up their movie.

00:53You know, falling flat on my face and doing silly things

00:55is what I thought I was gonna be doing.

00:57It was totally the opposite, you know,

00:58we're playing things really straight and cool

01:00and everything looks cool,

01:02and you don't feel like you're making a comedy

01:03until you're giving the lines the same.

01:05And then it all falls apart.

01:07And then it all goes in.

01:09Get your hands off my boobs!

01:10I'm saving you!

01:11Bobby Cannavale.

01:12Holy head of hair.

01:14Bobby, we know you as a bad guy, obviously,

01:16from Boardwalk, that kind of instilled it in us.

01:18You play another one in this film.

01:20What are some tips for like being the bad guy?

01:23Sharp dressing, personal grooming, and stillness, I guess.

01:27You know, I think good bad guys usually are very economical

01:31with their movements.

01:32And what was the chemistry like on set?

01:34It's fantastic, you know?

01:35I mean, I think Melissa's just brilliant

01:38and she's somebody that you can go along with her

01:40because you feel like you know her.

01:41I just hear my mom's voice.

01:42Give up on your dreams, Susan.

01:44Just to write that in my lunchbox.

01:46And really, Statham playing that role

01:47was what really made me really, really wanna do it.

01:49Oh, yeah.

01:50Oh, man.

01:51It's almost like you could've signed on to this movie

01:54not knowing it was a comedy.

01:56Do you know what I mean?

01:56Yeah, yeah.

01:57He just played it straight.

01:58It is like he played it straight, you know?

01:59But he sounds so hardcore that you go like,

02:02no matter what your boast is, you go like,

02:05yeah, I think that probably did happen to him.

02:07A real spy, I once drove a car off a freeway

02:10on top of a train while I was on fire.

02:12Not the car.

02:13I was on fire.

02:14I'm starting to freak me out.

02:16Spies in theaters this Friday.

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