We’ve already heard from creator of the Kick-Ass comics Mark Miller and now it’s the turn of the three main cast members. We were there to witness some of the final battle sequence which takes place in the Red Mist’s (now The Motherf*cker) evil lair. The good guys were all dressed in their superhero outfits, with the bad guys looking particularly vicious, welding steel bars and readying to take their positions for what will undoubtedly be an epic battle in the finished film.
We got to see a few takes where Aaron Johnson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse’s stunt doubles went head to head. Not long after this, those same men were both outside gasping for air as the wet suit and the brand new leather fetish suit modeled by The Motherf*cker were beginning to take their toll! Chloe Mortz Hit Girl was also on the stage, alongside her stunt double, but our eyes were immediately drawn to the Russian actress who plays Mother Russia. When you see this character in the movie, you may begin to worry whether Hit Girl will come out ok!
We chatted to Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Chloe Moretz about how their characters have changed since the first movie and what we can expect from this second instalment.
How does it feel to be back in the costumes?
Chris – It looks great but after two takes of doing stunts you’re just a pile of sweat. It’s crazy and kind of a hassle!
Aaron – Yeah. I’m on my second or third wetsuit. It’s a surreal feeling stepping back into it, and doesn’t feel like it’s been four years.
Chris – For me it does! I was waiting from day one after that shoot going “let’s get on the second one!” It’s taken four years but it’s looking amazing.
Chloe – It’s been so much fun being back on set in the costume.
How have your characters grown since the first movie?
Aaron: It’s odd for me because it’s the first time I’ve gone back into a character I’ve done before and generally I like to do different roles and change it up a bit. It’s more challenging, interesting and different so I didn’t realise how I could attack it this time. I think it’s still a challenge to create that person that’s familiar and take him that extra step further in a journey.
I think in this one he’s trying to come to terms with becoming a man. In the first one, it’s Dave Lizewski creating his alter-ego which is Kick-Ass. In this one, it’s Kick-Ass trying to working out who Dave Lizewski is and can he take the consequences for his actions and kind of grow up a bit. Also, does he pursue it as his future?
Chloe – My character has taken a considerable arc. In the first film you saw a lot more Hit-Girl and not a lot of Mindy, maybe two times in the whole movie. In this movie you see way more of Mindy. You see this young girl struggling with who she is, questioning if she was she brainwashed by her father when she was younger. Now that she’s older, is she still brainwashed, or is she choosing to be a vigilante? She’s trying to figure out who she is. Obviously you get all the cool fight scenes too…
Chris, you’re looking more mature than the first one…
Aaron – You mean the beard makes him look more mature?! Fluff!
Chris – This is dirt that someone throw in my face! This one takes place two or three years after the first comic so everyone has grown up a little bit. My dad has passed away so all the characters have pretty much matured. My mum threw away my Red Mist costume and she’s like a pill popping, booze drinking crazy person now so ‘The Motherf*cker’ has a lot of sh*t to deal with.
Aaron – I think it’s interesting that everyone else has matured, but the main part of my character’s journey in this is that everyone else around him has grown up and is going elsewhere with a future plan, yet he doesn’t really know what he’s doing. He’s trying to work out what his future might be.
Was there ever a time when you thought there wouldn’t be a sequel?
Chris – Yeah, when I saw the box-office numbers (they weren’t bad). 19 million [$] opening weekend in The States, but they were hoping for a lot more and it didn’t hit that mark. A lot of people downloaded it and bought it off iTunes so we got a huge following off that.
Chloe – It’s funny because people have grown up with Hit-Girl. I was eleven during the first one, now I’m fifteen and people still go ‘No way man… that’s crazy!’ It’s interesting, and I’ve got an amazing fan group from this. They can freak out and say “can you hit me?”. Someone actually said, “can you just punch me in the face?”
Chloe, do you have any new curse words in this movie to rival the first?
Chloe – Ah, she gets a few new ones, bu
t really she just gets more creative. I don’t cuss in my own time. It’s not a thing that I do. It’s effecting me more now than it did when I was a little kid, it kind of gets inside my head. [Hit Girl] only cusses about six times, but each one is really pivotal, and it’s not like in this film she’s dropping it in all the time.
t really she just gets more creative. I don’t cuss in my own time. It’s not a thing that I do. It’s effecting me more now than it did when I was a little kid, it kind of gets inside my head. [Hit Girl] only cusses about six times, but each one is really pivotal, and it’s not like in this film she’s dropping it in all the time.Chloe, are you prepared to fight Mother Russia?
Chloe – It was interesting because in the first film it was all about gun control and knife control, but in this film there’s more hand-to-hand combat. It was cool to learn a whole new skill set. You have things like kung-fu punches and this military stuff.
Can you tell us how has the bar been raised in this movie?
Aaron – I think in the first one was out-there and original. It turned heads and people are expecting that level of shock factor. We stand out from any other commercial type of movie because we’re aiming for an R and a 15 so we can add more violence in, and make it more realistic.
There’s more of a story this time around. Chris’ character is seeking revenge and Hit Girl is trying to work out how Mindy Macready will fit in high-school. I think there’s a real journey so it’s not just one fight after the next. Mark Miller and John Romita Jr. introduced the Super Villains and Justice Forever. They got Jim Carrey on board and he brings that kooky style that Nic Cage brought to the first movie.
Chris, Where did your new uniform come from?
Chris – It was my mum’s! Jeff wrote a hilarious moment in the script where my mum tossed it away, something happens to her and I’m going through her stuff and I find her fetish gear, which makes up my Red Mist costume. My security guard wants to throw it away but I see it and I see there’s something there and I create this outfit.
If you make a third film, will you become a real action hero?
Aaron – I’ll be the size of Tom Hardy! [Laughs]
What’s it been like working with Jim Carrey?
Aaron – Good man. We’re really lucky to have him on board. It was kind of missing that element that we had in the first one where we had Nic [Cage]. He brought that, real wonderful kookiness to the first one. Doing that Adam West impression where we all thought “what the f*uck is he doing, can he not just say a sentence properly ” before realising it was a really smart move on his part. It got all the fanboys going as well and it worked really well. Carrey has brought the same sort of energy.
You’ve got these great drawings from John Romita Jr. in the comic book of this guy and he’s taken it from there really. Doing all the prosthetics. Carrey’s really in his element. He’s super funny, super quick and allows you to have time to do improv with him.
How has Jeff Wadlow been different to working with Matthew Vaughn?
Chloe – They both have this passion for the project and for the comic book. They want to breathe life into what was on the page. We all know our characters so well and it’s great to have a fresh set of eyes on the project and when he cuts it’s like “CUT! YEAH! That was AWESOME!”
Going from one really big project to another, how do you prepare from one completely different film to the next?
Chloe – That’s what I love doing. When I do any character I learn something new. I’m stretching my emotions and my ability. I’m finding new emotions. Hugo was light and sweet, Dark Shadows was this snotty, rich girl. It’s interesting trying different things. I get bored if I don’t. It was interesting coming back to this character, and we tried to find something other than being the same girl I was. It’s more fun to see something a little newer, a little fresher.
Aaron – I think Matthew is still hugely a part of it, producing this.
Chris – He watches all the dailies.
Aaron – They’re really in tune creatively. Jeff Wadlow stepped forward with a fantastic screenplay. Without that we wouldn’t be here, and I think Matthew said that all along, “I’m not going to make another one unless it’s as good as the first.” He needed to raise the bar and Jeff did and he’s been fantastic.
Chris – The great thing is we have the same producers, same sound guys, same makeup ladies, set designers and costumes. Everything is the same!
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Kick-Ass 2 hits UK cinemas 14th August.
