Avengers get back to work

Superhero fans are in for a wild treat next week as the long awaited second instalment in the Marvel Comics “Avengers” franchise hits screens worldwide.
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” is a satisfying follow-up to the hit 2012 movie. It starts when Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program but the technology backfires and creates a villain set to destroy the world. Super heroes including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to the Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action see them embroiled in a global adventure.
Written and directed by Joss Whedon, the film sees a return of its original cast with Robert Downey Jr playing as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk and Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.
Evans and Ruffalo attended a promotional event in Seoul last week and found time to sit down with The Nation to talk about their roles.

How does it feel to be in Seoul?
Evans: I was here shooting last year, and this is my third time. It’s is a beautiful city and we got such a good welcome at the airport that I felt at home right away. Anytime we have a huge set that disrupts everyone in the city, we feel this kind of responsible. But the people here are very forgiving.
Ruffalo: This is my first time and I like it! I got to go to a Korean barbecue last night and I was informed quickly on Instagram that it’s not called Korean barbecue in Korea – just barbecue.

Was in fun working with director Joss Whedon again?
Evans: You really feel like you’re back in school! It’s not an easy job for anyone on set, especially for Joss, because this is not “get to know your face” anymore. We’re already friends and in this movie there are a lot more scenes as a group than there were on the first film. If you get more than three or four of us together, it’s hard to work. And Joss is the one who has to come in and say “Hey guys, let’s get some work done”. No one else wants to do it; the producers wait for Joss to come in and be the bad guy. But he does it in a nice, cool way like a nice teacher who has had enough. It’s very easy to let your immaturity kick in when you’re in that group.
Ruffalo: Joss knows and loves serious literature, serious playwrights and serious pieces of work. Those are his reference points so as a writer, he’s constructing something that’s incredibly complex and doing it in a way that makes us feel like we don’t know why it’s working so well. He is telling big stories with grand themes that are culturally acceptable to everybody and that, in itself, is a huge feat.

We get to know your characters better in this film. How does Hulk deal with his anger now?
Ruffalo: There are a whole lot of things that he does to help control it. He meditates and he does deep breathing. A lot of it is his feeling of wellbeing within the group. He’s never felt so much at home and part of a group before and he really buys the idea that he has made a leap. This is especially true of what is happening with Black Widow and Hulk being able to use her as a partner in this. They’re experimenting with how to control Hulk but he’s in a great place in his life and because of that he feels more able to join the world. We finally managed to find a very scientific way of dealing with the pant-ripping part.

Bruce Banner also found friendship with Tony Stark.
Ruffalo: Yeah, I think it’s the first time in a long time that he’s felt comfortable and safe and this can be problematic, as you will see in the movie. He wants to have a normal life and almost tricks himself into thinking that he is having a normal life, but the big green guy decides otherwise. In a weird way Banner has a tempering effect on Tony and Tony has a livening affect on Banner. They come to a nice balance in this and they work really well together.

Tell us about the kissing scene between Hulk and Black Widow.
Ruffalo: That’s one of the movie’s magic moments and one that I’ll be regretting for the rest of my life because the day that we shot that scene Scarlett wasn’t available. Although the girl I had to kiss was very sweet and looked a great deal like Scarlett from behind, it wasn’t Scarlett. She will be forever mourning the loss of not being able to kiss me.

What about Captain America, the leader of the group?
Evans: The difficult part [of being in a group of superheroes] is probably to direct, and sometimes the Cap has to do that. I think he’s always found a certain comfort within a hierarchy, structure and chain of command. And when the things he trusted are pulled out from underneath him, he feels a little aimless. But that only compounds his trust and reliance on this team of Avengers. They become his family, the rock he leans upon.
Steve Rogers is still trying to figure out where he belongs. He’s always been a soldier and he fits well in that format. He enjoys structure and he enjoys having orders and a plan. Without that he feels uncertain and he is still searching for whether or not he can have a life outside of being Captain America. He’s been of service for so long that trying to figure out what he would do without his uniform and shield is a bit of a puzzle.
    
Did you get to keep something from the set as souvenir?
Evans: No! Hemsworth said he kept something! They lent it to him and he never gave it back, so he had the suit and the hammer. But they gave me the shield on my birthday, which was very sweet.

Chris, tell us about your move towards directing.
Evans: I didn’t realise it was wanted I wanted to do until maybe halfway through my acting career. I had been making films for seven or eight years and directing was something I eventually wanted to do. Making the movie as an actor, you’re one small piece of the puzzle. You work on the film and then you hand it over, and you don’t see it again for six months. It is a rewarding experience because I do love act, but I also really enjoy making things. As a director you get to create the film. You’re involved in every decision and there’s a much deeper level of satisfaction in that involvement.

Will there be more Hulk movies after this?
Ruffalo: I don’t know. Marvel doesn’t own the rights to Hulk, it’s Universal’s, so there’s an issue there. But I’m still happy running around with my fellow superheroes. I’ve signed for six movies as Hulk and now I’ve done two. The next ones could be more “Avengers” or stand-alone Hulk, or Hulk in “Iron Man” or “Thor” movies. As an actor you don’t really have that much control. You have some control, but you sort of ride on a wave of the culture. The culture dictates the popularity of the films – not the studios or the actors. Actors, to some degree, are engaging in riding that wave. I like to ride a bunch of different waves. This doesn’t define what I am. I love to act; I’ll just keep going where the heart takes me.