After years of waiting, comic book fans will finally get to see six of their favorite superheroes team up in Marvel's The Avengers, opening in theaters May 4. The adventure follows the six heroes—Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow—as they put aside their differences in order to save the world from destruction. Thor’s villainous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has set his sights on conquering Earth. Now it’s up to the Avengers to stop him before it’s too late.
Filmmakers have been building up to an Avengers movie since 2008, with the release of the first Iron Man film. Since then, the remaining super-powered team members have been introduced in their own big-screen origin stories. Returning to their action-packed roles in The Avengers are Chris Hemsworth as Thor, the hammer-wielding god of thunder; Robert Downey Jr. as genius billionaire Tony Stark/Iron Man; Chris Evans as super soldier Captain America; Jeremy Renner as expert archer Agent Clint Barton/Hawkeye; and Scarlett Johansson as skilled assassin Agent Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. New to the Marvel movie world is Mark Ruffalo. The actor plays scientist Bruce Banner, otherwise known as the Incredible Hulk, an angry green giant with powers of mass destruction.
The movie also features actor Clark Gregg, who played Agent Phil Coulson in both Iron Man films and in Thor. Agent Coulson is the one who keeps all of the super-sized personalities in check. TFK Kid Reporter Jack Wetzel sat down with the actor in Beverly Hills, California, to chat about the movie.
TFK:
You have played Agent Phil Coulson in four movies, counting this one. What makes The Avengers so special?
CLARK GREGG:
I feel like all of the movies have been leading up to this. I don't know of any other movie where they introduced each of the characters in an origin movie, and then brought them all together in a way that makes for a deeper story. People already know Agent Coulson a little bit. So when they see him, they know what he's thinking already. It was really fun [to do this movie] for that reason.
TFK:
Who is your favorite Avenger?
GREGG:
That's really tricky. The Avengers is kind of a dysfunctional family. So while most days Agent Romanoff is my favorite Avenger, it really shifts. Different days, different people are getting on your nerves, and different people are showing up for you and sharing their toys.
TFK:
I thought you were going to say Captain America.
GREGG:
I do love me some Captain America. You're right! My character, Agent Coulson, grew up reading comics, so when [Captain America] is thawed from the ice and he’s getting to hang out with him, he’s a little blown away.
TFK:
What was your favorite scene to film in the movie?
GREGG:
There's a scene where my character gets a very unusual weapon and has to confront a very frightening person. We've seen Coulson do that before in Thor, with the Destroyer, but this was even cooler. I only had a megaphone and a pistol in Thor, and in this one I have a much cooler weapon. I've been kind of waiting [for my character to get] to front off with someone.
TFK:
Did you read Marvel comics when you were young?
GREGG:
I did. I was a big Iron Man fan. I liked a guy named Iron Fist, who's in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated show that I'm doing. I liked a guy named Warlock. I read bunches of them. I liked the art a lot.
TFK:
You've been in a ton of TV shows and movies. What got you interested in acting?
GREGG:
I definitely am a little bit of a cut-up; I joke around a lot. I like doing that, trying to make people laugh.
TFK:
What did your parents think about you going into acting?
GREGG:
I think that they were concerned that I would starve, and that it was just another thing I was doing to avoid growing up. I can't disagree with them. But I'm pretty grown up, and it's still working out.
TFK:
What advice do you have for kids who are interested in becoming actors when they're older?
GREGG:
I think the mistake a lot of people do is they start too early and put all of their focus on trying to be an actor. I didn't start acting when I was 5 or 7 or 10. I had a life. I went to college. I lived in New York. I saw a lot of art and listened to a lot of music. I read a lot of books. For me, when I did decide to be an actor, I got to bring a little bit more to the characters that I play.
Marvel's The Avengers is rated PG-13. The movie is playing in IMAX 3-D theaters. Also starring Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill.