STACK New Zealand December Issue 69

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Is this your first superhero movie?
MICHAEL DOUGLAS: I’ve never
done an effects movie before, so this
is my first. I was very envious of Jack
Nicholson when he played the Joker
and Danny DeVito when he played the
Penguin. I remember them telling me
how much fun it was, so I was very
excited to add at least one of these
super-action superhero pictures to my
résumé.
Ant-Man is more light-hearted in
tone than some of the other movies
in Marvel Cinematic Universe.Was it
the humour that attracted you to this
superhero project?
The humour was definitely appealing,
but I was more interested in the idea
of being in an effects movie. I was also
really interested in being in a studio
tent-pole film after a few years of being
more involved with indie pictures. I’m
certainly overwhelmed by the success
that Marvel has had and how well
they do these movies. It’s been a joy
to watch and study how they mold a
picture together.
What do your children think of your
role in Ant-Man?Were they excited
to see their father in a superhero
blockbuster?
This movie gives me a new
credibility with my son and his
buddies, which is great. Up until now,
most of my career has been R-rated,
so neither my kids nor any of their
friends have seen a whole lot of
what I’ve done. My 14-year-old’s
reaction was like an agent.
He said, “You know what,
Dad? This could be a
whole new audience for
you.” I took that to heart
and here I am.
There’s a fatherhood theme that runs
through the film. How does that add
to the movie’s appeal?
I thought it gave the movie a lot of
heart. It’s certainly been an issue that
was touched on with Iron Man to some
degree, but I don’t think to the level that
it is in Ant-Man. I think the complexities
of my relationship with my daughter,
Hope, and the parallel relationships
that Scott Lang [played by Paul
Rudd] has with his family are very
interesting. I think it grounds the
picture and gives it an emotional
level that is viable. It’s an asset.
What do you think of Paul’s
performance as Ant-Man?
Paul Rudd is great.
He brings an everyman
quality to the
superhero. He’s got a
great self-deprecating
sense of humor and he
worked his way into
unbelievable shape for
the role. He doesn’t try to
play it smart; he just has
an everyman quality about
him, which I think is very,
very appealing. When you
watch him, as the character
rises to the qualities of being
with MICHAEL DOUGLAS
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