STACK NZ Dec #58

Meetthe four other Guardians ofthe Galaxy.

Gamora Played by Zoe Saldana Saldana already had plenty of otherworld experience, from her starring roles as Neytiri in James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar and as Uhura in the rebooted StarWars . A deadly green-skinned assassin, she is the daughter of the evilThanos but really has a heart of gold and plays an important role in making the others see that they must do something collectively about stopping planets of people from dying at the hands of the main baddie Ronan. “As a woman who grew up loving action movies, I have always longed to see more female characters in action roles,” she says. “Women don’t have to be the damsels in distress.They can do a Marvel movie and play a badass character if they’re willing to put the work in.”

Peter Quill Played by Chris Pratt Rogue-ish Quill is the leader of the Guardians, a space adventurer who was abducted from Earth at the age of nine by alien outlaws. “He’s very much a kid at heart,” says Pratt. “He’s never known his father, he’s sucked away into space just as his mother dies. He has spent all his life being told to toughen up and has a false sense of bravado as a result. But deep down he is lonely, and while he’s a guy traveling in space getting to do whatever he wants, he misses his family, his community, and through the course of the story he learns to care again and that there’s more to life than just taking and doing exactly what you want.”

Was there a defining moment when you decided you wanted to try acting? I’d done a few bits and pieces, some TV stuff, when I was with the WWE but still I had no interest in pursuing acting. Then I did a cameo in a movie which was not a great movie; it was called The Wrong Side Of Town and I did a cameo in it as a favor for a friend. I went to shoot it on the first day and I realized how bad I was at acting. I thought it would be easy, for some reason, but I could feel how horrible I was. I was a little bit embarrassed. But I usually find that I want to pursue things that I’m terrible at because it’s a challenge for me. It was a defining moment because I realized I sucked as an actor.

Guardians Of The Galaxy is out on DVD and Blu-ray on December 3

Groot Voiced by Vin Diesel

Grood is an advanced humanoid tree creature, who can only say one thing:“I am Groot”. Diesel admits that Groot’s one line of dialogue sold him on the character. “How they were able to reinforce the theme, the meaning and the message of the whole movie in one line of character dialogue impressed me,” he says. “And how that line translates in the third act is really going to be something that allows the audience to feel like they are part of this world and understand the stakes and what the characters are going through.”

Rocket Voiced by Bradley Cooper Rocket is a genetically altered, cybernetically enhanced talking raccoon. Director James Gunn says it was Cooper’s ability to switch between comedy and drama that made him the perfect choice to provide his voice. “The whole process is so new to me,” admits Cooper. “It’s like an education every time and it’s interesting.There’s a lot of humour and a lot of heart in this movie.”

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