‘Avengers’ directors Anthony and Joe Russo said ‘Endgame’ won’t only be sad, it will also make you laugh.
“Joe and I always try to strive for balance in storytelling,” explained Anthony Russo.”
“I think you can see that in our other MCU movies. We like movies that make you laugh, make you cry, make you think, scare you, excite you etc. So, that’s something we really chase in how we craft our narratives and hopefully this one delivers that kind of experience.”
Scarlett Johansson has starred as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow since she made an appearance in “Iron Man 2” in 2010. Johansson admits, when she first signed on, she was nervous ‘fans wouldn’t accept her’.
“These characters mean a lot to people,” she said. “When I first signed on 10 years ago, I remember I was terrified that I wouldn’t be accepted by the fans because the character is so meaningful and we have this idea of what we want the character to be and I’m guilty of the same thing whether it’s a book that gets adapted or someone in your favorite comic book. When you grew up with these characters and you imagine them in your mind and then you see them on screen, I didn’t know I was going to be able to fill those shoes. So, 10 years later to kind of take this journey with everyone and see how important these characters continue to be and how important these films are to the audience and to fans is mind blowing. I mean, it’s really amazing how impactful it can be.”
Danai Gurira who stars as “Black Panther’s” Okoye will always remember traveling to Africa with Lupita Nyong’o and how impactful the characters were in Nigeria.
“The beauty of what I’ve seen is that it’s been across the African diaspora as well,” said Gurira, “Me and Lupita (Nyong’o) were in Nigeria and we were just researching for a whole other project but it was right after it had come out and they were like trying to keep us really under cover so we could just do our work, because it was so, it had been so beautifully received there.”
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 07: (front L-R) Danai Gurira, Jeremy Renner, Director Anthony Russo, Chris Evans, Director Joe Russo, Brie Larson and Mark Ruffalo, (back L-R) Karen Gillan, Paul Rudd, Scarlett Johansson, President of Marvel Studios/Producer Kevin Feige, Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle and Chris Hemsworth onstage during Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” Global Junket Press Conference at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown on April 7, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney/AFP
Paul Rudd was also new to the Avengers series. He stars as Scott Lang/Ant-Man. He remembers the moment he found out he was going to join the Avengers family.
“It was pretty great because I knew Jeremy (Renner), I knew (Mark) Ruffalo and I knew Scarlett (Johansson). I knew some of the group, but I didn’t know all of them and it was really exciting and a thrilling moment and I thought, ‘Wow, I’m going to get to join this family,'” said Rudd.
Like Johansson, Don Cheadle made his first appearance as War Machine in “Iron Man 2.”
Cheadle said he’s be happy to keep making more ‘Avengers’ films but, “It feels like it came together at the right time and in the right way.”
For all the answers, “Avengers: Endgame” opens in U.S. theaters April 26th. /muf