Marvel’s 36th film, Thunderbolts*, arrives in cinemas this week. The film introduces a diverse and eclectic group of antiheroes, villains, and morally ambiguous characters, including Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, who find themselves in an unlikely alliance against Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. We spoke with Louis-Dreyfus and Geraldine Viswanathan, who plays a new character, Mel, to learn more.
This is Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s fourth appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and for her character, Valentina, the stakes are higher than ever. This is her biggest part in the franchise to date, and the actor says it was a delight to get more screen time as Valentina.
“All the other things I did in previous Marvel films and the TV series were certainly fun, but it was more of a toe dip. That was the plan from the get-go as laid out for me by Kevin Feige. I knew this was coming, and now that we’ve been able to shoot this film and have all this material to sink our teeth into, it’s just been an utter delight. I’m grateful to have had all this time to play in the sandbox with everybody.”
Louis-Dreyfus says that to play Valentina, a villainous character, she has to approach her as someone likeable and not a dubious individual.
“I think it’s interesting to play so-called unlikable people because it’s complicated. It’s more interesting. You don’t approach it as if they’re unlikable. You approach it as if they are complicated because everybody’s the way they are for a reason, even the most heinous people. In Val’s case, in this movie, you get a window into why she’s baked the way she is.”
Geraldine Viswanathan, who starred in the breakout hit Blockers, plays Mel, Valentina’s assistant and a character who is a little uneasy about her boss’s more ambiguous activities. The duo brings a lot of comedy to the film, and Viswanathan says her background as a comedy actor, and that comedy Louis-Dreyfus’s comedic background served them well.
“We both have comedic backgrounds and comedic instincts and are looking for what’s funny in a scene. We both really looked to Jake Schreier, our director, who had such a grasp on the tone of the movie. There are comedic moments, but it’s also a very emotionally nuanced, impactful, thoughtful film. He really guided us on where was appropriate for a joke and where it’s time to get more serious.”
Jumping into a franchise that has been in existence for almost twenty years might have been daunting, but Viswanathan had a head start: She grew up watching the films.
“I did give myself a little crash course and watched as many movies as I could. I spoke to Jake a lot about the loose ends of other films that lead into this, like Black Widow for Florence. I used this as an opportunity to get more acquainted with the Marvel world, but I also grew up with these movies, so it was pretty seamless for me.”
With so many characters in the film, Louis-Dreyfus says she enjoys the ensemble aspect and that an ego is not appropriate in ensemble work.
“I really enjoy ensemble performance, which this film is, although obviously Florence is headlining. Ensemble work, when it’s working well, is certainly the most compelling. I like being part of a team and working in tandem. It doesn’t mean you’re not trying to do your best singularly, but it shouldn’t be out of an ego-centric place. It should be part of how we can make this thing? How can we elevate the product? I hope that we’ve done it successfully here on in this film because the film speaks to a lot of issues that are important and prevalent for today.”
Louis-Dreyfus expands on the issues and explains why the film is relevant to today’s audience.
“This film deals with issues of isolation and people who don’t feel a part or perhaps feel ashamed or depressed. The film speaks to that and talks about peeling back the layers in order to understand and move forward. The film discusses, thematically, the idea of a connection, relationship, and community as a way of healing. As corny as that sounds, they really tackle it.”
Although Thunderbolts* may be a giant blockbuster, it sometimes feels more like an indie project, which Viswanathan can relate to.
“Our director, Jake, is such an art-house film director. His tastes and instincts felt very similar to the indie projects I’ve worked on. I think, especially because this is such a character-driven story, he was really mostly preoccupied with that. Also, we had an incredible Director of Photography, and their dynamic and working relationship really lent itself to that. There was an indie flavour, for sure, a real grittiness.”
Viswanathan remembers her first day on set, which was exciting, but she knew she had to focus.
“I remember my first day very clearly. We were coming out of a helicopter, and there were so many extras on set. It felt like this massive operation, so many things happening at the same time. I remember going, ‘know your lines, girl’ because you do not want to be the reason why they reset all of these extras. But it was very, very thrilling. I was like a kid in a candy store.”
For Louis-Dreyfus, her first day on the shoot was filming one of the film’s biggest scenes.
“I was focused on getting the language down because there was a lot of it. Then, when I got to set, I was kind of stunned, thinking, oh my god, I’ve just been thrown into the deep end. This is a hugely pivotal scene in the film. I will admit I got quite nervous. But then, after a few takes, you loosen up. I can’t tell you what the scene was, though… you will have to see the film.”
Words – Cara O’Doherty
THUNDERBOLTS* is at Irish cinemas now!