Exclusive Ant-Man Cast Interview: Paul Rudd & Evangeline Lilly #AntManEvent

I was invited as media to cover this press event. All opinions are mine alone.

A few short weeks ago, I had the amazing opportunity to sit across from Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) & Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne) to talk about their roles in the Marvel film Ant-Man.

They are just as funny in person as they are on the big screen. Evangeline even cracks a joke about the ladies in the room swooning over Paul, which was definitely spot on! Just wait until you see the group shot at the end. Paul chose to stand by me, even putting his arm around me while taking the candid shot! Afterwards we chatted one on one about the film, where he mentioned he had not seen the final cut yet. How crazy is that? We were lucky enough to be the first public group to see the film before it opens in theaters July 17th.

Now onto that exclusive interview coverage!

Exclusive Ant-Man Interviews: Paul Rudd & Evangeline Lilly

When they first sat down with 25 mom bloggers for an intimate chat about the film, both joked about how long the table was. A very pregnant Evangeline had food on her mind, joking that we’re missing the turkey dinner at the table, while Paul had poker on his mind.

We opened the Q&A by asking Paul about the transition from comedy to an action film. 

Paul: I always felt that it was going to be funny. All their (Marvel) films have funny moments but they’re not necessarily straight up comedies. And, with this one I knew that the action was going to be really good. I knew the visuals were going to be crazy good. But, I also knew that there was this relationship that Scott Lang had with his daughter, and that there was the relationship that Michael Douglas has with his daughter and that this whole thing with parents and children, that was going to be really the thrust of the film. And that’s relatable and empathetic and something that you can hang the whole thing on. So, that’s really what I kind of focused on, figuring you know, humor would be there in the end.

Evangeline added that while on set Paul did not stop improving or cracking jokes. She added that his jokes constantly made her break character, and it was an all around good time while filming.

Q: I have fans that would like to know, for both of you actually, how you have this extra responsibility of super girls in the Marvel universe, do you feel sort of the weight of that?

Paul shared that he understands how passionate the fan base is for Marvel films, and that he just focused on doing the part the best he can, and let other things happen the way they’re going to happen.

Evangeline: You know, it’s funny because actually the girl power part was no really my contribution. That was Marvel and the boys who– I mean what guy doesn’t like a girl who can kick ass? They like to see that on screen, right? What I think is important is that woman, first of all be a woman and not a girl, and that she also have all the dimensions that a male character who can kick ass would also have. A lot of our strength comes from our women’s vulnerability, our compassion, our maternal instincts, and I don’t think that those things should ever be labeled as weaknesses. And I think that’s one of the things that I always look to put in and infuse characters with.

When asked about their most memorable moment, Evangeline shares she was doing a very intense emotional scene with Michael Douglas where, for the first time since being attached to the project, the penny dropped. While working with him and witnessing the sort of magic that is the legend of Michael Douglas and what he brings to a film set and how he performs and what he does to the energy in the room when he performs that made her suddenly sit up and take notice.

Paul described Michael Douglas as acting royalty. Then added that his most memorable moment was the first time he walked on set with the Ant-Man suit. Saying he felt like he was 10 years old, and every single time after that, it was “whoa, I can’t believe this is so cool.”

Q: What do you think the main theme of the movie as far as the parent/child relationship?

Evangeline: I think redemption between father/daughter and the father/daughter relationship is the powerful theme that really anchors the film emotionally.

Paul: I like this idea that you know, we’re dealing with all of this craziness with a suit that shrinks you down and controlling ants and all this kind of stuff, and yet this constant thing with parents and children. It’s the thing that I think everyone will relate to, we’ve all had bumpy times or whatever in our relationship with our parent or our child and that’s the stuff that I think people will relate to.

Regarding their characters and how opposite they are, Evangeline mentions, “I think that in our lives, we all know often what our greatest pitfall is in our character and we don’t know we’re doing this, but I believe that we’re constantly drawing people into our life to help us deal with that thing.  I feel like for Hope, Scott coming into her life could not have more poignantly exasperated the issue of her need for control, to control every little thing right down to her lipstick point and her haircut. He just is so loose and from her perspective he seems so out of control. She drew in that energy because she needed to face it and she needed to deal with it and I think it’s really appropriate that it’s the Scott Lang character who helps Hope to realize what’s truly going on in her relationship with her father because she couldn’t see it for herself.”

Later this week I will be sharing our exclusive interview with Michael Douglas, so definitely come back for more Ant-Man coverage. You guys are going to love this Marvel film that focuses so much on family, laughter, and adventure!

For now, I’m leaving with the Ant-Man movie trailer to check out below:

photo credit: Jana Seitzer / MerlotMommy.com & Walt Disney/Marvel Studios