We had the opportunity to sit down with some of the cast of Transformers: Rise of the Beast for an exclusive interview with IGN Middle East, where our colleague Rakan Al Shaya spoke first with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, then director Stephen Capel Jr., and finally the star of the movie, Toby Wigway, who plays Rick character. Here are the highlights of it:
The beginning was with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, where he talked about what drew him to work on the Transformers movie and action scenes, and that (unexpected event):
As a producer, what drew you most to working on Transformers?
– I think it’s the magic of the main idea, your car has human nature! Interesting way to be involved in making this movie, you know I watch kids all the time go straight to a Transformers doll if they see it.
I think as a producer you’ve worked on a number of films throughout your career, how do you find Transformers among them?
At first each one of those films was difficult, but being the producer of a title spanning 18-19 years, that title would be special, I didn’t realize I’d be a part of this journey when we started.
How can you guarantee that the action scenes, especially those filmed in Peru, were interesting and unique?
– As you know, there is a lot of work in different stages to ensure that, in the first stage we plan the idea and then we plan the stunts and then we shoot the stunt performers but always something happens whether it’s a new opportunity or the idea doesn’t fit the set and then at some point After production we redesign it again.
How did the idea of (the unexpected event) come about, and what are your expectations for the future of the series?
Well, we’ve talked a lot about “merging them together” in a way for a long time, but you have to find a good reason and not do it haphazardly, in this case. The story of the character (Noah) revolves around his inability to control himself, and at the same time, he cannot find a job opportunity, and all the circumstances contradict his desires, and at the end of the movie, he gets the greatest job offer of his life!
Speaking of the characters, you participated in choosing the actors, tell us about that
– In terms of choosing actors, the characters (Noah and Eileen) are marginalized characters, characters who go through difficulties related to adulthood, such as trying to get a job, trying to understand the future and realizing dreams, and this is something that everyone feels connected to, and we wanted to choose actors who truly understand this problem.
Next, actor Toby Wigway (who plays Rick) talks about what it’s like to be a part of such a massive series, the struggles he faced while filming and more:
You once said that your philosophy is to (make the cause known!), How did you translate this philosophy in your role in this film?
– Hey man! Massive question! I feel like I share a lot of principles with the character in the movie, (Rick) feels like his main purpose in the movie is to help his friends and put them in the best possible condition and for me I feel like that is the purpose of the role, the answer may not be deep but that’s what I have for now!
What is it like to be part of a movie that has this history and this fandom?
Being part of a series like Transformers is definitely a huge undertaking! I never imagined it would turn out like this, but it is a blessing!
What difficulties did you face while filming?
– Firstly, it is to remember all the sentences that I have to say in one of the scenes, but it became clear to me that the matter is different and the text must be divided! And this problem I made up in my mind and solved it,
I won’t ruin the movie, but are you excited for the series?
– Oh brother.. I’m excited!!
And last, but not least, director Stephen Capel Jr. talked about the struggles he faced during the shoot, the elements he was excited to bring to life, his passion about the original series and how he contributed to making this movie:
This is the first time a movie of this size has been directed! How did your passion for the original series inform you of making this film?
– In many ways, I think not only (Beast’s Wars) I would say the Transformers animation and the animation movie and all the works that were presented in the late eighties and early nineties, of course it was influenced by the styles and the characters, we tried to bring back the glow and energy of the old works, Optimus Prime and its design Very similar to the design in Beasts Wars, and we brought back some of the beloved characters (Cheetor, Arcee, Rhinox)
I actually have a prototype of Optimus Prime, a real one but nowhere near me right now, so what items from the original series were you excited to bring back to life?
– Mostly Unicron, dude! As a villain.. I felt.. he’s the first villain I saw in Transformers even before Megatron because I first watched the cartoon before I watched the original series and that was my start to the series, I saw Unicron in the opening of the movie and my reaction was (man that villain is crazy!) so for For me this was the biggest piece because other works of the series did not take advantage of this and were always hinting at it, so it was important for me to bring in Unicron and restructure the world.
What difficulties did you encounter while filming?
– Some of it was dealing with the filming locations themselves, not many films were filmed in Peru, so filming in a jungle was difficult because there was no infrastructure for the team as a whole and to be honest with you it was dangerous, and the other side of that was (Machu Picchu) which It was a beautiful location, but we had no control over the changing weather and the fact that you had a cloud in front of you that prevented you from seeing, the rain and the sun and of course the altitude, which made some of the actors sick.
Have you seen Transformers: Rise of the Beast now that it’s in cinemas? If you haven’t made up your mind yet, you can check out our burn-free review here. Share your opinions in the comments section below!
