Is there something about the serialized nature of a TV show like House Of Lies and a comic book franchise like Iron Man that allows you to return to characters over a long term that has a particular appeal for you?
Don Cheadle: I didn’t think about it that way when I picked them, but maybe. The idea of developing and changing characters over time and surprising people with where the stories go, sure that’s fun to do. They’re completely different things. House Of Lies is a comedy with a particular bent and these Marvel movies are a juggernaut with characters who have lives of their own that people get attached to in very different ways. At the bedrock it’s still work. You’re still trying to create believable moments with characters that people connect to in some way. It’s fun at this stage of my life. I did it before with the Oceans movies, but at the end of the day it’s all acting to me.
Were you someone who had a love for superheroes at an early age or had one you looked up to?
Don Cheadle: [Laughs] I always wanted to be Wolverine. No, you know, when I got into comic books I was 17 or 18, I didn’t really read them when I was a kid. I guess maybe Archie and Veronica or Richie Rich, but Archie was not my role model nor was Jughead [laughs]. I got into comic books more when I was in college because I went to Cal Arts and a lot of my friends were animators. They had all of these comic books around that I had never seen before or even heard of like Watchmen or Heavy Metal. I remember thinking they were just incredible stories and really sophisticated. Swamp Thing was one that I remember thinking was a really ridiculous character until I read the stories. That’s what really caught me about comics at that time was the writing and the incredible stories. There was one Swamp Thing book about a serial killer that I remember being really surprised about because I didn’t know comics dealt with subject matter like that. So that’s when I got into it, right at the nexus of my adulthood. So I was too old to really consider them role models or anything, but I remember being anxious to dig into those late at night in my dorm room.
It feels like the focus in Iron Man 3 was to create a really strong standalone movie and not worry so much about expanding or tying into the larger Marvel Universe this time. Was that something that was important to everyone on set?
Don Cheadle: Yeah, especially because the second movie felt like it was as much a prequel to The Avengers as it was a sequel to Iron Man. We are still breathing the same air as the rest of the Marvel Universe with Tony almost suffering from PTSD as a result of what happened in The Avengers. So we tip our hat to that huge event in the ongoing Marvel Universe, but we had to make this its own contained piece in itself and assume that people knew the mythology going in, while still making it all clear enough that you could jump in without being lost. There are so many ways to get information now that you can go online and within five minutes figure out what you need to know going in. But I think just focusing on telling the story was what allowed the movie to achieve what it did, which is become a really entertaining and interesting piece.
A very important question now: Which was the most difficult costume to see yourself in, the motion capture tights for Iron Man 3 or the cowboy costumes you wore in Boogie Nights?
Don Cheadle: [Laughs] Both of them were tough, I’m not going to lie. One is spandex and dotted bands and squares; the other was…just a cowboy. But you know, Don Cheadle never imagined himself in either of those get ups, so both of them took a minute to adjust (laughs).
Last week Gwyneth Paltrow said that as far as she knew there wouldn’t be an Iron Man 4, is that what you’ve heard as well?
Don Cheadle: I’m hearing everything. I’m hearing people telling me that they heard there would be another one. Robert’s said he won’t come back and that he might come back. I don’t think anyone knows. A lot of it is predicated on how this one performs and is received and it seems like it’s tracking insanely well. That can always change things. But really I think it’s about finding a new way in that it doesn’t feel like another trip to the well or the ATM. There’s no reason to go back if that’s what it is. So we have to find a new way in. It’s funny because that was never really an issue in the comic books. You can have seven million sequels in a comic, but movies are a little different. As long as they can find a fresh and innovative way of doing it, who are we kidding of course they’re going to try and do it again.
If there is no more Iron Man, but the possibility of a War Machine movie comes up, would you be into it?
Don Cheadle: If I could play it as Marty [from House Of Lies] because they’ll probably be shooting at the same time [laughs]. Yeah, of course! But again, it would have to be something that felt warranted. If it was just something made to capitalize on this heat while it’s going on, it would be a recipe for failure, especially among comic book fans. There needs to be a veracity in the storytelling and material that hasn’t been mined. I’d like to see Rhodes untethered. I wonder what he would be like out of uniform. What if his moral compass had him answering the call to something that wasn’t politically correct or sanctioned by the government and all of a sudden he’s out there as War Machine discharged? I don’t know. I’ve got fantasies about where it could go and there is a canon of comic books suggesting where it could go. In the comics Rhodes took over Iron Man’s mantle at a certain point. So, they’ll figure it out or they won’t figure it out, but it would be great to do it again.
That concludes our interview but we’d like to thank Don for talking with us. Be sure to check out Iron Man 3, in theatres this Friday.