We had the opportunity to interview Mads Mikkelsen and Alan Tudyk together because time was running short. It was great though because both were charming and funny. Mads (I love that name) plays Galen, Jyn's father. Alan plays K-2SO, a droid, who helps the rebels. In this interview we got to hear about how they got their roles. They spoke about what it means to be part of such an iconic movie and their favorite Star Wars character. Oh and Alan caught fire during filming so he tells us who that happened.
Mads: My character is called Galen Erso. A scientist, working closely together with Krennic and working on a project that has the potential of making the world a better place, and also the potential of not doing so. I’m also the father of our hero, K-2. No, the other hero [Jyn].
Alan: K2-SO is a droid who was formerly of the Empire, and he’s been reprogrammed by Cassian. He’s a soldier in the Alliance. The reprogram has caused him to be free with his own personality, which invites some brutal honesty in moments where honesty isn’t really required. He can be funny in that and sarcastic and passive-aggressive, and all those fun things that sidekicks— partners [do]. They’re partners. He wouldn’t see himself as a sidekick.
On how they found out they were cast:
Mads: I got a phone call [from] Gareth. Gareth called me and pitched the story for me and asked me if I wanted to be on board and I didn’t see a necessity of seeing a script, because it was Star Wars, so I said yes right away. And if I’d turned it down, I’m sure my kids would’ve killed me.
Alan: That would be a tough one, if you said no, because it’s one that you would then see come out, and then you’d go…
Mads: And I would always dream about I might have had an action figure.
Alan: I think we all know you’re getting an action figure.
Mads: It’s happening as we speak.
Alan: I was told that Gareth wanted to talk to me and we Skyped. I knew it was for a droid in Star Wars. But I didn’t think he was calling me to talk about ME being in it. [I thought] he just wanted to talk about droids and motion capture. And I had done a motion capture robot in I, Robot. I was like, that makes sense – I’d be the go-to actor to just discuss how it’s done, how to do it.
It was a really frank conversation between the two of us, because I didn’t think of myself as in the running, just sort of a someone he’s gathering information from. I was like, ‘Yeah, you don’t want to do it this way. Here are the traps that you’re going to find yourself in. Don’t do this; don’t do that.’ ‘Give your actor a lot of takes. Don’t just give them short shrift because you can fix it in post [production] you’re going to screw yourself. You need to get it on set while the other actors are there, or else you’re going to be struggling to make up the performance and then you’re screwed.’
It was really not the conversation I would’ve had if I had thought [I was] being considered. He asked me to audition, I auditioned, I put an audition on tape in my recorded it at home with my wife.
About that little fire:
Alan: I caught on fire! We were in the trenches, there was a battle going on, and they had explosions, and I’m wearing my skintight pajamas, there are pots of explosions, and people are ducking down, and suddenly my back gets hot. I think, ‘Oh, ow—ow—ow I’m on fire’ and it was just a spark hit it and then just spread out. It was very flammable. I didn’t realize it.
Mads: They were not aware?
Alan: They were not aware.
What is the statute of limitations. I don’t think I could go up against their lawyers and do very well. I wore fire retardant undershirts after that. There was a lot of explosions that day. There was amazing pyrotechnics and there was one point where we were running on the beach, they had a spaceship land but it was a box where people were in it, guy’s on a gun, going like we’re in a battle, running down this beach, the thing comes over, they’ve got it on a crane, it’s got smoke coming out of the bottom, it lands, troops go out either side, it takes back off again, soldiers are hitting these things that are vaulting them in the air, and falling and they’re like, “That’s your track – aim for that. You don’t want to get off it because you’ll catch fire. It was madness. It was fun.
The challenges during the filming:
Mads: Something funny and interesting happened though. We went to Iceland for a week, we shot there, so that was my debut on the film, and my very first scene, I’m walking and walking and I am meeting Krennic but after five hours of walking alone, they turn up the actors and the storm troopers, and then I realize, ‘Whoa, I’m in a Star Wars film, because obviously I’ve been walking like in any film but it’s not every day you see storm troopers.
It was raining constantly. It was just pouring down. It was windy, chilly, and I was like, ‘God, we’re done here’ but it was such a beautiful place. I love Iceland. And we’re going back to the studio, but they came up with this brilliant idea that all the shots inside in the studio should be in rain. So basically I am wet the whole film. Those were cold and long days. It’s worth it. It looks fantastic on film.
Alan: They have a soundstage where it rains inside. It’s amazing. There’s a rainy day in the spaceship everybody goes out and I go, ‘See ya!’ I’m going to stay in here. Might be out there in a minute.
Who is their favorite Star Wars character:
Mads: I think Han Solo, for me. For the simple reason that he’s not really on anybody’s side. He is on his own side. And obviously Harrison Ford playing him charmingly, it’s just something you can relate to. You’re not the good, or the bad, but you’re that guy who’s just there for the fun ride, and then he’ll leave you in a second if there’s no money in that. And it’s just recognizable in a wonderful way. I like him a lot.
Alan: I like several characters. I like Obi Wan Kenobi. He was just great. He was the one who could say, “These are not the droids you’re looking for” he had the force. He was magic. He was wise. I liked him. I like [Alec] Guinness. That guy’s amazing.
Mads and Alan were so charming and nice. I really enjoyed my interview with them. I cannot wait to see their work in Rogue One!
Visit the official ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY website: http://www.starwars.com/films/rogue-one
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY arrives in theaters everywhere on December 16th In RealD 3D and IMAX 3D!
Interview photos by Louise Manning Bishop - Momstart.com
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