Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Exclusive Interviews

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Hawkeye’s Piotr Adamczyk Talks Bringing the Tracksuit Mafia to Life and Kevin Feige’s Set Visit

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Hawkeye’s Piotr Adamczyk Talks Bringing the Tracksuit Mafia to Life and Kevin Feige’s Set Visit

    Hawkeye’s two-episode premiere introduced us to a couple of new characters in the Marvel Cinematic universe. In addition to Kate Bishop and Jack Duquesne, we have been introduced to the hilariously adorable Tracksuit Mafia, which consists of Eastern Europeans who call everyone “bro” a lot. One of its most prominent members was Tomas played by Piotr Adamczyk. In an exclusive interview, he shared some insight into what it was like being on set, especially when Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige visited.

    He was on the set. It was very special for us. He talked to everyone, so I had a chance to talk to him, and I was also surprised that for him this mafia, tracksuit mafia, is an important element. He even told us that it was a very significant element of the story.

    Piotr Adamczyk

    It highlights one of the reasons for Marvel Studios’ success is that Kevin Feige and the rest of the producers are comic geeks and care about properly adapting certain comic book elements. The Tracksuit Mafia was an iconic part of the comic My Life as a Weapon, and it’s no surprise that Feige‘s meticulous attention to this aspect is being taken to reflect them well in the series. Yet, Adamczyk highlights that it was a very different experience on set:

    We didn’t feel like that at that time, because we were mainly the group that was waiting to be needed, maybe they would use us. We were often on the set but not always working. Working on the set, especially of such a big, big-budget production, is waiting, especially if you’re not Jeremy Renner. But yes, it was an exceptional conversation, very uplifting. This is also a man who, with such a huge presence, is always in a hat, in sneakers, this is just a regular guy you can talk to casually.

    Piotr Adamczyk

    As Adamczyk highlights, a lot of working on these kinds of projects is waiting. Actors are around for specific scenes and with the Tracksuit Mafia’s presence throughout the story, they might have to wait around quite a bit. So, it’s great to see how approachable Feige is for cast members of any kind to chat with him. There’s a lot of care put into these projects by the various teams involved with the production.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Diane Guerrero Open to Voice Green Lantern Jessica Cruz Again

    EXCLUSIVE: Diane Guerrero Open to Voice Green Lantern Jessica Cruz Again

    Disney’s 60th animated film, Encanto, is set to release in the United States on November 24th. The film features an all-star cast and star Diane Guerrero couldn’t be more excited to be part of the animated family. She sat down to discuss her big role in the newest Lin-Manuel Miranda musical for an exclusive interview with myself and Murphy’s Multiverse. During our conversation, many of her previous roles doing voice work were brought up in relation to her latest film.

    This included her time bringing Jessica Cruz, one of DC Comics’ many Green Lanterns, to life in 2019’s animated movie Justice League vs. the Fatal Five, which is quite different from a Disney animated project. When asked what it was like to do voice work on a smaller, direct-to-video scale compared to her recent experience making a massive, big-budget Disney project, the former Superior Donuts actress revealed her deep, general love of animation as a storytelling format:

    It was still a dream come true for me because I love animation. I really, really, really…y’know, when I got into this work, early on, I was like: ‘I want to voice cartoons, I want to do animation’. I’m just such a big fan, y’know? I watched it, I relate to it, I really enjoy the visuals, and that kind of storytelling.

    Diane Guerrero

    Of course, I couldn’t let Guerrero go without asking if that meant she’d be willing to return as the voice of Jessica Cruz in the future. Her response was quite ecstatic, as she repeatedly highlighted she’d love to return to voice the role once again.

    Oh my God, I would love it. I would love it. I love that character.

    Diane Guerrero

    Hopefully, this means we haven’t seen the last of Diane Guerrero lending her wonderful talent to animated characters. Perhaps this will even allow her to take on more comic book roles in the near future. Until then, you can take the whole family to enjoy Encanto in theaters later this month.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Diane Guerrero Discusses “Emotional Gymnastics” of Balancing ‘Encanto’ and ‘Doom Patrol’

    EXCLUSIVE: Diane Guerrero Discusses “Emotional Gymnastics” of Balancing ‘Encanto’ and ‘Doom Patrol’

    Diane Guerrero is busier than ever. After breaking onto the scene nearly a decade ago in Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black, the actress landed a major role on HBO Max’s superhero series Doom Patrol, wrote a memoir about her family’s struggles with deportation, and started a podcast focusing on the importance of conversations surrounding mental wellbeing. Now, Guerrero will star as the voice of Isabella in Disney’s latest animated musical film, Encanto.

    In an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, the actress was asked about her experience portraying the seemingly perfect and lovely Isabella while simultaneously filming scenes as the chaotic and unstable Crazy Jane on Doom Patrol. Her response revealed it wasn’t as easy as one might assume:

    Yeah, it was actually a little difficult because playing Jane on Doom Patrol does take a big toll on me. Y’know, because the character is so feeling and so extreme with some of her emotions and honestly she’s going through like really traumatic stuff. I mean, she’s like traveling through time, and she’s having to deal with sixty-three other personalities that are competing with what she’s doing, and her sole purpose is to protect this young girl.

    Diane Guerrero

    Of course, the darker parts of Jane’s story in Doom Patrol are quite different from what a film like Encanto offers audiences. She goes on to talk about how different it was playing Isabella and how her performance with multiple personalities still helped her brain the role to life.

    So, going into the booth for Isabella where she had to be light and carefree and perfect, I had to really, like, calm down and put myself in that space. But, because I get to play sixty-four different characters…I’m able to use that for Isabella because she’s having to be perfect but she really does have so much bubbling inside. It worked out in the end, but it’s definitely a little bit of emotional gymnastic.

    Diane Guerrero

    The answer lead to a follow-up in which Guerrero was asked if her work on either one project had an impact on her performance in the other, specifically her time doing voice work as a puppet on Doom Patrol. It turns out, the Jane the Virgin actress actually was able to use both characters in preparation for her work:

    Well, I certainly took…that episode that you’re talking about, Puppet Patrol, I was definitely able to take Isabella and the essence of this Disney Princess into Adult Kay, which was the character that is in this puppet land. So, Adult Kay sort of has to be this like bubbly and uplifting character…so, yeah, absolutely I use [Isabella] for that. But also, y’know, I have some of the attitude that Jane has for some of the sly comments that Isabella has for Mirabel.

    Diane Guerrero

    Encanto lands in theaters on November 24, while the third season of Doom Patrol is currently airing on HBO Max. We can’t wait to check out what she has to offer as Isabella and if it opens new doors for her to explore more animated projects.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Music Helped Shape the Characters of Encanto

    EXCLUSIVE: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Music Helped Shape the Characters of Encanto

    The upcoming coming-of-age fantasy story about a girl without powers living among a superpowered family will introduce us to the many facets of Colombian culture in Encanto. Directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush return to bring us a different kind of story with the help of songs written by Hamilton‘s Lin-Manuel Miranda. He’s had a hand in various 2021 projects such as In the Heights, Vivo, and the upcoming release of Tick, Tick… Boom! So, it’s been a big year for him. Now that he is also lending his musical talents to the latest animated Disney film, it opens up the question of how much input he also had in bringing these characters to life beyond just their musical accompaniment.

    Luckily, our own Hunter Radesi had the chance to sit down with the directors of the film and discuss exactly that. When asked how much input Miranda had into bringing these characters to life, director Jared Bush offered some interesting insights into their approach to the music and even how they integrated the many sides of Columbian genres.

    He’s super super collaborative. That is one of the really great things about working with him. […] We would have these great deep character conversations. We knew with all these different characters that we wanted to get to know all of them, that we wanted to see different facets of them. But also that we wanted the music to separate and to give them an identity. And that music, even within the genres of Columbia, we wanted that to makes sense with the character that would be singing it.

    Jared Bush

    It’s really interesting how they try to use the different genres of music that exist in Columbia to make the characters stand out. He does also offer an example with the character of Luisa Madrigal’s song “Surface Pressure” which tried to explore her backstory. He highlights how writing the story is what grounded it was some real-life inspirations that were brought to life through music. It shows how many aspects make a film truly come to life.

    Encanto release on Nov. 24th. It is directed by Byron Howard, Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith. The film boosts an impressive cast that includes Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero, Wilmer Valderrama, Diane Guerrero, Rhenzy Feliz, Carolina Gaitán and John Leguizamo.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Why Trinh Tran Tackled ‘Hawkeye’ After ‘Avengers: Endgame’

    EXCLUSIVE: Why Trinh Tran Tackled ‘Hawkeye’ After ‘Avengers: Endgame’

    The launch of Disney+ has led to a whole new avenue of storytelling potential. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, many wondered just how the Marvel Cinematic Universe would continue onward, and a slew of Disney+ original series offered the chance to spotlight some minor yet fan-favorite characters. We recently had the chance to speak with Marvel Studios producer Trinh Tran to discuss her next project, Hawkeye. It’s quite a shift from working on a massive project like Endgame to this smaller project, and she offered some insight into why she tackled the Disney+ series right after.

    I wanted it all! [LAUGH] I think, you know, when we were filming Infinity War and Endgame I was already, we were already talking about What is the future? What is my next project and you know Shang-Chi was already starting. So, unfortunately you know I couldnt be apart that the same way that Jonathan was and, you know, I loved Hawkeye from the Fraction run. I love how fun it is and the banter between Clint and Kate, and I really wanted to explore, you know a female version of a skilled archer, as well as telling Clint’s side of the story which we havent had the chance to in the MCU. So, I felt that it was due time for him to shine and get his spotlight and I think that was one of the reasons why I gravitated towards this particular show.

    Trinh Tran

    Trinh Tran has worked on the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the beginning. She served as an associate producer on Captain America: Civil War, and worked her way to becoming an executive producer on the two most recent Avengers films. It’s great to hear her excitement about the project, and that this adaptation springs from that very enjoyment of Faction and Ajap‘s run on the character. Disney+ is the bridge to explore stories that would’ve never gotten the cinematic treatment. Here’s looking forward to what else Marvel Studios may explore in the future.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Hawkeye’ Will Test Kate Bishop’s Relationship With Her Mother

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Hawkeye’ Will Test Kate Bishop’s Relationship With Her Mother

    We’re only a few weeks away from Hawkeye‘s release on Disney+. The series will take a more grounded approach with our titular hero taking on mobsters rather than planet-destroying space tyrants. Clint Barton’s series will also see him take a young protégé under his wing, Hailee Steinfeld‘s Kate Bishop. The series will explore their dynamic and the importance of family. While Barton is struggling to make it home on time for the holidays, Kate is juggling her relationship with her mother.

    In a teaser for the series, we briefly saw the archer trying to explain to her mother that she is important in solving an Avengers-level threat. Vera Farmiga will bring her mother, Eleanor Bishop, to life and has been highlighted in the trailers so far. It’s interesting to note that she died in the comics during a visit to Colorado with her husband Derek raising Kate and her sister Susan. It was a big part of her character development in the comics, which the MCU will add a new spin on it. Hawkeye producer Trinh Tran offered some insight into why they made the change in an exclusive interview with our own Charles Villanueva

    We haven’t had many opportunities to explore a mother-daughter relationship in the MCU. I’m not saying that hasn’t happened, but it’s just there hasn’t been too many of that. And what I find interesting is that there is a lot of, I guess, fresh territory that we can go to for the relationship for the two of them.

    Trihn Tran

    Many Marvel stories indeed focus on the dynamic between fathers and their children, such as Thanos and Gamora, Ego and Star-Lord, and many more. So, it’s a great move to use this opportunity to explore a mother-daughter dynamic, especially as she highlights how Kate’s personality adds that extra layer that’ll test their relationship.

    She thinks she knows what is best for Kate, but Kate is you’ve seen in the comics is sometimes hard-headed, and she speaks her mind and she is not afraid to do so. And there could be opposing opinions in who she is. So, I think that, like I said, is a more personal, more emotional between the two characters that we wanted to explore in this particular direction for the both of them.

    Trihn Tran

    There’s a possibility that this change was also inspired to explore the darker side of her family’s history. Given what we learn about the character in the comics, they might want to also further establish their dynamic before the story hits a more dramatic turn.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Details on ‘Hawkeye’s Version of Clown Revealed

    EXCLUSIVE: Details on ‘Hawkeye’s Version of Clown Revealed

    The upcoming Hawkeye series will explore many aspects of Clint Barton’s comic history yet non more than that of the My Life as a Weapon run. The story by Matt Fraction and David Aja introduced us to the bro-speaking gang known as the Tracksuit Mafia and the dangerous assassin Kazimierz Kazimerczak, or better known as the Clown. Fra Fee will take on the role in the series and they might switch it up for this adaptation.

    Our very own Charles Villanueva got a chance to sit down with producer Trinh Tran to discuss the upcoming series. In it, she offered some insight into how the show tackled the character and teased that he might be quite a bit different from what we are used to from the popular comic storyline.

    I can’t say much about how his character unfolds in this series, but what I can say is that part of the interesting thing about bringing these characters to life from the comics is that we wanted to give it a fresh spin. I think part of Kazi’s story in the comics is a little bit tied to how Kate’s world is like in the Matt Fraction run. But that’s not necessarily true in the MCU because once we bring that character in and explore them in the story that we have, it can go in any and all kind of direction.

    Trinh Tran

    It’s not uncommon that they change the characters to fit these new adaptations that take familiar comic storylines but add a new twist. Captain America: Civil War only loosely explores the themes and registration act from the comics, but doesn’t completely feature a full-on war between countless superheroes. It’ll be interesting to see how they adapt this character and what their role will be in the story.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Diane Guerrero on How Mental Health Played a Role in Joining ‘Encanto’

    EXCLUSIVE: Diane Guerrero on How Mental Health Played a Role in Joining ‘Encanto’

    Disney is about to embark on a new kind of animated adventure with Encanto. The story of an unlikely family with powers explores the different dynamics that come to play when one of them stands out for one simple reason: she doesn’t have any. It allows us to explore a very different kind of dynamic, as the family must face an unlikely challenge. It features an all-star cast that includes Stephanie Beatriz in the leading role, John Leguizamo, Angie Cepeda, Adassa, and many more. Among them, of course, is Diane Guerrero, who made a name for herself in the DC comics-inspired series Doom Patrol. 

    Our very own Hunter Radesi got a chance to sit down with the actress to discuss what drew her to the role of Isabel Madrigal. Along with discussing what drew her to the role, she explained how different it is from her previous work. Guerrero revealed most of her work and the roles that interest her are all about mental health. With Encanto, that was partly what drew her to the project, but she also liked that it explores the family dynamic.

    I’m a huge fan of Disney and the roles that I play, I care about them aligning with my values. I care about mental health, I care about family, I care about mental wellness in family And this film addresses something that we, you know, rarely talk about, especially, in family films. We have family films, they talk about family dynamics but rarely do we see the sacrifice and the ancestral trauma that comes along with some of some of those trials and tribulations that, you know, what it actually took to get you here.

    Diane Guerrero

    It’s quite interesting to learn how she approaches her roles, especially with the glimpse of what Encanto will explore once it hits theaters. The trailers tease the importance of family and the challenge of sticking out from the rest of the family. It puts a lot of pressure on someone, and it’s not easy for everyone to take in without it weighing them down. So, it’s great to see Guerrero‘s put her very values at the forefront when choosing roles.

    Encanto hits theaters on Nov. 24th.

  • EXCLUSIVE: John Leguizamo Wishes New ‘MARIO’ Film Was More Inclusive

    EXCLUSIVE: John Leguizamo Wishes New ‘MARIO’ Film Was More Inclusive

    In September, Nintendo shocked the world when it announced Chris Pratt would be taking the iconic role of Mario in a new animated Super Mario Bros. film adaptation. The casting quickly became a hot topic on social media, mixed with discussions surrounding the reveal of popular names like Jack Black, Seth Rogan, and Anya Taylor-Joy in supporting roles. Now, the actor who played Luigi in the original live-action Mario film is weighing in.

    During an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, John Leguizamo was asked about his thoughts on the new movie. He responded by explaining his mixed feelings about a new take on the story and its casting process:

    Y’know, Super Mario Bros. holds a special place in my heart. It’s twenty-five years, I think, since it was made, and they’re remaking it. So I’m glad that the movie was good enough that they want to make a remake. That’s a good sign. I wish they would have been more inclusive and had more Latinx in it, like as innovative as the first one was.

    The Ice Age actor is referring, of course, to the casting of a Latinx man like himself as the traditionally Italian Luigi. The role will be occupied by Charlie Day when the new animated film arrives. However, Leguizamo does seem open to the idea of returning to the franchise in another form. Of course, the decision ultimately belongs to executives at Universal. When asked if he would participate in the new Mario or a potential sequel, he responded:

    Yeah, I think I know how to fix what didn’t work in the original. I think I’ve got all the secret sauce. If they come to me, I’d be willing to help out.

    Leguizamo is historically a big proponent for Latinx representation in the film industry. He can next be seen in Disney’s next big animated feature Encanto when it hits theaters on Nov. 24.

    Along with the release of Encanto, Leguizamo is set to make his comic book writing debut with PhenomX, hitting shelves later this month.

  • EXCLUSIVE: John Leguizamo Talks New Comic ‘PhenomX,’ Hopes to See Adaptations

    EXCLUSIVE: John Leguizamo Talks New Comic ‘PhenomX,’ Hopes to See Adaptations

    John Leguizamo is a talented multi-hyphenate, best known for his work as a comedian, film star, and voice actor. By the end of the year, fans will also be able to refer to him as a comic book writer. His new comic, a collaboration with Spawn creator Todd McFarlane titled PhenomX, debuts on Nov. 10. The story centers around protagonist Max Gomez, who is wrongfully imprisoned and agrees to become the subject of government experimentation to regain his freedom. Gomez finds himself with incredible shape-shifting abilities, which he uses to survive a superhuman war on the streets of New York.

    Leguizamo was asked about the project during an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, and his response was ecstatic:

    Oh my God, I’m so excited about PhenomX. I mean, yeah, I didn’t see any Latin superheroes and I felt like, y’know, we have them in real life. I mean, half the Mets are Latinx, half of the Astros who went to the World Series are Latinx, and the Braves are Latinx. You have AOC, half the MMA. We have real life heroes, why aren’t they in comic books? So, I wrote this character and I took it to Todd McFarlane, the greatest comic book maker in the world, and he fell in love with my story and he’s going to publish it November 10 at Image Comics.

    Leguizamo previously worked with McFarlane when he played the villain known as Violator in 1997’s live-action Spawn film. Now, it appears he’s using the connection to further his work towards Latinx representation in the mainstream. When asked if he’d be interested in any adaptations of PhenomX, the star of Disney’s upcoming Encanto film revealed he’s hoping for much more:

    Y’know I’ve got big hopes. I have hopes that it’ll be turned into games, video games, movies, animation. Everything. I hope I can get it across the board, just make it everywhere.

    Read PhenomX on November 10, and then catch Encanto in theaters on Nov. 24.