Jon Favreau, the director of the 'Iron Man' series, talks to Expresso about the challenges that he faced while making the sequel, Robert Downey Jr and his own appearance as the bodyguard and driver Happy Hogan.
When did you realise that 'Iron Man' was a special movie & it would be a hit?
JF: I think the first sense that we had something special was when we went on the international press tour and both the feedback and film reviews were extremely positive. But it really didn’t hit us until we went around to movie theaters on opening weekend and watched how well audiences reacted to the film.
Did you ever think that you would make sequel to 'Iron Man'?
When we were shooting the first film, we weren’t planning a sequel, but we were also aware that if things went well, there would be one; so we thought about what the big picture would be and what we were leading to in terms of story.
What were the challenges you faced while planning & developing the sequel?
The biggest challenge with 'Iron Man 2' was how to stay true to what audiences enjoyed about the first film while at the same time raising the bar in every aspect — an interesting but sometimes difficult line to walk. If it gets too complicated, the sequel becomes overwrought and loses its light touch. But if you don’t do anything more than you did the first time, it just feels like more of the same so doing a sequel can be a mixed blessing.
What about Robert Downey Jr?
He is an amazingly talented actor and I think people were waiting for him to do the right project. It was one of those situations where the material and the actor married well and probably my single largest contribution to 'Iron Man' was in recognising that connection and making it happen. Robert really put to rest any doubts on how serious he was about being a major player in Hollywood.
And, Scarlett Johansson, who joins the star cast of 'Iron Man 2'?
There was some initial resistance to Scarlett playing the role in the fanboy community because she hadn’t done an action film before, but what appealed to me the most in casting Scarlett was her dedication and intelligence. Scarlett assured me that she would work as hard as she needed to do all of the stunts and physical work in the film. True to her word, she was completely dedicated when it came to spending countless hours in preparing for all of the physical work and looking her best in the Black Widow costume.
So will we get to see you again in the role of Happy Hogan, Tony’s trusty driver and bodyguard?
Oh yes, you will very much see me as Happy Hogan. My character Happy Hogan has a bigger part this time. Last time Happy was basically an extra. I was told the character was kind of distracting because he didn’t have anything to do; so this time I actually have more scenes. But when it came to editing, we had to cut some of his lines.
But why did you have to edit his lines or scenes?
What do fans want to see, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in her suit or me dressed as a limo driver? I don’t think I have to answer that question…