So, whos inSuper 8?
Okay, theres Kyle Chandler.
You know, the guy fromKing Kongand TVsFriday Night Lights.
Theres Elle Fanning, fromSomewhere.
And then theres someone who used to be in E.R.
wholl have you asking Is that …?
when you realise who it is beneath the long hair and unkempt beard.
Good enough for you?
The truth is,Super 8isnt a film populated by movie stars.
As soon as they can.
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First up was Elle Fanning.
Well, youll have to buy a ticket and find out.
This is J.J. Abrams, after all.
Hes not going to tell you before youve seen the film.
Is that ever exhausting?
I think thats what makes moviemaking so special for me.
EF:You know, I wasnt.
I got the part when- even before I read the script or even knew anything about it.
Because, in the audition process, when I auditioned, the scenes were totally different.
They werent fromSuper 8.
The characters names were different.
It was so secretive.
Is that ever scary?
And for a while, I couldnt even say that I had a movie.
For a while there, we couldnt say anything.
EF:It was so fun.
[laughs] We had the best time together.
I was like one of the guys, really.
I just hung out with them.
And we were all in West Virginia, in this really small town.
So, you couldnt help but hang out with each other.
How we were on screen was really how we were off screen as well.
So, did you get much lead in time to hang out together?
And you cant but be friends when you spend so much time together, laughing together.
And J.J., as well, just made everybody feel so comfortable.
And theres a great film within the film, which your characters are making.
What was the more fun for you, makingSuper 8with J.J. or the home-made zombie movie?
EF:We actually got to write it.
J.J. allowed us to do that.
EF:I know.
It was just so cool that J.J. let us do that.
And the last film I saw of yours wasSomewhere.
How much do you look for a change in pace?
BecauseSomewhereis very different toSuper 8.
EF:Yeah, and I went fromSomewheretoSuper 8.
J.J. has become a name himself now.
And then youve got Steven Spielberg as a producer, one of the biggest names there is.
Did you get much time with both of them?
EF:Yeah.I mean J.J.s like a big kid, really.
We basically had seven kids on set.
He related to us so well.
And Steven came on the set a lot.
But seeing him there and being a part of something hes a part of is just so special.
Just smaller ones, obviously.
Off screen, theyre just one down from that.
Ryan Lee:Oh yeah.
Riley Griffiths:It really was a lot of fun.
We got to write and direct it, and set up the shots all on our own.
J.J. let us do that, which was really amazing.
And was that more fun for you?
Because youve got this huge J.J. Abrams sci-fi film, and then your film within it.
So, every scene that we had with each other, wed write it.
t was a lot of fun like that, which was really cool.
RL:The good guys have got to win, right?
I mean, I like dying.
It was pretty cool.
[laughs]
And J.J.s said that he was a little bit of each of your characters.
Ryan, your character is the one who blows a lot of stuff up.
Hes a real practical joker.
And on this film, J.J. gets to blow a lot of stuff up.
Was it a fun set?
RG:Oh yeah, J.J.s just like the seventh kid, really.
But hes very serious about his work.
But he does it in such a fun way that it doesnt feel like work at all.
It feels like were all hanging out on camera.
Yeah, hes got an amazing sense of humour as well.
He was a genius.
He could always relate to us and never made us feel uncomfortable.
If we were having trouble with something, hed let us change the line and wed start ad-libbing.
It was really cool.
RG:Oh, yeah.
I got him and [producer] Bryan Burk with it.
RL:We were all in it together.
We all came up with the idea.
We scripted it out, basically.
So, it was a lot of fun.
RG:Oh, yeah.
Im excited to see all my friends reactions, their facial expressions, when they see all the surprises.
I mean, this movies like a Swiss army knife.
Things just keep popping out of it.
And did you guys actually get to see the monster?
Because its a slow reveal in the film.
Or were you kept in the dark as well?
Joel Courtney:Well, kind of.
J.J. just kind of said, Imagine the scariest thing you’re able to possibly imagine.
And I did, and when I saw the final outcome it was like ten times scarier.
I should have gone way scarier.
But, it was really good.
And being an actor is just having a great imagination.
And so, the tennis ball was our scary whatever it is That was our thing.
Last up, it was one of the films grownups.
And Chandler himself does a fantastic pitch for Super 8.
Im just not sure if it would fit on a poster.
Theres a real shroud of mystery surrounding the film.
Does that change it for you when youre filming it?
Not in these types of things.
That is a long, convoluted answer!
No ones ever going to understand that!
KC:No, no I didnt.
Theyre constantly growing and moving throughout the film.
And as they grow, you are being taken into some of these scenes and youre moved.
You may question, Why am I moved by this?
Why am I seeing this and its affecting me in such a way?
It doesnt really matter.
So, its able to grab you honestly and take you along for the ride.
The camera angles and the shots are wonderful.
I mean, its a dance sitting up there.
And youve got mystery, youve got intrigue, youve got this super scary thing thats running around.
Youve got everything youd want in a wonderful story.
And thats why its such a great movie.
Youve made me want to go and see it again.
KC:You probably will.
I cant wait to see it again, to be quite honest.
Or youre starting to get old, anyway.
KC:Yeah, inSuper 8, it takes place in Lillian, Ohio in 1979.
In the movie, my sons 14 years old.
In 1979, I was 14 years old.
I came from a small town.
So, stepping into this world, Id certainly been there before.
I know how it feels.
I know how it smells.
I know how people react.
I know how people know each other, people help each other, and theres a community.
Were there films J.J. had you watch?
Does he work that way, to get you in a certain frame of mind?
For myself, I came to the set and we began.
I came to the set, showed him my wardrobe and we began.
There was no preamble to how we were going to do this.
you might do a lot worse than work with J.J. Abrams, thats for sure.
Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee and Kyle Chandler, thank you very much.
Super 8 opens in cinemas tomorrow, Friday August 5th.
