Ahead of the release of Scott Pilgrim Vs.
The books are an amazing mix of comedy, romance and action.
And then on the big screen, the same elements, with music as well.
Luckily, that was not my job.
Kieran Culkin:…the end?
But I dont know what else to say as far as concerns…
Ellen Wong:I dont know.
Shes untainted in that way.
So, with that in mind, I just kind of let go.
I just tried to have fun.
Ed W:Just a lot of pre-planning, really.
I was working with world-class professionals.
Cinematographer Bill Pop and stunt coordinator Brad Allan were amazing.
Wed already shot a test in July 2008.
We shot a test of a fight scene between Scott Pilgrim and Patel, with two stunt men.
So, there was a lot of supplementing material to be able to show the cast.
We had the music.
So, there was a lot of planning.
Its not something I could have put together in three months.
It was a good years worth of prep before we even started shooting.
The actual comic itself is like a breath of fresh air.
It wasnt a superhero film.
It wasnt a more generic sci-fi tale.
It was something that was essentially taking the trials of young love and presenting them as a visual metaphor.
Whether thats true or its just in your mind, it snowballed from there, the idea.
I love that aspect to it, that it wasnt just like a comedy or an action film.
Essentially, deep down its a date movie.
Its a story about young love and rites of passage.
I basically havent worked on theAnt-Manscript for two years, since Ive been working on this solidly.
But its one of the things that Im going to return to writing once this is all done.
Im going to get back into writing towards the end of the year.
We were very supportive, though.
Fighting for love… Sure, yeah, absolutely.
I dont know… Any physical work, Id be like, Eh, youre not that great.
KC:Psychological warfare?
AK:Psychological warfare.
I am excellent at that.
KC:Well said.
Ed W:For me, a lot of espresso.
The cast are all incredibly enthusiastic and energetic and very professional.
It was a marathon shoot, as well.
There was no easy scene to do, really.
There was always some element if not action, then music.
Lighting effects, in-camera effects.
So, theres always something interesting going on.
Did he make the set fun?
MEW:Yeah, absolutely.
So, I think he set a really good standard.
And Im a huge Jackie Chan fan, so that was a real thrill.
And, basically, they had acrobats and mixed martial artists from all around the world.
Ed W:We worked on the soundtrack for about two years.
So, it was sort of like casting.
It was like, Whos going to play this band?
Whos going to play that band?
And we just, basically, cherry picked our ultimate fantasy list of bands to do it.
It was just an amazing roster of talent.
I think it sounds amazing.
I learned to play bass.
That was my fight training for the movie, which I did for three or four months.
A good 85-90% of that.
We trained for a long time.
I started going up in December of 2008, and I didnt shoot until June of 2009.
I wasnt there the whole time, but we were back and forth quite a bit.
Michael Cera:Jackie Chans a famous action star…
SB:Thank you.
And it was a lot of fun.
MC:We all started doing some training in LA in November, the people who lived in LA.
MC:But it was amazing, you know.
Theyre so disciplined and focused and devoted.
So, it was nice to be around them.
And I would do that for hours and hours and hours.
And it was super fun.
I couldnt defend you, if someone came in right now and there happened to be a sword around.
SB:The three of us would run away and Brandon would finish the rest.
SB:I wasnt aware of the books.
Id read them after Id heard that I had the part.
And they were really fun reads.
Im not a big comic book fan, in general, but I really enjoyed them.
BR:I didnt know about the books until after meeting with Edgar to talk about the project.
But I enjoyed them immensely after doing so.
So, I didnt really pay too much attention to the physical likeness.
I did, but it was more about the dialogue and the way he handled himself.
And how other people described him.
MC:Two very difficult questions…
BR:All the way, right?
MC:Um, I dont really have a favorite ex that I was looking forward to the most.
And Jasons was very challenging, with the swords.
It was a whole different key in of fighting.
So, those were both really fun.
And how far would I go for love?
BR:[Whispers] All the way…
MC:…All the way.
MC:No, I hope to find any available nerdy roles and snap them away.
Were very interested to know how Michael is in real life could you guys describe him?
MC:Violent but deadly.
BR:Hes one of the nicest people in Hollywood that Ive met.
Thats what I…
MC:You sound so stupid!
And hes genuinely, extremely funny.
Fantastic in this movie.
So many of his little touches of humor that I keep finding new things to laugh at him for.
JS:Brandon said it correctly.
And you did too, Satya, just in a different way.
Because hes very interested in things like movies and music.
But not always obvious things or easy to find things.
He knows so many hard-to-find things on YouTube, and interesting interviews with people.
Hes turned me on to so many great David Letterman things.
Things that are a bit harder to find, and a bit more specific.
So, I like being around Michael, because you get exposed to a bunch of new things.
It was amazing getting to work with Nigel.
It was really exciting that he was part of the film.
He composed my song.
That was also fantastic.
And there was Ray Charles piano in the room.
So, there were ghosts of geniuses past that helped me get through it.
And it really stands alone.
The soundtrack is an awesome album.
And he had to replace Becks vocals in the songs.
Beck produced the original demos, but Nigel recorded the vocals over that.
Can you imagine never singing before, and the first time youre singing is in front of Nigel Godrich.
SB:…to replace Beck!
JS:Yeah, right.
As a question to the cast.
SB:I mean, I never met Nigel, but, hell, yes.
I also love Brandons song, written by Metric.
JS:Thats a great song.
BR:Im sad they didnt… Its only Brie Larsons [Envy Adams] vocals.
Its not our instrumental.
JS:Aw, really?
BR:I can play that song really well, too.
MC:Michael Cera is a famous action star.
JS:And then it has a kiss below it.
And this is really just a symbol of the fun that were having, and the overallScott Pilgrimexperience.
Im wearing it like a badge.
And this moustache is a personal choice.
Or Ill have a Backstreet Boy, just a thin little highlight around my chin.
And I just do it mainly to make my wife laugh.
But shes quite fond of it, so I leave it for her.
MC:And you want to be the first person to have a Geordi La Forge.
And Michael has an idea for my next moustache.
MC:It could only work on Jason, I think.
JS:Im willing to be the guinea pig for this kind of idea.
InStar Trek: The Next Generation, La Forge has those glasses [motioning around his face].
Michael wants me to have the moustache version of that.
So Im excited to try and do that.
And thats basically what Ill be doing in the off-season.
Well, we all look forward to the Fun With Shaving DVD.
I will release it!
Hopefully, I can find distribution.
MC:Its actually a really tough question.
Do you remember anything?
JS:Um… funny or just bizarre?
MC:Chimp attacks!
SB:Oh, dude…
MC:Terrible to watch, but I cant look away.
Like theres one, this guy was okay, but he worked on a chimp sanctuary.
He brought them food, and picked bugs off their back, and was accepted among them, generally.
And the chimp does not like it, and it really bothers him.
The guy got thrown into the water.
And Ive seen that one about 400 times.
There are 400 views on YouTube, and theyre all me.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is released on August 25th.Read our review here.
