Edgar Ramirez
#INTERVIEW: DISNEY’S “JUNGLE CRUISE”
We welcome a return to big Blockbusters this Summer as our theatres re-open once again. Disney’s JUNGLE CRUISE is a must-watch for many. Our patience finally has paid off as it arrives later this week in theatres and at home!
The nostalgic Action-Fantasy-Romance directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan, The Shallows), is inspired by the iconic Disneyland ride, taking us on an expedition through the Amazon jungle with Lily (Emily Blunt), who is an adventurous explorer on a mission to find the Tear of the Moon, which is said to have great healing powers, and Frank (Dwayne Johnson), a charming riverboat captain. Despite their differences, these two find themselves forming an unlikely bond as they fight to escape some deadly obstacles.
We had the joy of partaking in the global Press Conference for Disney’s JUNGLE CRUISE and joining us were stars:
Emily Blunt – Lily
Dwayne Johnson – Frank
Édgar Ramirez – Aguirre
Jack Whitehall – MacGregor
One of the most remarkable things about the Film is the warm chemistry shared by its leads Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt.
Blunt: I knew when we met we had this immediate rapport when we went back and forth so quickly and I knew we’d have a good time.
Johnson: It’s true and then you hope to get lucky and you like your Cast and you hope to have some chemistry. Emily and I have been talking a lot about chemistry these past couple weeks doing Press. And a lot of times you fake it because you’re acting.
Blunt: He’s been faking it for years!
Johnson: And I continue to fake it too, especially with us! (laughs)
Johnson said ‘yes’ immediately to the project, whereas Blunt notoriously ‘ghosted’ him after approaching her with a video proposal, really needing time to evaluate the Script before signing aboard. She chalks her approach to British manners. Johnson tells us what drew him most to the project, on which he served also as an Executive Producer.
Johnson: Well, the Script was in a really good place and I immediately saw the potential of the opportunity and that opportunity was to take an iconic and beloved Disney ride since 1955 when the theme park opened, this was Walt Disney‘s baby. And there were a lot of elements I felt comfortable saying ‘Yes, I will come onboard and I will partner with you and develop this thing’, and our next job was finding our Director and finding my Co-Star – the female Indiana Jones over here, which she hates because it’s setting her up and too much pressure!
Édgar Ramirez stars as misunderstood villain Aguirre in this his first Disney movie. Without spoilers, he dons an iconic look.
Ramirez: I was just happy those snakes weren’t near me anywhere in the shoot because I’m afraid of snakes. We shot in real locations and dressed them to look like the Amazon. I come from an Amazonian country and saw the Movie for the first time two days ago at the Premiere and guys, I’m so happy! You guys were incredible!
Blunt: You were this operatic bad guy, I loved it! And when we were shooting, you were like, ‘My mother’s gonna be so upset!’.
Ramirez: And she was! She’s super-afraid of snakes. She said, ‘Why didn’t you tell me? Like I missed half of your performance because I couldn’t look at you because of the snakes!’. But I’m happy my mother was super-scared!
To be in a movie that is based on the most iconic attraction for the most iconic entertainment universe in history such as Disney is so special. And to be with these amazing people, it’s so incredible.
That tone to be witty, romantic, funny and snide but cute at the same time, that is very difficult. We as Actors know that tone is very difficult to achieve and you guys killed it!
The Cast are asked about their most challenging stunts in the Film which has more than a few hold-your-breath moments.
Blunt: The rope-vine swing. For me it was most challenging because he would not let me get one straight take in. He pushed it so far every time to make me laugh on that vine-swing so we shot that all day. We didn’t get one straight take.
Johnson: It was that heroic vine-swing that you think the hero grabs the lady and takes off and goes to save the day. And of course it goes to hell because I don’t save the day!
Blunt: Every time I was just, ‘Tell me what you’re going to say this time just so I can be prepared’ and every time he’d throw in some awful improv that would make me laugh. I don’t know how many times we must have shot that!
Johnson: For me personally, a lot of the action with the Conquistadors, Edgar and his partners that was pretty challenging. Because these guys were dressed how they were dressed in their costumes and also fighting men who can’t die. Oh! I just ruined the Movie for you! (laughs) So they fight in a different way, with a confidence.
Jack Whitehall is full of witty one-liners in Disney’s Jungle Cruise, as Lily‘s brother MacGregor. Would you believe he had one line in Frozen, which got cut entirely?
Whitehall: Post the Frozen experience, I felt this was just a case of throwing enough stuff at the wall and something sticking because I was just desperate not to be cut from a movie. (laughs) The fact that there’s a single line in there is an improvement on the Frozen debacle and I’m so excited to actually have a speaking part in a Disney movie.
The Script was amazing, but we were given the space to improvise and add stuff to it. And these two created this environment where we were able to do that. It felt like such a safe space. There are probably a few jokes that ended-up on the cutting room floor for the right reasons. Some of the great moments that you see are genuine moments that we came up with in the Movie. And Jaume was so good at encouraging that as well.
Blunt is asked if she is closer in real life to another iconic Disney character she’s played, Mary Poppins or Lily?
Blunt: I’m probably a little closer to Lily. I feel like Lily’s sorta more of a mess. Poppins is so pulled-together and perfected and I don’t feel I walk through life that way, so I’d say Lily.
I’m organized but I feel like it’s a juggle. I feel I’m really organized with time and planning but I feel like plans always go slightly… yes, it is a juggle and a balance.
The Cast are asked what it is like to revitalize something so iconic for a new generation.
Blunt: It has been immensely rewarding. To what Edgar was talking about, we really needed tonally to strike a chord that was really well-crafted, and that we curated with so much love and that it was made in the spirit of the films we all grew-up watching. I mainlined those movies into my veins, I just loved Indiana Jones, Romancing the Stone and African Queen. They are just joy-bombs and nostalgic. I think we just needed to pierce people’s hearts directly with the spirit of those films we all loved as children and it just took a lot of tempering and beautiful conducing from Jaume who was just extraordinarily free-spirited with us in this massive spectacle of a movie. He’s such a world builder.
When we both met Jaume, we both asked him the same question, ‘So what do you feel this movie is about?’ and I always ask that when I sign-on because I want to know what the movie’s about. And he goes, “You know, it’s about love”. And it was so perfect because you could’ve talked about all the action and the spectacle, the legends and all that, but that’s when I knew in Jaume that we had an innate romantic and a world-builder. And that’s what you need for this type of movie.
Walt Disney Studios Canada release JUNGLE CRUISE Friday, July 30, 2021 in theatres and on Disney+ with Premier Access.
(Photo/video credit: Disney)
#FIRSTLOOK: “YES DAY” IS MARCH 12, 2021
In celebration of upcoming Netflix release YES DAY, we want to encourage our readers to say “yes” to something they’ve been putting off for a while! In a world of “no”, we give you permission to say “yes” on March 12, 2021 as part of what will be known as the #YESDAYCHALLENGE.
Synopsis:
Always feeling like they have to say NO to their kids and co-workers, Allison and Carlos decide to give their three kids a YES DAY — where for 24 hours the kids make the rules. Little did they know that they’d be going on a whirlwind adventure around Los Angeles, that would bring the family closer to each other than ever before.
See the Trailer:
WHAT: International Yes Day is Friday, March 12th and, similar to the premise of the movie and book, families and individuals are encouraged to craft their OWN Yes Day!
WHERE: Wherever it is safe to do so!
WHEN: Starting Friday, March 12th (and beyond!)
WHY: Do you always feel like you have to say NO to your kids, your colleagues, your friends or your family? Are you turning down opportunities that you would have liked to take but were too busy? Taking a Yes Day can be liberating. It’s an excuse to explore fun ideas, to spend time together, to discover something new, laugh and maybe even relax. It’s giving yourself AND your family or friends permission to say yes to the things you have put off. This past year has been a huge challenge for us all, taking a YES DAY may be just what the doctor ordered. So – say YES to doing something fun with your family, your loved ones, your friends – it may turn out to be the best day ever. Be sure to share your photos, videos, and stories from your personal Yes Day using #YesDayChallenge! Everyone deserves a Yes Day!
Remember to use the Hashtag #YesDayChallenge!
YES DAY arrives on Netflix Friday, March 12, 2021.
(Photo/video credit: Netflix)
#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “YES DAY”
Jennifer Garner and Edgar Ramirez star in YES DAY, coming soon to Netflix! See what happens when kids call the shots for a day!
Synopsis:
Always feeling like they have to say NO to their kids and co-workers, Allison and Carlos decide to give their three kids a YES DAY — where for 24 hours the kids make the rules. Little did they know that they’d be going on a whirlwind adventure around Los Angeles, that would bring the family closer to each other than ever before.
Cast: Jennifer Garner, Édgar Ramírez, Jenna Ortega, Julian Lerner, Everly Carganilla, H.E.R., Nat Faxon, Molly Sims, Fortune Feimster, Arturo Castro
See the Trailer:
Netflix release YES DAY Friday, March 12, 2021.
(Photo/video credit: Netflix)
#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “JUNGLE CRUISE”
Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt star in JUNGLE CRUISE. Check-out this brand-new Teaser Trailer!
Synopsis:
Inspired by the famous Disneyland theme park ride, Disney’s JUNGLE CRUISE is an adventure-filled, Amazon-jungle expedition starring Dwayne Johnson as the charismatic riverboat captain and Emily Blunt as a determined explorer on a research mission. Also starring in the film are Edgar Ramirez, Jack Whitehall, with Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti.
See the Trailer:
#TIFF19:”WASP NETWORK”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Wasp Network focuses on a few Cuban intelligence agents who pose as dissidents during the country’s 90s post-Soviet Union economic collapse.
Director Olivier Assayas is a master of telling multiple character storylines and making them all come together naturally. With Wasp Network, he continues on this path. This time around he focuses on three different intelligence agents with different things to lose and gain. Although the Film does get a bit slow at times it’s the performances from an all-star Cast that keep the audience’s attention. Those intense performances are from Edgar Ramírez, Gael García Bernal, and Wagner Moura. Yet the most captivating performances come from Penélope Cruz and Ana de Armas who are the ones most affected by their husband’s actions.
Wasp Network screens at TIFF on Mon, Sep 9 at Ryerson Theatre at 6 PM, Tue, Sep 10 at Scotiabank Theatre at 6 PM, and Sat, Sep 14 at Ryerson Theatre at 8:30 PM.
#GIVEAWAY: ENTER TO WIN ADVANCE PASSES TO SEE “GOLD”
Elevation Pictures + Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to see GOLD starring Matthew McConaughey. Screenings take place as follows:
Toronto
Date: January 25, 2017
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Varsity (55 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M4W 1A5)
Ottawa
Date: January 25, 2017
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Cineplex Cinemas Ottawa (3090 Carling Ave, Nepean, ON K2B 7K2) *TBC
Vancouver
Date: January 25, 2017
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Scotiabank Vancouver (900 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 3G5)
Victoria
Date: January 25, 2017
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: SilverCity Victoria (3130 Tillicum Rd, Victoria, BC V9A 6T2)
Halifax
Date: January 25, 2017
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Dartmouth Crossing (145 Shubie Dr, Dartmouth, NS B3B 0C3)
Edmonton
Date: January 25, 2017
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Scotiabank Theatre (West Edmonton Mall, 8882 170 St NW #3030, Edmonton, AB T5T 4M2)
Calgary
Date: January 25, 2017
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Eau Claire (200 Barclay Parade SW, 200 Barclay Parade S.W., Calgary, AB, T2P 4R5)
Winnipeg
Date: January 25, 2017
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Polo Park (Polo Park Shopping Center, 817 St James St, Winnipeg, MB R3G 3L3)
Synopsis:
GOLD is the epic tale of one man’s pursuit of the American dream, to discover gold. Starring Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey as Kenny Wells, a prospector desperate for a lucky break, he teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on an amazing journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Getting the gold was hard, but keeping it would be even harder, sparking an adventure through the most powerful boardrooms of Wall Street. The film is inspired by a true story. GOLD also stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Edgar Ramirez, Toby Kebbell, Rachael Taylor, Corey Stoll, Bill Camp, Michael Landes, Bruce Greenwood and Stacy Keach.
See the Trailer:
Artwork:
To enter to win, simply click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your City.
Elevation Pictures release GOLD on Friday, January 27, 2017.
(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)
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