Ioan Gruffudd Talks About "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer"

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Has Fox already said that if Fantastic Four 2 does really well, they’re jumping right into Fantastic Four 3?
“Certainly when we were shooting the movie, you get that sense, that they want to try and complete this franchise. I can’t open my mouth.”

Perhaps the movie ends in a way that you might want to see a third movie?
Grinning, “Perhaps it does. Everyone’s aware that people have signed a three picture deal and I’d love for that to happen. They probably know now how it’s going to perform with the tracking. They have an idea.”

Maybe the studio is working on a third script right now?
“I’m sure of it. Yeah, they must be. If they have half a brain.”

It’s really interesting that they don’t want you to talk about Fantastic Four 2 yet.
“It is funny. I agree. I think it’s a bit arcane, that thing of, ‘Don’t let it get out there.’ Whereas, it’s getting it out there that generates the hype. But I’m sure there’s some sort of timing to it. They don’t want it to peak too soon. I think that’s what it is. I think that’s why we haven’t seen any of the movie, either. Nobody’s seen it. They’re holding onto it. ‘Don’t let it get out there.’”

Did it feel as though they were spending a lot more on the second film than on the first one?
“I didn’t think a lot more but certainly some…”

Was the catering better?
“The catering was fantastic. I just got the sense that they probably learnt what was important to them so they’re throwing a lot of money on certain aspects of it instead of spreading it out, saying, ‘This sequence is important to us.’ The sets were unbelievable this time. The Baxter building is breathtaking.”

How many big action set pieces are there?
“There’s three big action sequences.”

Have you seen the completed movie?
“Haven’t seen a frame of it, no. I saw a little bit of dailies, but it’s somebody standing next to you in a green suit or a tennis ball with an X on it. I haven’t seen any of it put together. But that’s the exciting aspect of making a movie like that is that I am like an audience member when I see if for the first time. I’m like, ‘Whoa, I can’t believe they made me stretch and do that!’ There were bits in the first movie where they manipulated me entirely.

There’s a scene in the Baxter building where Dr. Doom is throwing lightning bolts at me and he eventually throws me out the window and I’m hanging outside the building. I remember shooting the bit where he threw lightning bolts at me and pretending to avoid them. They put the effect on and from then on, I run to the window and fall out the window. I never did that. It was a digital me, amazing. I didn’t do any of that. It is breathtaking, really impressive. The difficulty with the new movie is every frame that the Silver Surfer is in, even just as a character talking, is an effect so it’s costing a fortune.”

What’s it like being a toy?
“The coolest thing ever! I can’t tell you… I collected all those Star Wars figures when Star Wars came out. I remember one of my first highs that I got was a little action figure of Superman about this high [indicates about four inches high]. My mom had gone to London to see a play and she bought us back a little toy. I treasured that thing so much. If I had known then that I would one day become a figure, I’d have flipped out.”

Do you think it looks like you?
“I think it looks very much like me. They got the proportion of the nose perfect; got a big clunker in there.”

Have you seen the new toys?
“No. This time I think it’s a different company making the toys. Hasbro, I think. But I’ve seen ideas and have approved my likeness. They are using scans from the first movie. We did hours and hours of scanning again this time.”

How was the car to work in?
“It’s a stunning-looking car. Honestly, it was like a playground ride. They had it on a gimble and it was able to do all this [leaning back and forth] really fast. We had to be strapped in. It was hysterical.”

Taking into consideration the world of superheroes, who would you like to play that hasn’t yet been made into a movie? And is there a historical figure you’d someday like to play?
“In the comic book world…I’m afraid I’m not well-versed. I’m not an authority on comic books. I didn’t read comic books as a child so I’m introduced to this via The Fantastic Four. I don’t really have an image or person from a comic book that I’d love to play. In history, gosh…John F. Kennedy.”