And as part of the whirlwind PR tour promoting Transformers #2 Bay joined his Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen actors, minus LaBeouf and with Transformers newbie Ramon Rodriguez, in LA to talk this second film of the franchise.
Megan Fox, Michael Bay, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Ramon Rodriguez and Kevin Dunn Press Conference
Megan, what's changed for you since the first Transformers?Megan Fox: "I think the movie, its success and how well it was received, has opened a lot of doors for me career-wise and I've been able to be a part of some films that I don't really feel like I deserve to be a part of, and that's due greatly in part or solely to the success of Transformers. I just did Jonah Hex with Josh Brolin and Michael Fassbender and John Malkovich. People in general, just actors don't get those kinds of opportunities. For me to have that is a huge blessing and that's because of the success of this movie."
Anything about your daily life?
Megan Fox: "Sure. Getting photographed at Whole Foods or coming out of Rite Aid with your shampoo bottles and stuff, that's new for me, but that's not that crazy. You adjust to that; you acclimate to that pretty quickly."
Michael, this movie destroys so much property. Was there anything that you thought, “I can't do this?” And Megan did you ever think, “I have to wear this?”
Megan Fox: "Oh, yeah. I have those moments on a daily basis, but the process of picking those outfits, like I don't have much of a say. I remember that Mike was auditioning Ramon [Rodriguez] and some of the other characters and there was just this roomful of men upstairs in his office…"
Michael Bay: "A few young guys."
Megan Fox: "No. It was Shia [LaBeouf], Ramon and two other actors and you. I had to come up and down and knock on the door and try on all my wardrobe, and I had like 18 different outfits. It was like white jean shorts and pink belly shirt and motorcycle boots. We went through like a whole thing and Mike was selecting them in the process of auditioning."
Michael Bay: "It's called multi-tasking."
Megan Fox: "Right, but I had no say. Clearly he has an eye for what should be and should not be in the movie and so I just trust him."
Michael Bay: "And about your question, it's called summer fun. It's a robot movie."
Kevin, do you feel your character shares the father role with Optimus?
Kevin Dunn: "Well, as far as I know, he was conceived by myself. I don't think Optimus got in there. Yeah, maybe, I guess there's a parallel in the script that he needs the guidance of Optimus, and me he kind of blows off, like kids regularly blow off their dad. But yeah, there's a paternal aspect of both characters."
Michael, what do you think is in here especially for the ladies that would make them want to come and see this movie?
Michael Bay: "Well, I think what was interesting about the first one, it's got relationships with the parents and the kids. Kevin [Dunn] is actually playing my father. That's very much how my parents were when I was growing up. What was making the movie accessible to everybody was the humor in it. I think that's how you make it accessible to everyone. It's not just a fanboy movie."
What do you think most women hone in on then?
Michael Bay: "Most women hone in on the humor. There are a lot of young women that say, 'I just want to see robots kicking ass.' I've heard that before. I think the relationship between Shia and Megan."
Josh Duhamel: "Tyrese offered to introduce himself in the second movie by doing a shirtless carwash scene on Optimus, but Michael didn't go for it."
Michael Bay: "I didn't, yeah."
Tyrese Gibson: "Thanks, Josh."
Does the IMAX version have more footage than the regular version? Is there more on the Imax cut?
Michael Bay: "Actually, the IMAX version, with film time if you want to talk, is 2 hours and 20 minutes exactly. It has, I think, probably about a minute more of footage. It's got some more fighting footage that took place in the forest, some additional stuff with Devastator. I have not seen it in IMAX. […]I'm excited to see that. It wasn't ready until this weekend."
Josh Duhamel: "I want to sneak in and see that."
What was your most favorite or memorable experience of working with members of the military?
Megan Fox: "I think just in general I was really pleasantly, not surprised with them, but they're all extremely chivalrous and very respectful, clearly, because they're disciplined. They're so much better behaved than the rest of the cast is, including myself though. They listen and take direction really well and we're all just f--king off."
Michael Bay: "If they could all be like that..."
Megan Fox: "It adds authenticity to the movie. Michael, you consult with the military on everything to make it authentic and make it real. And I also just enjoy being able to walk on the set and there's a hundred real soldiers, as opposed to walking on and it’s a hundred actors from Orange County or L.A. in fatigues. It was just overall a really pleasant experience for me and I have an immense amount of respect for the soldiers and for our troops."
