‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ Stars on Marvel Studios’ “Intense” Secrecy

Ant-Man and the Wasp stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, and Michael Douglas say Marvel Studios' infamous secrecy practices are sometimes "intense" and "pressure-filled."

"I went through all these secrecy tests," Douglas, who returns as big-brained scientist Hank Pym, told USA Today. "I thought they were gonna give me a blood test and this and that, about not saying and trying to figure out — and not thinking they really were kind of pushing it a little bit."

The veteran movie star said the secrecy is necessary because even the most carefully-guarded processes — like an American election — can fall victim to leaks and outside interference.

"But in this day and age — and take a look at what the Russians have done to our elections, and fake news, and all of this — it's extremely important to keep your secrets," Douglas said.

"And I think that Marvel has done this amazing job of creating buzz just from people not knowing what exactly is gonna happen. So they monitor you pretty closely. And I like the group, I like the fan mail, I don't want to upset them."

Lilly, who returns as Hope van Dyne and suits up for the first time as high-flying superhero Wasp, says her past acting history has long prepared her for remaining tight-lipped — something she first learned since her turn as Kate Austen on J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof-created mystery box series Lost.

"I got that training very early in my career. I got the training to keep my mouth shut and to keep secrets to myself when I started my young career with the pilot of Lost, and was into the sort of federal-level secret society," Lilly said.

"And then I moved into the Hobbit franchise which was equally secretive — even Real Steel was fairly secretive — and now I'm in the Marvel franchise. So, I mean, it's par for the course, but I feel like, as far as being a company man or a company woman goes, I'm a bit of a rebel. I don't take it all that seriously."

"You don't want to spoil things for people, there are people out there hired to try and find things out," added Paul Rudd, who returns as size-shifting hero Ant-Man.

"It's an amazing, intense thing to be a part of, and you feel — it is sometimes pressure-filled where you're just, 'Oh my god, I just, I don't want to slip up. I know I have to talk, what am I allowed to say? What am I not allowed to say?'" Rudd explained. "It's a lot of that."

The Ant-Man stars will next have to safeguard the secrets of Avengers 4, which Rudd says he knows little about — because of Marvel's habit of keeping mostly everyone, even its employees, in the dark.

Ant-Man and the Wasp opens July 6, followed by Avengers 4 May 3, 2019.