'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' Star Reveals Physical Challenge of the Shoot

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is shaping up to be a pretty epic blockbuster, injecting an even [...]

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is shaping up to be a pretty epic blockbuster, injecting an even larger scale into Legendary's Monsterverse of movies. According to one member of the film's ensemble, the behind-the-scenes work that went into that film ended up being surprisingly active.

ComicBook.com got a chance to chat with Kyle Chandler, who plays Dr. Mark Russell in the upcoming film. As Chandler revealed, the process of shooting the film's story unfolded in a pretty unusual way, which made the first few weeks of production particularly grueling.

"They chose directly to do all the big difficult scenes before the dialogue just solely, and so the first few weeks it was a big workout. I actually trained to get ready to get in shape for this, and I'm really glad I did. I didn't think I'd have to, but I'm glad I did. Because Michael [Dougherty], the director, he's the real Coach Taylor. He's mean, man, just mean."

Tongue-in-cheek references to Friday Night Lights aside, Chandler has been pretty candid about the new acting challenges - and benefits - that a film of this scale brings.

"I mean, you know a big film like this, there's the challenge of all the green screen, which I did in King Kong, but this is more extensive." Chandler explained during the same set visit. "And the deal with that is it's fun because a lot of people say 'Isn't that hard, because there's nothing there?' But the fact is everything's there, and it's yours. You're creating what's there and that's sort of enjoyable. And when you're working with it, or running through it or jumping over it, it doesn't matter what you see or what is. They put something there for you so it's sorta fun to jump over something and wonder 'I wonder what I'm gonna see in the film. Is it ice or a bullet or, what have you.' And then the idea of this will be international, so for me as an actor that's something new as well. To be seen by crowds I haven't been seen by before, so that's a good positive right there."

"And that's what they did whether we're being attacked, there's a Titan, there's battling, things falling, helicopters falling out of the sky and what have you." Chandler continued. "And you create your own deal and just to give you a sense of what's going on over the loudspeakers there's Godzilla [going] 'Rrrrr,' it just sorta livens it up. Yeah... A lot of tape monsters. Yeah, tape, and tennis balls. However, again, going back to the sets and the set design, you don't have to act too hard on some of these sets because there's complete devastation, you get the big rudder fans up, they're blowing over 100 miles an hour, and you start spraying cold water into it. And you're standing up in the middle of the night in the rain, and you're looking for your daughter, no acting needed. You want to find her. That kind of stuff is fun. And the physical challenge."

Godzilla: King of the Monsters also stars Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, Sally Hawkins, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Ken Watanabe, Bradley Whitford, and Thomas Middleditch.

The synopsis for Godzilla: King of the Monsters reads as such, "The new story follows the heroic efforts of the cryptozoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient superspecies, thought to be mere myths, rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity's very existence hanging in the balance."

Godzilla: King of Monsters is set to hit theaters on May 31st.

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