Andre Tricoteux has a big year in front of him. In addition to his recurring role on the second season of The CW’s iZombie, Tricoteux will become a part of Fox’s X-Men movie universe as Colossus in Deadpool. He follows that up by becoming part of the Orc Horde in Legendary Pictures’ Warcraft, and then appearing opposite Dolph Lundgren in Kindergarten Cop 2.
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With all of that on his plate, Tricoteux still found the time to speak with ComicBook.com about these many upcoming roles
So you’re playing one of my favorite X-Men, Colossus, in the Deadpool movie. How familiar were you with the character before you came on the project?
AT: I definitely had a good understanding of him. I’m a comic book fan, like everybody else. I enjoy X-men, so I had a pretty good understanding about him. Actually, one of my brothers is kind of a fanatic, and his favorite character is Colossus as well, so he knew everything about the guy. So he was my first call. And then doing the research, and kind of getting more of his…I was familiar with him, but I wasn’t 100 percent familiar with all of the backstory of him. As I got my hooks into the guy, and did my research on him and stuff, I got a pretty good understanding of him.
Colossus has appeared in X-Men movies before, but he certain seems different in the Deadpool trailer. How does your version of Colossus differ from what we’ve seen in the movies before?
AT: It was very important for [director Tim Miller] and the rest of the Deadpool folks that we keep this Colossus really traditional to the true comic book story. You’ve seen the look of him is different. Obviously, I think Tim’s already leaked this, but he’s got a Russian accent. We kept him really traditional to the true comic book version. That’s going to be the major difference. I think with Deadpool too, you’re going to get a little bit more backstory on Colossus and kind of see who he is and how he views the world, and how he views himself in the world. And I think that differs a little bit because I don’t think you’ve been able to get that with Colossus in some of the previous X-Men movies.
Any chance we see Colossus pull of a “fastball special” in Deadpool?
AT: [Laughs] I can’t talk about that.
From what we’ve heard and seen, it seems that Colossus is paired up, at least when he first appears, with Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand). What’s their relationship like?
AT: I can’t give away too much plot, but I think it’s been kind of already previously commented on. I would say, without getting too much into it, it’s kind of a mentor-apprentice relationship.
So would it be safe to assume that, since Colossus is an X-Man, that Negasonic Teenage Warhead is a student at the Xavier School?
AT: I would say that would be fair [laughs], but I’m not going to confirm that. That would be a fair assumption.
Have you been back on set for the recent round of reshoots?
AT: Yes I have. I think some people, when they hear reshoots, think they’re fixing mistakes. This is more additional footage than classic kind of reshoots.
So if you’re on set for shooting additional footage, does that mean we’re getting additional Colossus in the movie?
AT: That would be a fair assumption.
What would you say has been the highlight of your experience filming Deadpool? Was there a particular moment, or scene, or fight?
AT: Again, I can’t give away too much storyline, but Colossus does have some serious disagreements with several people. I’ve really enjoyed working on this film. It’s a great team. Tim was great to work with. Ryan [Reynolds] was great. The guy’s just awesomely talented, and he’s so funny, and he’s just perfect for this Deadpool character. The script is really well done, and it’s such a good story and so well written. [Rhett] Reese and Paul [Wernick] just did such a great job on that script. Everybody was good. Ed Skrein, Brianna, Gina [Carano] was fantastic. Everybody was really great to work with. I don’t know if I have one favorite scene. I would say the whole thing was just great, and like I said, Colossus had some disagreements with several people in the movie, and I think people are going to enjoy that.
Tim Miller teased that Deadpool would have I fantastic post-credits scene that would tie it into the larger X-Men movie universe. As the X-Man in the movie, were you called in to help tie things together?
AT: Well, I think just the by the nature of having Colossus in Deadpool kind of ties them together. That kind of gives the audience kind of a notion of what could or may happen in the future, in terms of coming together. I can’t really discuss anything about the post-credits teaser.
Have you given any thought to reprising your role as Colossus in future movies?
AT: I’d love to do it if the opportunity came around. Yes, I would love to.
You’re also in Warcraft. What was reaction to finally getting to see that trailer full assembled, realized, and released?
AT: Yeah, we were shooting that in the spring of 2014, so it spent a long time in post. I had high expectation for it. I knew what we had done and what we had shot was going to be fantastic. I already seen, and I had a good idea, what the Orcs were going to look like. I expected quite a bit, and it certainly delivered. I was quite happy with it, and it seems like the fans have really taken to it and are happy with the trailer, which is great. That movie is just going to blow people’s socks off. It was a huge project, and a big undertaking. They really tried to make sure the hardcore Warcraft fan base was going to be happy with it. It’s a great story and there’s good action in it, and the CG and all the effects are next level. It looks great.
What was the experience like filming that, where rather than it just being you in motion capture, it was an entire Orc army? Did it present unique challenges?
AT: It wasn’t difficult at all, because, like I said, this is a massive undertaking. Because it was next level, and we worked in live sets, so that sets were huge. I’m talking like two football fields in length, with mature trees planted in. They built the world around us. There are some massive scenes with a lot of players in them at the same time, so they really transported us to that world. It was just fantastic, it was a lot of fun, and it was great.
If I can revert to full comic book nerd for this question, who wins in a fight between Colossus and an Orc?
AT: Oh. Oh, geez. You have to go with Colossus. Although, I will say, the Orcs are warriors. That’s all they do is fight. There isn’t an Orc who isn’t able to handle himself. But yeah, I’d have to go with Colossus, just because I think he’s a little bit more intelligent. Well I shouldn’t say that. They’re smart too, they’re not unintelligent, but yeah, I’d go with Colossus. But it would be a good scrap!
You’ve got a recurring role on The CW’s iZombie. Can you talk about that role?
AT: Yeah, my character’s name is Chief. I’m the lead antagonist, Blaine’s, muscle. Chief is kind of a unique character, and they’re bringing him along slowly, which is great. You get to see a little bit more of him, and who he is, and his personality in every episode. So fans should keep watching, and I hope they like what they get.
What other projects do you have in the works right now?
AT: I did Kindergarten Cop 2 this summer. I dealt with Dolph Lundgren, and that will be coming out sometime this year. So yeah, iZombie, Deadpool, and Warcraft this year, and we’ll see what else comes down the pike.
Did you get to work with Arnold Schwarzenegger at all for Kindergarten Cop 2?
AT: No, no. Dolph Lundgren was the lead, but there was no Schwarzenegger in this version, unfortunately. But it was still a fun project, and I think people will like his take on it. It was fun to be part of a classic.
