Iron Man 3 was one of the first Marvel Studios film to pull a bait and switch on its villain, having Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin villain turn out to be an actor named Trevor Slattery and Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian pose as what he referred to as “the real Mandarin.” This twist also called for Rebecca Hall‘s Maya Hansen to be a part of the movie’s big twist, as the Extremis scientist was trying to lure Tony Stark and Pepper Potts into a trap. Iron Man 3 released in 2013, the first Marvel film to follow The Avengers, and before the reputation of Marvel’s secrecy became a pop culture phenomenon. While talking to ComicBook.com about next week’s release of Godzilla vs. Kong, Hall recalled what it was like working on a Marvel film before they boasted the biggest movie of all time.
“It was all very secretive then as well. Nobody knew anything,” Hall explained. “I wasn’t allowed to read the script when I got offered the part. And I remember actually, I kicked up an enormous fuss about it cause I was like, ‘That’s not how any actor can work. I’d like to know what the part is before I say yes, please, can you…?’ They were like, begrudgingly, they let me read it. But with someone standing in the room and all this kind of thing. So it was very like hush, hush. I guess cause you know, there’s a lot that can happen between, never a slip between cup and lip, and lots of things changed. So they didn’t want people… Things did change.”
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Hall’s role in the film did change a considerable amount. Before the movie would conclude, Maya was killed off by Aldrich Killian before having any shot at redemption. Originally, Hall’s character was slated to have an heroic turn in what sounds like a sequence which saw her sacrificing herself along with the Extremis serum she created as a means to save some others.
Now, Hall is ready to share Godzilla vs. Kong with the world, where she plays a key member of Team Kong as one of the biggest battles on the big screen takes place. This came with its own intense sequences on set. “It’s funny thing about movies, everyone thinks it’s made up, but often they just make you do it,” Hall explains. “I’m like, ‘So when it says that the water’s coming in and I’m in this elevator and I’m trying to open the door. Yeah. I mean, how are we going to do that?’ ‘Oh, you’re just going to get in the elevator and we’re going to pour the water in and then you’re gonna get out. Okay.’ I mean, obviously they take some safety precautions one hopes, but it’s much more real than I thought it was gonna be. I was pretty alarmed but I felt good about it afterwards. I mean it was challenging!”
Are you excited for Godzilla vs. Kong? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Instagram! Godzilla vs. Kong hits theaters and HBO Max on March 31.
