‘Guardians Vol. 2’: Watching ‘Vol. 1’ Shaped Sean Gunn’s Kraglin Performance

Guardians of the Galaxy had clear influences on its Vol. 2 sequel, but for one cast member, it helped shape and define his character and performance.

In an interview with ComicBook.com, Kraglin actor and Rocket Raccoon motion capture performer Sean Gunn discussed how the traits and arc for his roles change as the movies are produced. When it comes to Kraglin, Gunn didn’t know the character’s arc “at all really,” but he said, “Rocket I knew a little bit more about, certainly.”

“Rocket was a little more fleshed out [from the beginning],” Gunn explained. “Kraglin was really kind of a surprise to me. I didn’t know. I think we shot the first movie… It wasn’t until editing where we even figured out who Kraglin was. We shot Kraglin in a variety of different ways in the first movie, and in some of those takes, he’s just a flat out maniac. I had thought it was possible that he might be a much broader and crazier character, but then putting the movie together and seeing where he landed, it was a little bit of a different place than I thought.”

Watching the first film helped Gunn shape his portrayal of Kraglin for the sequel. “He’s really just kind of texture in the first movie anyway, but I learned a lot from seeing the first movie,” Gunn said. “And then when [director] James [Gunn] told me the whole story of the second movie, it kind of locked into place for me.”

The next stop for Gunn is Avengers: Infinity War. Though there is no confirmation of whether Kraglin will appear in the film, Gunn is revealed to have been on set to perform motion-capture elements for Rocket Raccoon’s role in the massive ensemble flick. For now, Gunn’s role as Kraglin and motion-capture performance as Rocket can be seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 by picking up a copy of the film on Blu-ray when it releases on August 22nd.