Guardians Vol. 2: Christopher Lloyd Inspired Sean Gunn During Funeral Scene

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 featured one of the most emotional gut punches of any Marvel Studios film to date thanks in large part to cast performances in the scene. According to Kraglin actor Sean Gunn, the inspiration for his character’s unforgettable and emotional beat was heavily inspired by a classic film.

Spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 follow.

As Yondu’s body was burnt and became one with the universe, the Ravagers showed up to honor him despite promising earlier in the film that the Colors of Ogord would not pour out over his funeral. Those Colors were in attendance, however, sending Kraglin to a place of pure joy — a moment which the actor tells ComicBook.com he found inspiration for in a classic film recommended by his director brother James Gunn.

“That moment where Kraglin sees that Yondu gets the Ravager funeral, like anything else, I just try to put myself in the right frame of mind,” Gunn said of his Kraglin character’s cheer. “My brother, Jimmy, had told me that he had thought of the moment at the end of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, where Christopher Lloyd is cheering at the very end of the movie. I watched that the day before. I remembered exactly the moment he was talking about, and so we kind of thought it should be inspired by that.”

“So, I watched that, and then I try to forget that as much as possible and just try to be in the moment,” Gunn said.

The moment truly drilled the emotional importance of Yondu’s death being honored and the impact it would have on the beloved Guardians of the Galaxy. Just as it stood out for audiences, it has a special place in the heart of those who worked on the film. “I really loved that moment,” Gunn said. “I think that the second movie, it was a little more intense in a lot of ways, but it also might even be funnier. I think it’s kind of both.”

The next stop for Gunn is Avengers: Infinity War. Though there is confirmation of whether or not 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 as fans eagerly await the arrival of Avengers: Infinity War by picking up a copy of the film on blu-ray when it releases on August 22.