The Wolverine : Post Production/Publicity

[jo]

Tom Cruise was also at the Walmart shareholders meeting ( NYTimes reports that the celebrities were not paid, at least by Walmart, for their appearances) --





A few little known facts about Tom and Hugh --

*Nicole was staying at Deb's Hollywood apartment ( Nicole was new to Hollywood and was bunking with Deb) when Tom called on the phone for the first time ( presumably for a date) - Deb answered that call. Deb was also one of the very few invited to the Tom-Nicole wedding.

*Tom gave a very positive recommendation to CAA, the largest Hollywood talent agency then and maybe even now, to sign up Hugh among its roster. Hugh eventually moved to the new agency Endeavor ( now WME) with his agent Patrick Whitesell.

*When Mission Impossible 2 was delayed in filming and Tom confirmed that Dougray Scott would not be available soon, my understanding was that Tom endorsed Hugh as a replacement for the new film role of Wolverine when his name was mentioned.


Jo

[mamaleh]

LOL, to many of us those are not exactly little-known facts, but it's always nice to note how loyal and grateful Hugh is to those who helped him.

Ellen

[jo]

Another view of WHO AM I, at the Walmart shareholders meeting --

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRMUNVx-qzE

[birchie]

Here is a 4Hr recording of the WalMart event:
news.walmart.com/events/shareholders-meeting-2013 The intro to Hugh, followed by OWABM, is at 28:28 and he has little bits sprinkled throughout since he was the host. The Who Am I is 3:24:06 starting with the Ava school play bit. This is a professionally done video so the quality is much better than the ones on YouTube.
Sue

[broadwaygal]

Um, I have to agree with what Ellen said - many of us know the Tom Cruise connection to Hugh, in fact,
I remember reading about it many years ago on another board. But anyway, Jo, those are interesting facts
for those who did not know about it.

However, I personally do not like Tom Cruise because I think he is crazy, even if he is a great talent.
(Sorry I don't mean to offend his fans on this board). But I am grateful to him for being influential
in the early part of Hugh's career.

Cheryl

[jo]

Everytime I look at the number of people who watch this board, I am always amazed at the number of "guests" ( averaging around 400 a day) who join the regulars in reading what we chat about. In a way, I was actually sharing the info with many of the "others" who are late Jackman fans

I am not necessarily a fan of Tom but I do respect his early filmography.

Jo

[birchie]

Jun 10, 2013 18:32:48 GMT -5 broadwaygal said:

Um, I have to agree with what Ellen said - many of us know the Tom Cruise connection to Hugh, in fact,
I remember reading about it many years ago on another board. But anyway, Jo, those are interesting facts
for those who did not know about it.

However, I personally do not like Tom Cruise because I think he is crazy, even if he is a great talent.
(Sorry I don't mean to offend his fans on this board). But I am grateful to him for being influential
in the early part of Hugh's career.

Cheryl

You're not alone Cheryl! I do not like him for many reasons. My son jokes with me about it...my dislike for him is almost as strong as my love of Hugh. I don't like him as a person and I don't think he's a very good actor. I don't think there is anyone that Hugh dislikes but I'm not that pure sadly, there are a few on that don't like list for me.
Sue

[jo]

Yay -- a new international trailer cancan cancan


www.superherohype.com/news/articles/177445-watch-the-new-international-trailer-for-the-wolverine


This is looking very exciting - and the tale set in Japan gives it a more exotic touch!

It looks like we are getting the movie a day ahead ( July 25) according to IMDB >


Jo

[jo]

Hey, I might even try watching it in 3-D smiley-happy036


It looks like initial fanboy reaction is quite positive! Hope this becomes the surprise superhit this summer!


Jo

[jo]

I guess part of the publicity train for THE WOLVERINE is the cover story for Men's Fitness --



www.imagebam.com/image/c9c98b260223762

You can follow the link ( courtesy of Narrows via SuperHeroHype message board) and see other photos and the complete article. Just keep clicking on "NEXT IMAGE" on upper right hand corner.

Great photos! Also, he shares the secret of his waist size - LOL!


Jo

[chessie]

Great interview and pictures. The rollerblades story was hysterical!

Thanks, Jo.

Carol

[jo]

LOL - I wouldn't mind if a skinny Hughie/Annie-Ana crashed into me on his rollerblades smiley-happy082


Jo

[jo]

A food tie-in smiley-happy036

Midtown Comics‏@midtowncomics9h
Behold: The @redrobinburgers Wolverine burger featuring Wolverine claw marks! I suppose Hugh Jackman would approve. pic.twitter.com/5oue13zvNt

[mamaleh]

Yeah, great story. Quite the mental picture: Hugh flopping and flailing, rollerblades on his feet, atop that jerk.
As to the nickname, well, better to be known as "Ana" for anorexic than for anabolic steroids.

Ellen

[jo]

Another merchandise tie-in :

[jo]

An interview with Rila Fukushima, who plays the redhaired Yukio in The Wolverine --

www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1711

Rila Fukushima On The Wolverine
The film's Yukio on working with Jackman and working as a hitman...








Rila Fukushima was best known as a model and had only appeared in one short film before she was cast in The Wolverine as Yukio. But we can expect to see much more of her in future; she has the acting bug now, and has training as an assassin so casting directors had better watch out. We chatted to her about working with Hugh Jackman's metal-boned mutant and how she approached the part...





Tell us about your character...

Wolverine travels to Japan to see his old friend, Master Yashida to talk about his immortality. My character, Yukio is working for the powerful Yashida family, for the guy that Wolverine met years ago. So I'm the one sent to find Logan and bring him to Japan.



And she's a fairly tough woman?

Yeah, she's pretty tough. A badass! She's highly trained in martial arts and is a bodyguard for the Yashida family.



How much training did you have to go through to play her?

Once I got the part, I started training for three weeks before we started training. It was challenging, but I had a lot of fun. I learned Japanese swords and Bo staff and to fist fight, plus some knife work. At first, I learned a little bit of everything, mainly katana and Bo staff. My character is the type of girl who can fight with anything. She can fight with a cell phone probably! Anything she finds. For this film, I had swords, staffs and my fists. I learned some gymnastics too. I can't spin in the air, unfortunately, but I learned basic things.



Did you adapt quickly? You must keep in shape to be a model.

I was exercising before I got the part because I love it, and I was taking martial arts classes for fitness. So it was definitely helpful because I had a little bit of muscle and some experience, and was okay with kicking people! I kicked people before, so I was ready for that. But I never killed people before, so they trained me very well. Now I can kill people, okay?



That's good to know. It's scary, but it's good to know.

If you need me to kill someone, just let me know. I'll fly there and I'll do it! I have to become Yukio, though, so I have to dye my hair red before I kill them, so it'll take three days' notice.



This is your first big film. How was it stepping onto the set for the first time?

It was, so everything was so new and fresh and amazing. Especially working with Hugh. He's a great performer and he's very nice to everyone on set. You felt like he's a superstar but he's a real person, and he made me want to keep acting in the future. I hope I can become like him in the future. I told him "thank you" a lot, and he said, "you don't have to thank me, when I started acting, a lot of people helped me out." He told me never to feel like I didn't belong. And that if I establish myself as an actress, I can help other people. It was such a lovely thing to hear from someone like Hugh. I'm excited to see the movie, but so nervous too!


How was it working with James Mangold?

He's the greatest director a first-time actor could work with! And he's great for actresses, especially his past film work. I'm very glad I could get to work with him. He gave me a lot of freedom to build my character, and even though he had millions of things to do on set, he gave me feedback and advice. I did a lot of the stunt sequences, so he was always making sure I was okay. Hugh and James worked together 10 years ago, so hopefully I can get to see James again in 10 years after I have some experience!



Was it interesting seeing Japan through Hugh and James and the crew's eyes?

Shooting in Japan is a great feeling because I appreciated that they came down to shoot part of the film there. We went to Yoshino Prefecture, which was so beautiful. I had seen some of it, but it was amazing to see people shooting there. They really picked some great locations. Some of the places they shot I had never seen, and it was awesome I got to go there. James loves a lot of Japanese films and filmmakers and got ideas for where he wanted to shoot.


How does modelling compare to acting?

I had been taking acting classes on and off while I was modelling, so I always had a dream to be in a film. I never thought about acting before I started modelling, but since then I've been in short films and music videos and I got interested. It felt natural to switch over. I tried to get ready slowly.



So how is it playing a Marvel character?

James Mangold told me he thinks next Halloween there will be a little girl with red hair like Yukio and that will be so cool!



Pick up the July 2012 issue of Empire magazine for much more on The Wolverine - including an exclusive interview with Hugh Jackman.


Interview by James White

[jo]

A new photo still from the movie --



No one would want to cross paths with Wolverine when he looks like this

[jo]

Another interview with an Asian actor - Will Yun Lee

www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1710

Will Yun Lee On The Wolverine
He'll admit to playing Kenuichio Harada - but does his character have another name?





Will Yun Lee has played a Marvel character before - he was big bad Kirigi in Elektra - but that's not to be confused with his character in The Wolverine. We know he's officially billed as Kenuichio Harada, but beyond that Lee can't say much for fear of spoilers. Still, we did get a few snippets from him on his experience of filming, including Hugh Jackman's thing with lottery tickets...



Tell us about your character...

I play a man named Harada and he's kind of a mysterious character, and the way the movie is structured he's definitely involved in a lot of the relationships between Hugh and Tao and some of the different characters, but you never really know what side of the line he falls on. He's part of some of the great action sequences you're going to see.



And you have to be careful of spoilers. Is this the first movie in a while you have to worry about that?

Yes, the studio is here looking over my shoulder! No, it's one of those pieces that the less the audience knows in terms of specifics, the more they'll enjoy it. I think the movie is twofold - to me, I feel like watching what I've seen on set and some of the epic pieces we got to be a part of in Japan, not only will it have the action of a tent pole movie, but there are great characters that bring the nuances of Japan to a superhero movie.



This is your second time playing a Marvel character? Did they give you homework to do by reading the comics?

It was a combination of the script and the comics. Wolverine and the X-Men were one of my favourite comics growing up but I never read the Claremont version of Logan's journey to Japan. So it was new, but it was also one of those things where in the audition process there wasn't a lot to prepare because when I went in and got sides, my character's name, because it was so top secret, was Mario. I went, "I know there can't be a Mario in this story!” I didn't know much, but once I sat down with James, what I came to find out was to be prepared as possible, because he has 30/40 ideas and choices I never would have thought of in terms of playing each scene. That's the biggest thing I took away from it.




Tao said James was very collaborative and welcomed ideas, so did you throw your own ideas in?

Absolutely. It's the dream scenario, because sometimes you walk on the set and you get the sense that the director doesn't know what he wants and then you feel unsafe. In this case, particularly after my first week, I knew I was in safe hands. Because he knew what he wanted, he allowed us to play in his sandbox. And that was cool.



And you have Hugh as Wolverine. Do you ever access your childhood X-Men fan and think, 'I'm on screen with Wolverine!'

To an extent, yeah. When you're on the plane flying to Australia, that's what you're thinking of, and you become the giddy actor remembering what it was like on your first set. That's the magic of Hugh, and it goes along with James and Hiroyuki Sanada particularly. I have a couple of Hugh stories. In all the movies I've shot, I've never seen an A-list actor during lunch break go eat with the entire crew. He did it almost every day. That nature that he has took away any nervousness. He's so gracious that way. In the other story, my wife was so blown away by him, because every Friday, no matter what we would do, in Sydney or Japan, he'd buy lottery tickets for the entire cast and crew. He'd have a thousand of them in his hand from the beginning of the morning and he'd pass every single one of them out. My wife came to set and he made her come over and gave her a lottery ticket, remembered her name the next day. He's so humble and human. You don't get to see that too often on a set like that.



Talk shooting in Japan, and seeing the country?

Sometimes when you're in different countries, everything has become so homogenised and there's a Starbucks and McDonalds everywhere and you could feel like you're in Florida. But in Japan, you know you're there. Some of the sequences we shot were truly epic. You'd watch them on the monitor and almost forget that you're in a huge action movie. There were all these nuances that reflected Japanese culture and warriors and you felt it with the crew there too.



With your martial arts background, were you allowed to do more of the stunts?

I had an incredible stunt double called Jeremy Marinas and I've never seen someone flip so much in my life! That's where insurance gets involved... But the 87 Eleven stunt team let me do as much as I could. Whenever you're fighting with weapons, there's a level of reality because people don't understand that these are still metal or hard rubber with sharp points that if the timing's wrong you could definitely get hurt. There's nothing like working with an actor who doesn't know what they're doing, because you're always in fear of losing an eye. Thankfully, Hugh's timing is impeccable.

[jo]

Here is Tao Okamoto's ( who plays Mariko) turn to be interviewed by EMPIRE --

www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1709

Tao Okamoto Talks The Wolverine
As Mariko Yashida, she's bringing the romance




As one of Japan's top models, Tao Okamoto has already made a name for herself in the fashion world, but she's in a whole new world as Mariko Yashida in The Wolverine. One of the great loves of Logan's life, Mariko is a key part of his Japanese adventures, and she explained a little about her approach to the character and how the film's Mariko differs from her comic-book origins...



Tell us about your character...
I play Mariko. She's from the richest family in Japan, so she always had a different life from other children. Which made her very strong psychologically and physically. She's very insecure, so when she meets Logan for the first time, she doesn't like him and doesn't let him into her heart. But there's something they share, which is that they don't have a normal life. So that made her feel like maybe they can understand each other.

Did you get sent a lot of comics for research?
I read the comic book with Mariko in it, but when I read the script she was different, so I had to follow more how the script defined her. We made her more interesting than the original character, because I thought she was more of a princess in the comic, like she needed somebody's help. Now in the film she's very strong, she looks after herself and is independent. The director, James Mangold said I could bring something to her to make her more interesting. The comic book was written in the 1980s and the movie is set in the present day, so the style is slightly different. Her style is very conservative, which is not really what I'm used to. I researched images from the comic and tried to copy them.


This is your first major film. How would you compare modelling to acting?
Having a speaking role was new to me, because models don't usually have to speak! But there is something similar. The director said I had a relationship with the camera, and that I can imagine myself how I'm looking without seeing the screen. That's something I learned from modelling, and I appreciated it.


Were you nervous adding that extra level for the film?
This is my first acting experience ever. I haven't taken lessons or anything. But I tried not to realise that this is such a big deal, but the whole crew was so friendly. I felt like I was in school, I learned so much every day from everybody. I had the most amazing time.


And that includes working with Hugh. It must've been very difficult to fall in love on screen with him!
I learned so much from him, not just acting but also how to behave towards everybody. One day, he came up to me and said, "Tao, you're really great. You care about others, you talk to the crew and not many actresses care about grips and those kind of crew." I told him I learned that from him. He just does that naturally.


Some of the film is shot in Japan. Did it give you a new appreciation for the place seeing it through James and the crew's eyes?
Yeah. We didn't have Japanese supervisors, so three of our Japanese cast had take care of things, like a crazy piece of set design that was not quite right and we had to speak up. But they listened to us very carefully and appreciated us telling them if it's right or not. So we took care of each other. And even the script- there were translated scripts in Japanese, but we did it ourselves so we could bring more reality to the way we spoke.


You should've charged extra for translation services!
I wish we could do that! But we just enjoyed doing it. I felt like I was creating something with people. I was part of the creation, so that's what I really loved. When we were visiting Japan it was difficult for the crew who were mostly Australian and the weather was totally opposite. It was the beginning of spring there and the end of summer in Japan and it was so hot. But the crew really appreciated the different culture and people loved Japan. I liked hearing that they wanted to come back and visit.


How was it working with James Mangold?
Most of the time as a model I feel like I'm just a doll. They control how I should move. Sometimes I can give them my ideas, but models don't usually get to do that. But even though this was my first movie, James wanted my ideas about how Mariko would think and act. I really appreciated that and I loved telling him my ideas to create something together. It was totally different from a modelling job.


What was your favourite moment on set?
There was a scene I worked on for my audition, which was a long speech. I had some confidence about it and James gave me different ideas on every take so I could play with that. When I finished it, he came to me and said, "I almost cried, you've grown up so much in this journey..."


Do you have plans for other acting jobs?
I've been auditioning for something and I hope I get it. People say it will be different after the movie comes out, so hopefully it will be easier...

[jo]

A few tender moments from Logan --

[jo]

One of the worldwide stops for promoting THE WOLVERINE will be Korea, where Hugh and James Mangold are due in July 14!

www.tenasia.com/archives/61383?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I think the Japan release date is postponed until a few months later, to September 13, ( as has always been the case for tentpoles - I think they wait for the dubbing of the movie) -- what a pity as the story focuses on Wolverine's adventures in Japan!

www.imdb.com/title/tt1430132/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_ov_inf

Jo

[rmtndew]

I was at the movies Saturday to see Monster's University and they had The Wolverine poster up and they were playing the trailer in the lobby. I know it comes out next month but it didn't hit me until then how close that really is!

- Alicia

[birchie]

Jun 24, 2013 2:16:51 GMT -5 jo said:

A few tender moments from Logan --

Lovely picture! We don't see nearly enough "tender moments" with Hugh.
Very nice interview with Tao too. Thanks for sharing, Jo
A shame about the delayed opening in Japan. I don't understand these things You'd think they would want a big push in Japan. These movies already do well there so this one should be huge.
Sue

[birchie]

Jun 24, 2013 12:13:52 GMT -5 rmtndew said:

I was at the movies Saturday to see Monster's University and they had The Wolverine poster up and they were playing the trailer in the lobby. I know it comes out next month but it didn't hit me until then how close that really is!

- Alicia

Just around the corner!! > Seems like forever since he finished Les Miserables and started working on this but it's actually been just under a year!! That's a pretty fast turn around for a movie like this I think.

PS: How did you like Monster's U? It won the weekend box office over World War Z and Man of Steel. I saw MoS with my son & grandson and I hated it...they loved it of course. It was things blowing up non-stop.
Sue

[JH4HJ]

I think it might just be that my head is spinning from my ongoing home remodeling nightmare, but please help me get straight on the timeline for this film. When we were in San Francisco for Back on Broadway "previews" (a little more than two years ago?) THIS is the Wolverine movie Hugh was talking about. Yes? No? It's been more than two years in the making?