THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER | PRESS JUNKET Q&A Thursday 18 March, 2021
Marvel Studios has been spoiling us with giving us yet another Disney+ exclusive series on more Avengers. We had WandaVision starring Wanda & Vision and now we get “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” that stars Sam Wilson (The Falcon) & Bucky (The Winter Solider)!
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Marvel Studios’ “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson aka The Falcon, and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier. The pair, who came together in the final moments of “Avengers: Endgame,” team up on a global adventure that tests their abilities—and their patience. Directed by Kari Skogland with Malcolm Spellman serving as head writer, the series also stars Daniel Brühl as Zemo, Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter, and Wyatt Russell as John Walker.
Until the next Avenger film, I am really appreciating these series following the characters after End Games.
Lets check out the Q&A press junket I was apart of which featured:
Q: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it’s the second series from Marvel Studios to come to Disney+ and I really wanna know how the streaming platform expands the storytelling bandwidth and why did it make sense for this particular project and to explore this particular relationship?
KEVIN: This is the second one that is coming out onto Disney+ but, as everybody, uh-as Malcolm and Kari well know, it was our first one that we started, so Malcolm got to experience a bunch of filmmakers who’d never done TV before, trying to figure out, which he can talk about.
It has ended up working out very well because it is-you know, it was really meant to prove that we could-to ourselves to the audience and to Mr. Mackie and Stan there that just because it’s on TV doesn’t mean it’s not gonna be as big as it possibly could be as a movie and that we were working just as hard on it and putting all of our blood, sweat, and tears into. Which is why, in this first episode that I think most of the journalists on the-on this Zoom have seen, it really starts off with a bang. We kept saying, “If we’re gonna do a series with-with Falcon and Winter Soldier in it, we need to at least start off with the best action that we’ve ever seen.”
We’ve seen a lot of cool action with both of them before. More importantly, as I think you also see in that first episode and will see much more of over the course of the series, learn who the heck they are. We know a little bit about the poor, poor Bucky Barnes and what he’d been through. Sam Wilson, other than that he likes the job and is an inherently moral, man and-and-and had been in the service and worked with PTSD, we didn’t know much about ’em. It was really an opportunity to go-to go deep.
Q: The series, it’s described as a cinematic, very MCU experience-and it is from what I’ve seen with this first episode. And it plays out, of course, over six episodes, but can you explain, like, what your approach was to the series to deliver that same experience to the fans?
Q: Falcon, he’s from New Orleans, which also is your (Anthony Mackie’s) hometown. Tell me a little bit about what surprised you when you started learning more about this character that you’ve been portraying in these films all of these years before now this series.
ANTHONY: New Orleans is the best city in the world. I had one request that, if he was from Louisiana, I had to eat crawfish on-camera and I don’t know who said no, but somebody said no.
The idea of Sam Wilson, he’s always evolved, um, in the-in the world of the, uh, Marvel comic books, and now he’s evolved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Remember, when Sam Wilson first started out, he was a hustler from Harlem. And then the African Americans culture evolved, Stan Lee evolved him in the comic book into different incarnations of himself. So, I’m excited for everyone to see the new and improved, uh, Sam Wilson.
Q: Let’s talk a little bit about Bucky. We get to explore a new side of this character. What surprised you about learning more about Sebastian in this series.
SEBASTIAN: I always learn something about myself from this character. Spent ten years with this-with this character, you know? It’s impossible. You grow and you evolve with the character. I think everyone here definitely is gonna sort of attest to this.
I was pretty freaked out because, again, I felt like we had established a character a certain way, you know, and there were certain things about him that I knew, and I was very comfortable and familiar with tonally in the movies, right? We had to kind of go into this and go, “All right. Well, what-what is he like now?” You know, and part of that was really kind of us homing in on his sense of humor, so to speak. That really came into the tone of the series and, particularly, with his dynamic with Sam Wilson along with my own dynamic with Anthony and kind of just marrying the two, you know?
The character that we’ve been introduced to for all these movies and then also where is he now. And I think that was scary and exciting. The ideals and principles he might’ve lived by and been driven by at one point that perhaps no longer really serve him the same way. So, it he’s really kind of in an interesting trajectory when we start out the show and, obviously, that’s always exciting for an actor.
Q: It is so much fun to see these characters and see the exploration of their relationship. It looks like it’s a really it’s really gonna be a fun dynamic. Tell me a little bit about how you guys make that dynamic work as well as you do.
ANTHONY: I think the great thing about it is-or, what I enjoy so much, you can’t find two people further opposite than each other than Sebastian and I. There’s a mutual respect, understanding, appreciation of that person. We listen, learn, and, um-and teach each other a great deal. “Friends” isn’t a term that either of us use lightly. So, I think because of that, there’s no,as Mr. T would say, “There’s no jibber-jabber.” [LAUGH] We allow ourselves to be our best selves and we correct ourselves when we’re not our best selves.
So, you always look for that other person, you know, that second hand. I think that’s kind of-and I’m not trying to speak for Sebastian. I would never do that, even though I do that all the time. But that’s kind of our relationship, you know? We allow ourselves to be ourselves.
SEBATIAN: I think he said it best. You know, I always believed you’re always better because of the people you surround yourself with. And particularly, I feel like in acting and sorta the scenes and the material, it’s always about the people that bring out things in you, actually. And I think in this particular situation it was really important, it’s about the tone. We were trying to find a very fine line between sort of making sure these characters are grounded, real, and deal with very serious issues. Then there’s sort of another piece to this, you know, about even having fun and kind of connecting.
Q: Since this is a buddy cop kind of vibe to it, and Malcolm was talking about how it drew from shows and movies like 48 Hours, Lethal Weapon, and Rush Hour; is there a possibility that there could be more seasons to it? ‘Cause there are multiple films in that-within those inspirations.
KEVIN: It’s a funny question, and it’s one that we, obviously get asked much more in television, because people expect it to-to be what like people know before. So, where’s season two? Where’s season one? We really did approach it like we do the movies. Which is, we better make this great, or we won’t be able to do another one.
If we were able to do another one, there’s certainly ideas. The slight difference, of course, is as you’ve all heard-heard me say, and I think is-is becoming clear with Wandavision, that they really will go back and forth between Disney Plus series, and the Marvel Studios Features. So, where characters show up, and how, sometimes will be in a direct season two. Sometimes will be in a feature, and then into an additional season. Um, we’re just not gonna say who does what right this second.
Q: Captain America, Steve had a “Why me?” moment with Doctor Erskine the night before he underwent the procedure. He didn’t know if he was the guy. And Erskine convinced him that it wasn’t that he was a perfect soldier, but it was because he was a good man. I think in him handing the shield to Sam, it shows that Steve believes Sam’s a good man. I’m wondering if you can talk about maybe why Sam doesn’t quite know if he’s earned it just yet.
ANTHONY: Sam’s whole thing is he went on this journey, this Avenger journey, over six movies with Steve, because of his respect and admiration for Steve. When Captain America shows up at your door, you answer it. In which-in the movie, Captain America, Winter Soldier. So, that being said it’s the pain, the idea of not being able to go on these missions.
Not being able to help his friend. There’s still people out there that really appreciate camaraderie and friendship. Sam is one of those people, he enjoys his friend. He isnt like everybody else, you don’t wanna see Steve Rogers go away. You don’t wanna see Captain America go away. Because just like Captain America was your captain, Captain America was Sam Wilson’s captain. He was a fan, just like everyone else. Because Sam Wilson, in all intensive purposes, is a regular guy that just won the lottery because you know, Black Widow knocked on his door, and needed a place to hide. And he fell in love, and was hopin’ to have a spin off with Black Widow.
Q: Captain America is now gone. That’s a huge impact on the MCU, so what is that like-in a sense, you are both now some of the oldest surviving avengers, what responsibility do you feel leading future heroes?
ANTHONY: I think End Game was a monumental, shift of the super hero universe. The scope of that movie, the idea of that film is something larger than I think anyone imagine. You know, our goal, I speak for Sebastian was not to mess it up. So we didn’t wanna be the first crappy Marvel project.
Our job was to take the torch and not make a bad show. And, um, I’m very happy to say that Steve Rogers will be proud that our show does not suck. But I say all that to say our show does not suck and we are not the first crappy Marvel project. So the next show has a problem because if it’s bad, they’re gonna be the first crappy Marvel project in like 20 years.
SEBASTIAN: So what you saying about Loki?
ANTHONY: I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m just saying
THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER starts streaming exclusively on Disney+ March 19th.
About the Blogger - Kiwi the Beauty
Kiwi is the free spirited blogger and content creator of KiwiTheBeauty.com. As a digital influencer, she produces creative inspiration around beauty, lifestyle, media and travel leisure. Her life mantra is to make manifesting fun! When she’s not blogging, she is eating trendy hipster food, carrying crystals, making it rain at her local farmer's market and binge brunching.
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I haven’t been able to watch the first episode yet, but I’m looking forward to diving in. It was great to read the actors’ thoughts about their new show.
We just watched the first episode, and cinematic is the perfect way to describe this show. It’s so good.
This interview was fully awesome. I love Falcon, The Winter Soldier, and their new show. It was great to get some thoughts on it straight from them.
First time to hear about it, and I am so excited to watch this movie. I am going to check this out!
We watched the first episode, and we loved it. My son is already completely hooked.
I haven’t been able to watch the first episode yet, but I’m looking forward to diving in. It was great to read the actors’ thoughts about their new show.
I just watched the first episode, and I love it. I am waiting for next episode.
Oh, I want to watch this! Marvel shows are a weakness of mine.
I can not wait to see this movie! Thanks for all of the great insights, I am a major Marvel fan – blessings!
What an interesting interview. I will check out this show for sure.
I can’t wait to see this. My family loves these types of movies.
Aaahhhh….so this is the series I’ve been seeing all over the Internet? Thanks Kiwi, for reviewing. It’s next, on my radar!
I have been able to see it yet. I think it good to listen (or read) about what the actors say about filming the shows they are in.
I haven’t seen it yet!!! I can’t wait to be honest, i heard so much about it.
I was super excited when I found out about this series. The first episode didn’t disappoint either. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Wow! I think this will be a good series. Can’t wait to watch it soon.