Interview with Djimon Hounsou About Role as Korath in “Guardians of the Galaxy”
We had the chance to sit down with actor Djimon Hounsou, who plays Korath in Guardians of the Galaxy. Hounsou stars in two big films this summer, Guardians of the Galaxy and How to Train Your Dragon 2.
MS: How did you land the role of Korath?
DH: I got called in by James Gunn, the director. I was filming something in London and then came home, and met them the day afterward and talked about the character, the concept and all that. I didn’t realize I was hired at that point. That is how it came about.
MS: How did the interactions with Groot (Vin Diesel) and Rocket (Bradley Cooper) work? (Hounsou will be seen this year with Vin Diesel in Fast and Furious 7).
DH: Diesel was very excited about being Groot. But I was never there when they were shooting those moments, and I was not in a scene with them.
MS: What was your favorite aspect of filming Guardians of the Galaxy?
DH: I can’t remember any favorite times other than the makeup times (to laughter, as he’d earlier said how difficult that part was). Probably the most exciting times were coming onto the set and seeing so many creatures…characters, all over the studio. You really, for the first time, feel like you are in space. This could be anywhere in space. Seeing that environment on the set, it really feels like…okay, we are making something serious.
MS: Besides yourself, who is your favorite character in the film and were there any other roles that you said “I could have done that”?
DH: Let me alter the question. I look at Dave Bautista playing Drax the Destroyer, and I think to myself, “I could have played that”. But then I see Dave, made up…I see his presence, his humor also, given that the character he plays is quite dry and on point. Dave was perfect for it. Even though that is one of the characters I would like to have played, he was perfect for it. He’s got a great size to be reckoned with visually. You look at him and believe.
MS: You’ve often mentioned your son as an inspiration for taking the role. Has he seen the film?
He hasn’t seen the film, but he has been on set with me many times when I was filming. He was also on set when I was filming How to Train Your Dragon 2. And for that, we screened the film at the Cannes Film Festival. I took him there and we watched it together. He is on vacation right now, but as soon as he gets home…he’s been talking about it, “I’ve seen commercials for Guardians“. He wants to see Guardians. He’s been in the makeup trailer with Lee Pace and some other characters…becoming them, becoming the super hero or bad guy. In this instance he became Lee Pace (Ronan). They both came out (of the trailer) and I said “Where’s my son”? He comes out of the trailer with Lee Pace, looking like each other with the blue face.
MS: What is it like being in two big films this summer?
Busy. It’s great. Dragon 2 came out in June, very excited about that. That was the other film, that the first time I saw it I said “that is a winner”. And I rarely feel better about most of my films. Guardians was in the same spirit. It felt really like we hit the jackpot. And hopefully this first weekend will really hit the jackpot.
We also spoke with him on the red carpet Orlando premier of Guardians of the Galaxy. Here is our interview.