Our Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 press day began with getting the chance to interview Michael Rooker (“Yondu”) & Sean Gunn (“Kraglin”). Given how lively Michael is, it was a really fun interview. After taking our group photo, Michael whistled for us. While it didn’t sound like what Yondu is able to do in the movies, it was still pretty impressive!
Here’s what Michael Rooker & Sean Gunn had to say about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2…
Working with fake teeth
Michael Rooker: “We both could answer that stuff…we both had some grills, baby. Do we not? You had more of a problem with it than I did…”
Sean Gunn: “… the teeth can be tricky…I tried to get the teeth made a good several months before we started so that I could just put them in and work with the, the talking because talking through the teeth in the first movie was one of the most difficult things…”
Michael Rooker: But I didn’t have a problem with it because everybody’s different. Sean can speak English. I cannot. Sean uses consonants. I do not almost never and my quality is more throatal and glottal. His is not. I mean, he can do that, of course…You know, this is just my quality in that’s how I do it, so thereby, the teeth are up in the front, so I form my words and my consonants and sounds more back, so it didn’t’ bother me at all with the speaking. What it did do, it’s very difficult for the whistle…I had to relearn a little bit of where I focus. Where I focus the sound for the whistling and stuff.”
Yandu’s infamous whistle
Michael Rooker: “It’s, they enhance it, but it is my whistle.”
Favorite character besides their own
Sean Gunn: “I love Drax. I mean, I think I loved sort of the journey that I’ve seen Dave take from his audition for the first movie through this magnificent performance he gives in this movie… I guess if I had to choose, I’d say Dave, but I, I love all the characters in the movie.”
Michael Rooker: “…I would say, I don’t like working with real humans. Never have. I’m going to go with Rocket and Baby Groot are my favorite, you know. But that being said Rocket is my friend right here and we worked together day and night [LAUGHS] doing this. He does all the, all the vocals and all the voice stuff for Rocket.” *He is referring to Sean Gunn
On working with his brother (James Gunn) and Transitioning from a behind the scenes character to an onscreen character
Sean Gunn: “Yeah, to the first point about working with my brother, I mean, we’ve been working together in various capacities since we were little, so I have an easier time working with him than just about anybody because we have such a shorthand for communicating with one another and I know for the most part, what he’s looking for…when I read scenes, I have a pretty good feel for what he’s going for. So I think that we work together really, really well. I’m certainly grateful that he gave me such a nice role [LAUGHS] in this film.
I really am happy to be part of it. I know that that’s kind of what I’m supposed to say, but it’s true [LAUGHS]…it’s a great franchise and I think that the movies are made with a lot love and a lot of heart and I’m very happy to be part of that.
Michael Rooker: And you should be happy that he didn’t torture you too much.
Sean Gunn: Well, these guys, what they go through with makeup and stuff is amazing. Like, I think that, you know, I mean, you know, you hear Rooker talk about having hours worth of makeup and it, it’s really impressive. I mean, because he never complains and, and so it’s not just going through the makeup process. It’s then also being ready to go and ready to perform and focus and so, what, what he and Dave and Karen and Zoe go through every day…so I was very glad that he let me play a humanoid character in this movie and that like in every other I’ve had to do, either a lot of makeup or I get killed…”
Michael Rooker: “He’s into, he’s into killing the people he loves the most…”
Sean Gunn: “…I die twice in Super, but I was very happy when I read the script of the first movie and I’m like, I don’t have tons of makeup and I live, that’s awesome.
***SPOILERS BELOW***
Using the fin at the end going to be a tie-in to number three?
Sean Gunn: “I don’t know anything other than where I’m supposed to stand and what I’m supposed to say… I’d like to think there’s more in store for that character, but I don’t know anything…”
Learning the fate of Yondu in the film
You know what? I’m used to dying…I’ve died several times. Many times in different movies and different TV shows and it doesn’t hurt at all. It’s okay. I’ll be back, somewhere.
*Of course, I asked if he wanted to elaborate on that to see if his character would reappear in Guardians of the Galaxy.
“Do you want to tell us more about that?”
Michael Rooker: “Other movies. You know.”
Want more Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Interviews?
Check out my interviews with Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Kurt Russell, James Gunn, Kevin Feige, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff & Elizabeth Debicki.
There are also some great exclusive set visit interviews if you want to check those out as well: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Kurt Russell, James Gunn and Karen Gillan.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is now in theaters! If you haven’t yet seen it, you are missing out.
Note: Disney provided me with an all-expenses paid press trip, in exchange for my coverage of the world premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. However, ALL opinions are my own.
