Iron Man 3 Press Conference in Paris
Ahead of its May 3rd release, a premiere of Iron Man 3 took place this past Sunday at Le Grand Rex in Paris.
While in Paris, two of the film’s stars, Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, held a half-hour Q&A press conference. At the press conference (embedded below), RDJ and Paltrow discuss the film in mostly broad terms: it’s mentioned that Shane Black (the film’s director, taking over for Jon Favreau) wants Iron Man 3 to feel like a detective story, that the film focuses a lot on getting past the need to wear the suit, that Stark “gives it all up for love”, and Downey quite charmingly—and comically—calls himself an “asshole” and an “ugly American”—because, unlike Paltrow, he cannot answer in French—making everyone love him more, in a way unique to Robert Downey Jr.
First, I love the idea of the film feeling like a detective story; that’s one of the best things about Batman Begins(not that Iron Man 3 is going to have much in common with that movie); it’s just an interesting imprint to put on a superhero film. The idea of getting past the need for the suit/mask (meaning letting go of an addiction to technology) is also an intriguing revelation. Although, it’s not a huge revelation, since that’s a large part of theIron Man Extremis storyarch, which has long been known to be the basis for Iron Man 3’s plot. It also ties in nicely with the plot of the new direct-to-video animated film Iron Man: Rise of the Technovore. Another thing mentioned, almost only in passing, is the fact that Downey did not suggest Shane Black to Marvel; instead, Downey insists it was the other way around. That’s just an interesting note because Downey and Black had previously worked together on the fantastic Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and it was presumed, when Favreau bowed out, that RDJ must have brought Black on-board.
The Q&A goes on for a half-hour, so there is a lot covered, and it’s cute to watch Downey and Paltrow banter quietly as the camera stays on them while the moderator relays RDJ’s answers in French.
