Marvel’s 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' is the second chapter in the thrilling Captain America movie franchise. The exhilarating story follows Marvel’s First Avenger, Captain America, along with Black Widow and their new ally The Falcon as they battle their most mysterious and powerful enemy yet, the Winter Soldier.
The unmistakable Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury
With the blockbuster superhero movie about to be released on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD, we catch up with Samuel L. Jackson – who stars as Nick Fury – to find out about his experience on the iconic Marvel project…
What went through your mind when you first read the script for Marvel’s 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'?
I’m always excited to do more with this character, especially because Nick Fury seems to grow with each film. When I read the script for 'The Winter Soldier' for the first time, I realised that it was more than just a comic book feature. It had intrigue and it was complex.
What do you think of the villain of Marvel’s 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'?
I think that it’s really difficult to have a great hero movie unless you have a really, really, really great villain. The greater the villain, the greater the movie – and there’s a really great villain in this movie. And the great villain is not just the villain that we see on screen.
How did it feel to be returning to a blockbuster Marvel movie set with actors like Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson?
It’s always a great, great joy to know that I’m going to be back in a space with all the people that I enjoy working with. It’s also a great joy to be able to do the things that I did on a very small scale when I was a kid. You know what? This is a dream come true. You sit there and you read comic books when you’re a kid, and you wonder if there’s a world like that out there. Then you grow up as an actor and they start making movies about these worlds. That’s when you start to wonder, ‘How do I get in that movie?’ And then, the next thing you know, you’re inside it and you’re thinking, ‘Yeah!’ It’s great. They are all pluses.
Robert Redford is a stellar addition to the cast of Marvel’s 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'. What does his presence bring to the film?
There’s a certain amount of gravitas when you have an actor like Robert Redford in a film, even though I’m sure quite a few of the kids watching the film are going to say, “Who is he?” Their parents will have to tell them. It also changes the audience that we may get for the film just because he’s there, because they understand he has a certain amount of respect for the work that he does and the kind of things that he attaches his name to. In that sense, I’m sure we will get a new audience, which is great.
Would you agree that the movie feels like a 1970s political thriller in some ways, which is another reason why Robert Redford is a great addition to the cast?
Sure. It has a real 'Three Days Of The Condor' aspect to this film. I love that.
Robert Redford "brought a gravitas" to Marvel, according to Samuel L Jackson
In that sense, the movie’s directors – Anthony and Joe Russo – insisted on a real world grounding for Marvel’s 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' and its political themes. How did that affect your experience?
I don’t like working on films that aren’t grounded in some way. It doesn’t have to be a ‘real world’ grounding, but once I know the ground rules of the world that they’re in then I would want them to adhere to those ground rules. We’re constantly trying to make sure that everything makes sense in terms of what we did in the earlier movie and how everything is connected. I’m one of those people who insists on things like that, even in that crazy car chase.
At the beginning of Marvel’s 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier', a certain amount of time has passed since the iconic events of New York in Marvel’s 'The Avengers'. What has changed in Nick Fury’s world during this time?
He’s gotten the S.H.I.E.L.D. initiative passed and they are building the bigger, better heli-carriers that he wanted. Captain America is still trying to find his way in this world and he’s starting to realize that the price of freedom has changed in terms of how the government protects its people. They protect them with fear rather than with patriotism.
How would you describe the relationship between Nick Fury and Steve Rogers [aka Captain America] at the start of the movie?
Steve still doesn’t trust Nick Fury, but he understands and knows that his heart is in the right place. They are both patriots; they just come from a different era. Their relationship is semi-adversarial but they both have a great amount of respect for each other.
Ideally, what do you want audiences to feel after they’ve watched the movie?
I want them to be excited, period. I want them to understand that they watched a film that was about more than just things blowing up and superheroes fighting each other. I want them to understand that there was a political consequence there. I want them to know that we have made a statement about the price of freedom and what it actually is, and that redemption is still possible. That’s how I’d like the audience to feel.
'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray and digital download on Monday 18 August. Watch the trailer above...