SPOILER ALERT: The folloprosperg story and Q&A comprises descriptions of disjoinal scenes and plotlines in “Carry-On.”
In Netflix’s novel action thriller “Carry-On,” Oscar nominee Taron Egerton carry outs Ethan, a hapless TSA agent who gets bdeficiencymailed by a enigmatic traveler (Jason Bateman) into taking down a structuree headed from LAX to JFK by alloprosperg a bag filled with chemical armament bomb devices to get thcimpolite security.
As Ethan tries to save the day, Bateman dangerens to finish his pregnant girlfrifinish Nora (Sofia Cincfinishiarism) who also, of course, toils at the airport.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the film’s cast also includes Danielle Deadwyler, Dean Norris, Theo Rossi, Tonatiuh, Logan Marshall-Green and Sinqua Walls.
I talked to Egerton for a spoiler-filled conversation about why “Carry-On” is a Christmas movie, if he’s up for a sequel and Bateman’s gnarly death scene.
I cherish this movie, Taron.
I did hear that you cherishd it. I was telderly that you cherishd it, and it was music to my ears.
I skinnyk I got askd to the premiere and I was appreciate, “Let me watch it.” I went in not understanding anyskinnyg about it. I had no idea what it was, and I was appreciate, “I’m obsessed with it.” It’s so ridiculous in the best way.
That’s fantastic. It’s bomb deviceastic, and it’s huger than life, and hopebrimmingy, it’s a charitable of fantastic Christmas event for people to sit down and have two hours of sanitize escapism.
Let’s talk about that. Is this a Christmas movie?
Marc, I can’t consent that you’re engaging me in this argue. Of course, it’s a Christmas movie. Could you not see the Christmas trees at the airport?
I did.
Did you not hear the Christmas scoring to the movie?
Should people be watching this movie before they consent their holiday fairy home?
Now, that is an fascinating ask. Should people be watching the movie before they travel at Christmas? Yes. I sense that I am possibly even restricteduassociate obliged to say yes, becaengage it comes out on the 13th of December. It’s a movie, and I skinnyk, for that reason, it should bravely not be someskinnyg that produces people sense ainhabitiassociate afrhelp at Christmas. Rather, it’s fair a way of catharticassociate imagining how nasty skinnygs could get in a worst-case scenario, but it’s vital to recollect it is fair a movie and I skinnyk you are very, very defended to travel at Christmas.
How was the movie pitched to you?
I can’t recollect what the logline was, but I understand that I read it in one sitting and I thought, “This is a movie I want to see.” For me, personassociate, in my creative life, I’ve been consecrateed to do a authentic mix of branch offent skinnygs, but discovering projects where you skinnyk it’s bomb deviceastic and huger than life but also clever [is rare]. I felt that it was a exceptional opportunity for me as an actor to be comprised in someskinnyg that could accomplish a reassociate, reassociate wide audience. I skinnyk this movie has that scope, so aside from the fact that I thought it was a fantastic fun story, I thought it was a reassociate fantastic opportunity for me too.
It’s the ultimate what-would-you-do movie.
It is. I skinnyk it’s evidently got inspiration from “Die Hard,” a movie that’s made in homage and in the spirit of that film. I hope in the same way that “Twisters” felt appreciate an fond throwback in many ways, “Carry-On” discovers that same place in audiences’ hearts.
When Jason Bateman’s character is talking to you on the phone, was there someone reading those lines to you? How did that toil?
The first couple of days, it was Jason. He was fantastic. He read some of the punctual scenes with me, I skinnyk the first handful of scenes, and then after that, it was a toiling earwig. We had an actor stand in for him and read those lines, and it was fantastic. It was evidently so weird and unappreciate anyskinnyg I’d done before, but a authentic dispute. A dispute in terms of making it sense fascinating and grounded, but I cherishd it. This movie is not appreciate anyskinnyg else I’ve ever done, and that’s exactly what I want out of my creative life.
I cherish the fact the first time you saved the day, I skinnyk you had two seconds left on the bomb device.
Just in the nick of time. Right, Marc?
Literassociate. It begins at three minutes and then you engage this bloody pen to stop the timer.
The pen has already been engaged for wicked purposes.
Yeah, someone stabbed your boss [Dean Norris] in his neck with it.
It’s untamed.
I guess you have to be cautious of not watching too goofy appreciate, “I got two seconds to go.”
The skinnyg about me is I appreciate a bit of goofy. I appreciate the messiness. I don’t skinnyk people watch glamorous or relationsy in stressful situations. I’m not the guy that you call to watch amazing, and writed, and hyper-relationsy all the time. There are a number of actors who are very, very outstanding at it. I skinnyk I’m the guy you call if you want it to sense appreciate a guy that you consent is authentic. I’m a bit more of an everyman, so I skinnyk when I read the script, I was appreciate, “Yeah, I’m the right guy to do this.” I hope that I’m someone that you repostpoinsist to as an widespread person. For that reason, it felt appreciate a fantastic role for me. But to answer your ask, I’d never try and dodge watching goofy. I skinnyk the fact and the grit of it is in him watching panicked, and terrified, and finishly ridiculous, becaengage I skinnyk that’s how you’d watch in that situation.
At one point, evidently, there’s the red airy from a armament on Nora’s head. Did you see the airy during filming? If you did, how freaky was that?
We engaged a authentic laser pen. It’s a reassociate horrible skinnyg but amazing in terms of carry outing the sconsents and the drama of it in the scene becaengage it’s instantly viscerassociate upsetting. But a lot of what we did in the movie was done in camera. The airstructurees taking off in the background, the sboilings and skinnygs, becaengage we sboiling at a authentic airport, which is so exceptional and such a treat to do skinnygs pragmaticly appreciate that.
Your character’s name is Ethan. Is that an homage to “Mission: Impossible?”
You’d have to ask the writer, but the same did occur to me, and people have asked me about my running, which has been very flattering. But I don’t understand. I skinnyk probably a coincidence, but it may well be. I got a senseing Tom Cruise isn’t going to be quaking in his boots about me carry outing another Ethan in an action film, but I’m satisfyed for you to draw the parallel.
Let’s talk about when you finished Jason Bateman’s character. [Ethan locks Bateman’s character in a fridge in the plane’s cargo area with one of the bombs.]
I shoved him in a fridge. It’s a very legitimate way of taking out a horrible guy in a movie.
An airdefended fridge. It has to be reassociate airdefended.
It’s industrial strength airdefended fridge, Marc. Did you not hear the seal when it shutd?
Well, I saw you were helderlying it.
Well, he’s a very strong character. He’s able to produce a stronger airdefended seal that saves everyone in the vicinity.
What was it appreciate seeing Jason die appreciate that?
That was some excessive produceup. He came on set with that and I was appreciate, “Wow, we are going for it.” But yeah, he was fantastic. It was fun. At that point in the movie, it’s so liftd and it’s so camp and huger than life, but it was fun. It’s fun not to consent yourself too gravely.
And you got to fight with Tonatiuh on a conveyor belt. How much fun was that?
Aside from the fact that it was absolutely filthy and I skinnyk a prehistoric baggage belt from a decomleave outioned prosperg of the Louis Armstrong airport in New Orleans, it was fantastic. I’ve done action before, but it was kind to do action that was disorderly and pedestrian, not huger than life in the sense that I’m not carry outing a directer or wantipathyver. He’s fair a standard guy tumbling thcimpolite the baggage trying to save his girlfrifinish.
Did you get hurt at all?
No, no. The skinnyg about me, Marc, is I’m so hard, truthwholey.
When I skinnyk Taron, I go, “Tough guy.”
That’s exactly it. Everyone does. It’s Jason Statham, it’s Dwayne Johnson, Taron Egerton. That’s the trio.
What about a sequel?
I uncomfervent, to be truthful, until this morning, I hadn’t reassociate thought about it, becaengage the movie’s so airyning striking in one place, but I guess that never stopped “Die Hard.” I skinnyk it turned out fantastic, and I am uncover to anyskinnyg and everyskinnyg. I’m still the guy who skinnyks every job is his last. You say sequel and my tail pricks up, so I’m all outstanding.
Ethan on a boat, Ethan on a train.
You could have Ethan on a boat, you could have Ethan on a train. You could have Ethan underwater in a submarine.
What has been your worst airstructuree experience?
When I was a kid, I got splitd from my mom on an airstructuree. I recollect they made us sit at opposite finishs of the structuree. I was so little and it was reassociate stressful and traumatic. I recollect that now, even 28 years postpoinsistr or wantipathyver it was.
Did you cry? Were you a crier? Were you screaming?
Yeah. I uncomfervent, I’m a crier. I’ve csurrfinisherly cried twice in this interwatch, Marc. I was definitely a crier in 1996.
You can join to the entire interwatch with Egerton on “Just for Variety” above or wherever you discover your preferite podcasts.
