Why do you think the concept of Jumanji has endured so strongly over the years?
I loved the performances so much and I was the biggest Robin Williams fan.
My imagination could work in that space where it could happen to me or something.
I think that might be part of the appeal.
I dont feel like its common knowledge that its based on a book.
And everyone Ive asked was like, I didnt know that was a book either.
So Im like what the hell?
I thought she was so great.
What was the pitch for this movie?
I mean, that sounds so brilliant and ridiculous when you put it all in one sentence.
[Laughs] I did not have any reservations about that.
2, I was like Oh my God, Ive done it!
Spilled it, because I was like, What?!
Thats one of my favorite stories of all time, I cant believe it!
It wasnt like I was immediately offered to go and run around with the Rock away from animals.
It was quite a long contest for me.
One of the most intriguing aspects about the setup is youre really playing two characters: Ruby and Martha.
Was that part of the appeal in taking the role?
I mean a body swap concept is always fun.
Theres just so much comedy to be found in that.
And she doesnt want to be looked at either, it isnt like shes dying for attention at all.
Its like the opposite.
So I just really liked that confliction.
It was just a contradiction with the character, which was really interesting for me to play with.
I first really mapped out her development into a badass, the badass development scale.
So it just sort of happens gradually based on the experiences she has.
Also, we played around with varying degrees of her heroic behavior.
And depending on the situation, shes growing into [that heroism].
But yeah, it was actually weirdly similar to the way I am as a person.
Im a little bit socially awkward as a person and a little introverted sometimes.
[Laughs]
Jumanjiis both embracing and critiquing these somewhat antiquated fantasy cliches.
But at the same time, youre still walking through a jungle while dressed in a very small costume.
Were there any reservations about that?
I mean, Lara Croft is a perfect example of that.
So it sort of felt likeI didnt think we should shy away from that.
We should either go for it or we dont.
And I definitely feel like it was the right move to go for it.
And as youll see in the film, shes not happy with it.
There were some hyperbolic reactions on social media when the first photos were released.
What do you hope fans or detractors might take away once they finally see it?
I hope they dig it.
And maybe its a good thing that its opening a discussion about all of this.
You also get to kick a lot of ass in the movie from what Ive seen.
Youre obviously no stranger to stunt work, but was this something else altogether?
This really was on a different level.
So yeah, Ive done quite a lot of stunt work before.
I sort of trained up through the Marvel system on that.
I mean it was just hard work.
But yeah, we trained for that one because its pretty epic.
Youre also having to balance this while bouncing off Dwayne, whos probably the king of this genre.
How was it working with him?
I mean just exactly as youd expect, like brilliant.
Hes not full of it, hes just an absolute professional.
I guess hes becoming more known for that sinceCentral Intelligence.
But he really floored me with his comedic ability, so that was amazing to act opposite of.
I know, its genuine.
We didnt have a whole lot of action scenes together.
I think Im just off on my own, doing my own thing.
You also got to shoot this in Hawaii, which I imagine was a lot of fun.
Oh my goodness, Im getting nostalgic already.
Its just one of the best gigs in terms of the location and the people.
I mean just every day, every single day.
So it was not like as easy as it sounds.
[Laughs]
But within that, we found a lot of humor.
And hed literally be screaming and hed run off-set.
[Laughs] It was so good.
But obviously everythings scaled down because the budgets arent so big.
I know this world.
This is my turf!
Speaking ofDoctor Who, Amy and Rory, the Ponds, are still my favorite companions.
You know, no, Im not sure we ever had a direct discussion with him about that.
It was something people talked about regularly.
But I think nobody ever suggested or said that to Steven Moffat.
What do you think Amys reaction would be to find out Raggedy Man is now Raggedy Woman?
Oh, Amy would be very confused by that.
Shed have to remake all of those little dolls.
[Laughs] Yeah, I think she would kind of dig it though.
I think that she respects the Doctor a lot, and maybe shed think it was kind of cool.
Nooo.Nebula is very much needed on-set tomorrow and for the rest of the year.
So yeah, this is the longest shoot in the world.
Its been going since January, and it goes right up until December.
And then it goes into reshoots, like immediate more additional photography next year.
So youre shooting both of them at once, right?
Yeah, well back-to-back basically.
So I imagine it is like a TV series environment then at this point?
There were a lot of crew members who were onJumanjiwhove gone onto it.
So Im just like, Okay, this really is my next family.
This also kind of feels like Nebulas moment now that the war with Thanos has finally arrived.
I definitely think she is going to have her moment.
So youve doneAvengersnow and youve doneJumanji, do you want to continue doing more of these bigger action movies?
Actually Im sort of transitioning behind-the-camera a little bit, which has been really fun for me.
So earlier this year, I directed my first feature film, which we just finished post-production on now.
So that was set in Scotland, and that was calledThe Partys Just Beginning.
And I loved that experiencesomuch, so Im hoping to direct another film.
I assume you picked the location because you wanted to find a different perspective of going home?
It definitely is going to be a different perspective of being at home.
[Laughs] We originally worked over the Christmas holiday.
So Im like, Hi everybody!
[Laughs] Its so weird to be shooting in my home town, but it was great.
So yeah, it was wonderful.
