Interview: Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor talk ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’

Bigger is the operative word for the latest film in director Michael Bay’s “Transformers” franchise, “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” but not always in the way you would expect.

Can we say once again that there’s more than meets the eye?

“It’s a lot bigger — the effects are on a different level than anything that we’ve seen before,” actor Jack Reynor told me, joined by co-star Nicola Peltz, in a recent interview. “A lot of the camera work is very dynamic and very new, and at the heart of the film is a really great human story more than anything else.”

Opening in 2D, 3D and on IMAX screens nationwide on Friday, “Transformers: Age of Extinction” stars Mark Wahlberg as Cade Yeager, an auto mechanic who makes a discovery that not only draws the Autobots and Decepticons to them, but some very determined CIA agents who have a sinister agenda to carry out. Peltz stars as Cade’s daughter, Tessa, and Reynor plays her boyfriend, Shane Dyson.

Transformers Age of Extinction stars Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor (photo Paramount Pictures Tony Nelson)
“Transformers: Age of Extinction” stars Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor (photo: Paramount Pictures/Tony Nelson).

“When we start the film, the Autobots are in exile and are afraid of humans, and humans are afraid of them,” Reynor said. “Through the relationship between Mark’s, Nicola’s and my characters, we try to restore their faith in humanity. It’s at different scale. We really hope it’s going to be an enjoyable thing for the audience.”

The odd part about working on “Transformers: Age of the Extinction,” Reynor says, is while he comes from the independent film world, working on this franchise at times was much like work he was used to.

“It was still an intimate environment, because at the end of the day, it was still Mark, Nicola and myself,” Reynor said. “That makes it feel smaller than you would imagine. Even though the movie is incredibly big and the effects are on a different level of anything we’ve seen before, between the three of us, at least, it felt like it was a small environment to work in.”

Peltz, who has done green screen work before in big-screen adventure “The Last Airbender,” said she was surprised by the amount of practical effects and props used in the film, something that ultimately aided everybody’s performances.

“I actually thought there was going to be more green screen than there actually was working on the movie,” Peltz said. “Instead, Michael makes these beautiful, huge sets, which are all real, and the car chases and the explosions are real. So having the tools and being in situations where we could use them was really amazing. Of course, we had to use our imaginations when talking to the Autobots and talk to nothing in those cases.”

At the time of the interview, neither Peltz or Reynor had seen the completed film yet, but already had the thrill of seeing themselves among Autobots, Decepticons and Dinobots for the first time with an 11-minute presentation of footage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas earlier this year.

“Watching the footage, you go, ‘Oh, my God, when I was filming that scene, there was nothing there.’ But when then add the CGI, it’s truly mind-blowing,” Peltz described. “It’s so crazy to watch knowing you were part of the experience.”

To help his actors stay engaged without any Transformers visually present, Bay found a way to keep his everybody working on the film motivated, Reynor said.

“It’s a real cool thing Michael does about every three weeks, where he puts together a sizzle reel, which has about 10 minutes of footage of film from the last three weeks we shot,” Reynor recalled. “Even without any Autobots in it or any of the rendered effects, it still looks really, really impressive, and it’s really exciting and fun. That was a big confidence boost to us all. We felt like we were making a really cool film, even though we hadn’t seen any Autobots or Decepticons while making it. It’s a really clever thing that Michael does and it really boosts the morale of the cast and crew.”

On set, Peltz said, Bay is ball of energy.

“Michael told me even before we started filming, ‘I move very quickly and you’re not going to be sitting in your trailer. Whether it’s your scene or not, you’re going to be on set learning and studying.’ I love that,” Peltz enthused. “His energy is so contagious because he is so excited about this film, so to work on it with him and feel that is really wonderful.”

Transformer Age of Extinction poster Wahlberg, Peltz, Reynor (photo -- Paramount Pictures)
“Transformers: Age of Extinction” poster featuring Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor (photo — Paramount Pictures).

Although Reynor was born in Colorado, he moved with his family to his mother’s native Ireland at age 2. One thing Reynor discovered, though, is no matter where you grow up, the Transformers — which began as Hasbro toys and were featured in cartoon form before becoming big-screen characters – will eventually find you.

“Since it was a Japanese concept and was around about 25 or 30 years before they made the first film, and it expanded across Europe quite quickly,” said Reynor, 22. “The generation before me grew up watching ‘Transformers’ on TV in Ireland, so it was definitely something I was exposed to in a big way and I had a full line of toys. I’ve always known of ‘Transformers’ because I’ve always been a fan of it, so to eventually to become a part of the franchise myself was an incredible opportunity.”

In a way, Reynor said, Transformers toys prepared him to work on the film, because while playing with the figures, he was making movies in his mind.

“The cool thing is, it doesn’t change a lot when you’re standing there on the set of the franchise yourself,” Reynor said. “You can try to relate to what you’re doing the same way you did when you were a kid. It brings a level of authenticity to what you’re doing and it makes it tangible for you in your own head. It really helps your performance.”

Being around six brothers growing up, Peltz, 19, more than had her share being around Transformers toys in her youth.

“I definitely knew of Transformers growing up, but it wasn’t only a boys thing,” Peltz said with a laugh. “I didn’t play with any of the toys, but my oldest brother loved them and my two youngest brothers are obsessed with the movies. All of them are very, very excited for me because of the film.”

General-Marvel Collectibles

Review: Tim Lammers reviews ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ on KARE-TV

Transformers 4 Optimus

Tim reviews the sci-fi action adventure “Transformers: Age of Extinction” with Diana Pierce on KARE 11 TV (NBC) in Minneapolis.  See the review of the film, starring Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Stanley Tucci and Kelsey Grammer, below. You can also read the print version of the reviews on BringMeTheNews.com.

Tim also reviewed the film on WOC Radio’s “The Morning Report with Steve and Dan.” Listen to his review below.

General-Marvel Collectibles

Review: Tim Lammers talks ‘Jersey Boys’

Jersey Boys

Tim reviews the music biopic “Jersey Boys” on WOC Radio.  Hear the review of the film, starring John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen, Vincent Piazza, Michael Lomenda and Christopher Walken, below. You can also read the print version of the reviews on BringMeTheNews.com. Also, click HERE to read Tim’s interview with Young, Bergen and Lomenda.

Interview: John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen, Michael Lomenda talk ‘Jersey Boys’

Not only are Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons workin’ their way back into popular culture with the film version of the Tony Award-winning musical “Jersey Boys” — thanks to the introspective direction of screen legend Clint Eastwood, the story of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group is being told from a unique, new perspective.

That’s because “Jersey Boys,” the movie — based on the 2006 Tony Award-winning musical — isn’t so much about classic songs like “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Who Loves You” or “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” as it is the fascinating true story of four guys from New Jersey who through humble beginnings and tumultuous times form and sustain one of the greatest singing groups in pop music history. The songs are expertly performed and have their right place in “Jersey Boys” to be sure; it’s just that the film is much more than your standard movie musical.

“I would call it a musical biopic much in the way of ‘Ray’ and ‘The Doors’ – they have music in them, but they’re classified as biopics. We certainly wouldn’t call it a jukebox musical,” John Lloyd Young told me in a recent interview, joined by fellow stars Erich Bergen and Michael Lomenda.

'Jersey Boys'  2 (photo Warner Bros)

Young, who won the Best Actor in a Musical Tony for the original stage production, reprises his role as Valli for the film version, while Bergen plays Bob Guadio, who, sang, played keyboard and co-wrote many of The Four Seasons’ songs with producer Bob Crewe. Lomenda plays Nick Massi, who played bass and sang in the original lineup of the group and was responsible for many vocal arrangements; and Vincent Piazza rounds out the core cast as Tommy DeVito, the guitarist, vocalist and linchpin of the group who recruited Valli and fell headlong into the trappings of fame.

Even though the stage version of “Jersey Boys” moves along quite swiftly, Bergen likens the movie version of the story to smash Broadway drama “Lady Day,” which recently earned star Audra McDonald her record-breaking sixth Tony Award.

“It’s the story of Billie Holiday and there’s about 20 songs in the play, but it’s not considered a musical. The reason why, is, the songs further plot and serve the story,” Bergen told me. “It just so happens that Audra is playing a famous singer, much like we do in ‘Jersey Boys.’ The songs are a product of the play and serve as some of the plot points. There’s really not that much in ‘Jersey Boys’ about the creation of the music. ‘Sherry,’ ‘Big Girls,’ ‘Walk Like a Man’ — the songs are what these guys were doing for work. ‘Jersey Boys,’ though, is really about four guys growing up and going through life together and experiencing the problems of brotherhood.”

Tim Burton Book 2
Click book cover for info on how to buy!

Fans of the stage versions of “Jersey Boys will no doubt hail Eastwood for sticking to his guns and casting the best people possible for the roles instead of casting familiar Hollywood faces in attempt to appease a demographic. Young, Bergen and Lomenda were all personally selected by Eastwood after he watched them perform their roles on stage, and while they knew the stage production backwards and forward, they loved how the Oscar-winning filmmaker had them perform their roles in a new sort of spotlight.

“Clint Eastwood puts the story in front on you. The music is what they do, but we also go behind the story of these guys,” Young observed. “Whereas on Broadway, the music is put in front of you and it’s electrifying every time they do a number, and that’s great. I love both mediums. The play is like looking at the outside of a mansion, and you could see where the guys lived. But ‘Jersey Boys’ the movie is like taking you inside that mansion for a tour. The psychological reality of these characters is much more immediately on display in a close-up on film than you would get in an evening on stage.”

“Jersey Boys” is bold in that it’s a warts-and-all story of the founding four members, including their ties to the local mob in New Jersey, the in-fighting between the group’s members, and the critical role each of them played to truly make The Four Seasons gel. And while most identify the group by Valli’s trademark falsetto, the movie delves into less-celebrated aspects of the group, including Gaudio’s role as songwriter, DeVito’s muscle to find success for the band at any cost, and Massi’s melding of the vocals.

“Frankie has sometimes said that Nick was his first vocal coach, and you see a little bit of that in the film which is really cool. He had great ears and helped shape Frankie’s raw talent,” Lomenda said. “Nicky was a musician first and his talent was arranging, so it’s great to see him partially get credit for putting Frankie’s vocals up top and all that harmony below.”

Unfortunately, Massi and DeVito earned their credit the hard way through the troubles they experienced as the group started to come together.

“People, of course, know of Frankie, but story opens the curtains for the other guys,” Lomenda said. “Not only do we see their musical history, but we see that they’re hardcore, from the wrong side of the tracks guys who were in and out of jail. It took them a while to form The Four Seasons, because they couldn’t stay out of jail.”

“Nick learned how to play guitar in jail. They called the jail ‘The Rahway Academy of the Arts,'” Lomenda added with a laugh. “The thing that’s cool about them is that they’re singing songs like ‘Sherry,’ ‘Walk Like a Man’ and ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry,’ which some people consider as bubblegum pop. But these guys were really scrappers.”

Jersey Boys
John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen, VIncent Piazza, and Michael Lomenda in “Jersey Boys” (photo: Warner Bros.)

Parallel universes

Those who caught the Tony Awards recently will no doubt recall the brilliant stage duet between “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” star Jessie Mueller and the real Carole King. However, because of the old wounds “Jersey Boys” opens up for the Valli, Young doesn’t expect to experience such a surreal moment anytime soon, even though the singer, 80, is still touring and is active as ever.

“He would never want to do that. Frankie is very possessive of his own life and career, and he sees them and ‘Jersey Boys’ as two separate things,” Young said. “Frankie would much rather have a documentary of his life made … because the way some of the things portrayed in film were done for dramatic effect. That’s interesting to play for actor, but that’s not true to life from Frankie’s perspective. He’s got a mixed-up feeling about it, and the mixed-up feeling the man has for the story being out there is something I can build from and put it into my character.”

Bergen said the feeling is exactly the opposite for Guadio, though, as the legendary, 71-year-old  songwriter has been intricately involved in “Jersey Boys” since the beginning.

“Anyone who has done a ‘Jersey Boys’ stage production has worked with him,” Bergen said. “He’s very involved in the music, and he’s produced the cast album and the soundtrack to this film. On the touring production I was in, he really encouraged us to leave out theater voices behind, and really found the R&B and doo-wop sound. We have a different relationship with him than we do with Frankie. Bob is very much a producer of the show and will do whatever the audience likes.”