Working with the Iron Man
by MARVEL STUDIOS
Shane Black discusses his experience as writer-director on the latest Iron Man movie
Shane Black has long been considered one of the pioneer screenwriters of the modern action genre. He made his breakthrough at the age of 26 when he wrote the screenplay for Lethal Weapon in 1987.
Starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, the film set up one of the most successful action comedy franchises. Black subsequently wrote the screenplays for Lethal Weapon 2, The Last Boy Scout, Last Action Hero and The Long Kiss Goodnight. In 2005, he wrote and directed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which marked the return to the big screen for Robert Downey Jr.
Black has also worked in front of the camera, appearing in As Good as It Gets, Predator, RoboCop 3 and Dead Heat. He is producing the forthcoming comedy Agent: Century 21, starring Cameron Diaz and Benicio Del Toro.
What was your impression of the first Iron Man as an outsider and friend of the actor and not as a filmmaker? I was very happy for Robert( Downey Jr) when I found out he was going to be Iron Man. It’ s one of those why-didn’ t-I-think-of-that situations where you have certain actors who, when you hire them, you get what you pay for. With Robert you never quite know what you’ re getting but he always seems to elevate the material and that’ s what’ s great about him.
Robert came to me early on with Jon( Favreau). They had a version but they were looking for some ideas. I like to think I contributed very little. I just sat and talked with them about the movie. I was impressed just how gungho they were to do this thing in kind of a realistic style and make a real-world film, not just a comic book film.
Robert elevates anything he takes on. He is one of those people who is very personal about it. He’ s very passionate and intense about not just giving you a performance you recognise from his last performance. I think he’ s one of our great actors and the idea that he can do something that is as intimate and wonderful as Chaplin and then also do Iron Man and not be cynical about it, is remarkable. But Robert is Iron Man; he really committed to it.
What was it like working with Robert Downey Jr? Robert shows up to play ball, and you’ ve got to be pretty alert in the morning, which I’ m not generally. I remember standing outside his trailer, like jumping up and down a couple times, gulping down coffee because I knew I had to go in and face this guy. No matter where you go in the room he’ s going to be two inches away from your face. He has his ideas and we collaborate, and we’ ve done it before, but he’ s a force of nature to be reckoned with.
He’ s an adult. He’ s a child. He’ s a genius. He can be the most hyperactive, kinetic guy who is limitless in his energy. Basically he’ s a phenomenon. He’ s remarkable to work with, and he shows up to play. You’ ve got to be on your game, because when he walks in, it’ s not about chewing the fat and drinking coffee. He wants to go. And so, that was our challenge – just to be ready on set for him. When he walked in, we had to be up to it.
What attracted you to Tony Stark / Iron Man? My initial exposure to Iron Man was probably early 1960s. I was addicted to those old superheroes, especially the Hulk and Iron Man but more so Iron Man because he was high-tech and cooler. I also had this love of robots. I love robots that look like Iron Man and that sort of meld in like cyborgs.
I loved the Six-Million Dollar Man or what it could have been. So there’ s always this sort of Michael Crichton high-tech love I’ ve had for that sort of superhero.
42 | WGSA MAG June 2013