- Alright guys let's talk about this, this is a special one.
Welcome to MTV at Comic-Con guys, good to see you all.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
- This has been high on my list for a while,
we're very excited about this.
A new, different incarnation of the Transformers universe.
A new filmmaker at the helm.
We're very excited to see what
you've brought to the table Travis.
Talk to me just about the approach for Bumblebee.
Do you approach it as a Transformers movie?
As something within that kind of stable movies,
or its own thing, or what?
- Yeah, the Transformers has a history that
goes back nearly 35 years and so I was part of
that first generation of people who grew up
loving and playing with the Transformers toys,
who watched the cartoon, read the comic books.
So for me the opportunity to go back,
and to try to tell a story about these characters
that I knew and loved growing up was really exciting.
I was thinking about some of the other
formative things that I experienced in the '80s.
All the loves and obsessions that I had at that time,
and one of the big ones was Spielberg.
Those great Amblin, Spielbergian coming of age stories.
So for this story it felt like it was
a perfect way to merge those two things.
For me, the Amblin stories, they always evoked
three key responses in the audience,
which was wonder, laughter, and tears.
And that was the heart and soul of what
we tried to capture in this film,
and I think we succeeded.
- It feels like you conveyed that.
I think it surprised people in a pleasant way
when the trailer hit recently.
In that it's got the action you would
hope and expect in a Transformers movie,
but it has a little bit of that Amblin, E.T. vibe to it.
Gimme a sense of your experience on set.
What are the moments where you were like,
"Yeah, I'm in an 80s, Amblinish movie
"or I'm in a Transformers movie."
What are the moments where you were like
this is something very unique?
- Well, George and I actually had a couple
of those moments where we were in the car,
and whether it was me driving or not driving.
It was more the times where I wasn't,
where I had no control.
And we would literally be flying downhill,
come to a screeching halt inches away
from this man right here who literally didn't budge
and him and I had that look in our eyes like,
"It's over, we're done, this is it."
- For yourself or you're gonna kill John Cena?
- Oh both!
(laughs)
- He's gonna stop everything and the car
- Right, it's gonna go right through him, yeah exactly.
- No, he'll break the car.
- Those were those moments, I think when
we made it out on the other side.
We were like "This is absolutely insane
"that this is what we're doing right now."
- It was a great time, obviously seeing
everybody in full costumes and 80s,
all the extras coming around and what not.
It was almost like if this was what
the 80s was like I'm glad that I'm not there.
But I'm happy to see this, this is cool, this is tight.
- The set design as well was incredible.
I can't tell you what was incredible about it
because I'm sworn to secrecy but you would walk on set,
and you would walk into a time capsule, a time machine.
It was very, very well done.
Whoever you got at the helm, they did amazing.
The set design was spot on.
- So besides your task as an actor, did you feel
you were unofficial 80s consultant on this one?
You're the one that can be like,
"This is how it was back then guys."
- I was a kid, so, yeah yeah I had a little
bit of validation to be able to say.
But it was really cool to see tech has advanced so much,
and enjoying some of those things as a kid
and being able to see how just bulky everything
was and now how fast and slim lined everything is.
You really did that justice, it's absolutely proper.
- Is it noticeable for you day to day that you're in...
It sounds weird for me to even call it a period film,
but it's kind of a period film, is that a noticeable thing?
Like, "Oh yeah I'm in a different era."
- Yes, I think obviously when we would walk onto set,
Charlie's home is very different than my home.
But there were obvious things that stood out.
The wardrobe was obviously not what I'm into today.
- Have you absorbed any of the 80s wardrobe into your own?
- Yeah kinda, a little bit here and there I guess,
but there were obviously obvious things that stood out.
It felt as though it wasn't so far fetched
that our generation will be turned off by it,
if that makes sense?
- So what do you guys love about, for you guys again,
the Transformers films means so much to so many people.
They've obviously done quite well for themselves.
What did you love about these films
even prior to getting involved in the-
- For me personally, they were my favorite franchise.
I saw them when I think I was 10 years old,
and when they were making all the (imitates transformers)
sounds I was like, "Oh my God."
- [Hailee] The what?
- The (imitates transformer).
- He's got a new career as the sound effects.
- Hey Trav, you need a little extra sound I got you.
- But no, it was tight and just really to be
a part of it now is such a blessing.
'Cause it's what I grew up with and now,
I'm part of telling the story to the new generation,
to the new 10 year olds, so it's tight.
- What is Michael Bay, who helped create this franchise,
what's his function for you as a film maker?
Obviously you're making your film,
but do you look to him for some guidance
or show him cuts et cetera?
- Michael's been really supportive throughout the process.
I didn't know quite what to expect because I didn't
know him before we started working on this movie.
At the very outset we met several times,
and I talked to him and asked him about his approach,
and just the way he shot the robots,
how he thought about the robots,
and it was really instructive.
It was totally different to the way I approached it,
but it was just interesting to try
and crawl inside his brain to figure out how
he crafted this franchise for the last 10 years.
Once we actually started getting into production,
Michael was incredibly respectful.
He realized this is a different kind of a film,
this is a different kind of a film maker
and he wants to be supportive of the process.
Just as he would if he was directing a film
that was being produced by somebody else.
So he's been great, he's provided notes
where he thinks, "Hey you might wanna think about this?"
But it's been a really great collaborative process.
- You've worked with some major special effects
on some films before but are you able to lose yourself?
Because I would imagine you have to have
a relationship with Bumblebee,
so can you lose yourself without like, "I'm losing my mind"
when you're acting opposite that?
- That was actually my biggest concern at the beginning.
I was like, "I feel like I can do this,
"but there's gonna be a point where I go crazy."
I'm gonna have absolutely zero, other than Travis
telling me you're doing okay,
you know what I mean, no reaction
but Travis really helped me through that.
We had a man on stilts at one point
to give me the feel of what it would be like
to have them moving around me.
A tennis ball on a stick was Bumblebee,
for me throughout this movie.
(chuckles)
I think having someone like Travis...
This is weird because I'm gonna talk
about you like you're not here,
but you're here so I'll just point to you.
He obviously with his background in animation,
he has this incredible ability to see the finished product.
Obviously for me I can read it on paper and imagine it,
but it could be something completely different
than what you guys might get.
So it was nice to have somebody verbally translate
what it is that was going on and that seemed
to really help me through the whole process.
- Also exciting to see John not only
stop cars or cars stop for him,
but you play a bad guy in this one, it seems like?
- I can't confirm or deny anything.
(laughter)
- Any inspiration for this character, you're a fan of film?
- If you were correct in saying
hypothetically I were to play a villain,
I think the key to all good, mean or bad characters
is they believe in their heart
they're doing just and they're doing right.
I've wanted so long in my other career,
because I've been a good guy for so long,
I've wanted to be able to flip the switch
and be a bad guy just with a conflicted sense of awareness,
and if indeed you are correct that's how
I would approach something like that.
So if I were ever to get that opportunity,
maybe in a movie you can see coming out December 21st,
that would be kinda what I would do.
And I would greatly appreciate that
and find it a wonderful challenge.
(laughter)
- Here's another hypothetical.
I wonder of people would guess who the biggest fan of BTS,
the group sweeping the planet is,
on these couches here, is it John Cena?
- Well I think by body weight I am the biggest.
(laughter)
- Do you count yourself as a fan Hailee?
Have you bonded with John over his love of-
- We have yet to bond, I'm a J-Hope guy.
He's a great rapper and he's got the moves.
- You know what, he's not wrong.
(chuckles)
- I had some street cred, back in the day.
- You still got it.
- Guys, guys that's like, "You still got it,
"but I used to be able to throw a baseball back in the day."
"No, no you still can."
"No I can't."
- You're a singer, there's a collabo'
I hear that could happen?
- Wait John you sing?
- No, no I don't. - Can we hear it?
- What about a collabo', the two of you with BTS?
This is the mega pop group, this is the-
- This is my pitch.
You and BTS, and I will be their bodyguard.
(laughter)
- Are you in? - I'm down with that, yeah.
- Excellent, as we're at Comic-Con I wanna mention hero's.
We've talked about this before,
you're always fan-casted as Batgirl in particular
or cool roles like that.
We've heard lately that Birds of Prey,
it sounds like Batgirl isn't in it.
I don't know if you're following this, you're busy I know.
- I'm in a bubble. (laughs)
- A bit of a bubble, but I think it's
Huntress and Black Canary are in it.
So are you willing to adapt
to another female superhero role?
- Am I willing to adapt, yes.
- If called upon?
Those kinds of roles are intriguing?
- Oh absolutely yeah, I love seeing
what the fans say about that stuff.
I think it's quite fun but I'm honored
that they have me in mind.
I'm excited for them to see our film
and excited to be here at Comic-Con.
- I also wanna mention I'm about to talk to some
of your co-stars that are in the new Spider-Man movie.
So you're playing Spider-Gwen,
which I think is the first time we're going
to get to see this beloved character in a film?
That must be an exciting honor?
- Oh my God yeah, absolutely,
and it's been an incredible process for me.
I've never done voice acting to that extent
so it's been amazing to see it all come together.
Visually it's really unlike anything I've ever seen
and like any other Spider-Man movie that exists,
so I think people are really gonna like that.
- Can you say anything briefly about what
that character is all about, what Spider Gwen's all about?
- Spider-Gwen well she is a total badass.
She's a natural leader and she's incredible at being her,
and being the woman in charge, if you will.
- I can't wait for the film guys.
Thanks so much for stopping by today,
it is a pleasure, thank you guys, we dit it.