Q&A With Kong: Skull Island Cast Toby Kebbell And Jason Mitchell

Kong: Skull Island, the latest incarnation of the mega-ape himself, opens in South African cinemas 10 March 2017. And to whet the appetite of the viewing audience, a treat of some questions and answers to some of the upcoming films cast, Toby Kebbell (Warcraft: The Beginning) who plays Maj. Jack Chapman and Jason Mitchell who plays W.O. Glen Mills.

A team of explorers, soldiers and scientists venture to an uncharted island in the Pacific, where many a terrifying monster dwells, and where the mythical Kong lives.

Read the SAMDB review of Kong: Skull Island.

Was it exciting for you to be in a big monster movie?

JASON MITCHELL: Absolutely. You can’t top Kong. I really wanted to be a part of this movie.

You learned to fly a helicopter for the film. What was that like?

TOBY KEBBELL: Yeah, they trained us to fly. I learned that getting your pilot’s license is difficult because the classroom work is incredibly intensive. Also, helicopters are in some ways more difficult than to fly than planes. In a helicopter, you’re using two pedals, a pitch-up and what they call a stir. We were trained to come in and hover. It was pretty crazy—like balancing a bowling ball with a darning needle.

JASON MITCHELL: It was pretty intense.

Did you spend some time together before you started shooting?

TOBY KEBBELL: We did a workshop for about a week. We’d spend the best part of the day working on our characters. It was a phenomenal experience.

What was it looking working with acting legends John Goodman and Samuel L. Jackson?

JASON MITCHELL: John Goodman has such a great way of breaking the ice. He’s so good at being himself, even though he’s an acting legend.

Sam, on the other hand, is going to mess with you as long as you let him mess with you [laughs]. He’s my guy, though. It was a privilege to watch them work.

TOBY KEBBELL: Sam is incredibly bright and literate. He has a vast knowledge of many subjects, some of which are pretty obscure.

The film was shot in Hawaii, Australia and Vietnam. What were some of your favorite locations?

JASON MITCHELL: In Vietnam, in Halong Bay, we experienced a 30-minute boat ride to get to base camp—which was on a boat.

TOBY KEBBELL: Actually, it was two boats, strapped together.

JASON MITCHELL: One day during filming in Halong Bay, I wasn’t feeling well. I was trying to hold it together—my face was about turn green—when I saw a school of jellyfish and some monkeys. It was a weird, but great experience.

TOBY KEBBELL: In Australia, there was a panic about some spiders.

JASON MITCHELL: I’m really afraid of spiders, too, which was something that Jordan kind of worked off of, because at one point he had the idea of some giant plant trying to eat my character.

What was the most memorable scene for you to shoot?

JASON MITCHELL: There was one time, where I was in a kind of army stance, with my legs fairly wide apart, and I feel this boop, boop, boop, boop. I’m thinking, what just happened? It was an eel swimming through my legs. It got to the point where Jordan was saying, “I’m not going to deal with everybody being scared. I’m just going to get in the water with you guys and show you that it’s not that bad.”

 

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb

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