Transformers: Josh Duhamel interview

The new Transformers film hits UK cinemas on 27th July, so we spoke to Josh Duhamel - who plays the heroic captain Lennox – about how he got the part, which are his favourite Transformers, and how he copes with battling robots all day…

How did you initially become involved in Transformers?

I was originally meeting with Michael Bay's (Transformers Director) two partners to do The Hitcher, so I went to his offices and Michael popped his head in to say hello and then we started talking about what he was going to be doing next, and it was Transformers…I was thinking, "Transformers? They're making that a movie?" Because I grew up with these things.

I was like, "how're they gonna do that?" I really didn't think much more about it other than I knew it was going to be cool since he was going to be doing it. But I couldn't really even visualize how they would make that movie.

But sure enough, two months later I got a call that he wanted to meet with me and after a couple of auditions and a couple more meetings, I got the part on Transformers rather than the one I was originally meeting on. So that's sort of how I became involved. I went in to read the script in his office shortly after I got the part.

Is Michael Bay everything you expected him to be?

No, he's not. You hear stories that Michael Bay is tough and a tyrant and all these things, and I have to say that I've had a blast working with him. I really like the guy. And I admire him more than anything because to take on the size of the movies that he does, and the pressure that he takes on, you can understand why he needs to be demanding and has to be in control. He knows exactly what he wants.

I think I was expecting worse, but he's actually fair. He's very fair. The crew loves him and understands what he's looking for and nobody ever takes it personally. And he's a lot more fun than I expected. He really has a sense of humor. He may yell, but at the same time, he'll joke with you about it afterwards. So you never take it personally, and everybody is fair game, so it's all about making a good movie.

I'm also really impressed with how much work and preparation he does before he starts a film. He knows every beat, he knows what everybody's job is on the set, so it's good to know that the guy who's in charge knows exactly what he's doing.

What did he require of you during prep for this film? And you of yourself?

Michael wanted to know if I'd had an athletic background and if I was going to be able to handle the physicality of it. And I knew that I'd be able, but he said, "My guys get beat up in these films and I want you to be ready for that." That sort of excited me because I love being able to do things that are more physical because it makes the job easier if you can incorporate some kind of physicality to the role.

So I trained quite a bit, but I probably should have done more cardiovascular stuff than I did because I didn't realise I was going to be running with a 40-pound gun up and down the streets seven or eight times a shot.

How do you unwind after a stressful day?

I've never appreciated time off more than I do right now working on this movie. All I do is go home and read what I have to do the next day. If it's a lot, I'll work on that. Otherwise, I'll just have a beer and watch a football game or basketball, or a baseball game or whatever, and just play with my dogs, just chill.

What's your favorite Transformer(s), whether it's form the comic, a toy, whichever?

I've thought about this a lot. When I'm on set I get to see the actual cars out there, so if I were a kid and I'd just seen this movie, the first one that I would probably want is Ironhide, the big truck, the big black truck. Maybe it's because I have a black truck and I just have an affinity for that one, for whatever reason. It's just a fun toy to play with.

Has it been difficult, fighting with robots?

Not really, not as hard as I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be more difficult and that more of it was going to be done against green screen or blue screen. But there's just so much stuff going on, running up and down the streets, bombs going off, shooting guns and everything that it feels as if they're really there.

And I'd seen enough of the animatics before so I know what they're going to look like when they're back there, and I've seen the artwork so I have a pretty specific vision of what these things are going to look like, so it hasn't been as hard.

Once in a while, I have to ask, "OK, so which one is walking where? And what is it doing? It's fought from the building and it's crashing down and it's taking its helicopter blade and slashing through this car over here? OK." As long as you know exactly what they're doing, you can react to it.

If a sequel presents itself, would you be interested in that?

Yeah, if the opportunity presented itself, I'd be into it, definitely. I've had a lot of fun. It's been a dream of mine to be in a movie like this and to work with Michael Bay. This is the epitome of the big Hollywood blockbuster movie and you can't ask for more.

Watch the Transformers trailer.

Transformers is at cinemas everywhere from 27th July 2007.

Images: Copyright Dreamworks LLC and Paramount Pictures