Whats stranger than playing a quiet space pirate and a highly voluble rodent at the same time?
How about playing a quiet space pirate, a highly voluble rodent,andKirk fromGilmore Girls?
Its very trippy, Gunn admitted when EW caught up with him on theGuardians Vol.
Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images
Gilmore Girlsand the firstGuardianswere the two most substantial jobs of my career.
So, now, doing them both again simultaneously is very strange.
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Marvel Studios/Disney
But it would take a keen eye to identify him as the man largely responsible for portraying Rocket.
I really serve two primary functions, says Gunn.
From my perspective, I approach it the way I approach any role.
Netflix
For me, the input, as it were, is the same.Butthe output is different.
To an outsider, the whole business might seem a little thankless.
Sean is the secret weapon in terms of Rocket, for sure, says the director.
Marvel
Sometimes well use Bradleys stuff and the animators will come up with stuff on their own.
But alotof it is Sean.
[We] essentially started doing the work that we do today, which is storytelling.
Wed make up these elaborate stories for all these characters.
Han Solo didnt need to be Han Solo.
Hes be a new character that wed invent.
We did an awful lot of that as kids.
It was a very creative atmosphere in my family, for sure.
James was always making movies and Super 8 films.
Gunn cant remember a time when he didnt want to be an actor.
I really geared toward it my whole upbringing, almost to any annoying degree.
I was in acting school in Chicago at the Goodman School of Drama, says Sean Gunn.
And it was a blast even though I had my nose broken, on set, in a scene.
But he really just punched me in the face.
If you go back and watch the movie, you could actually hear the sound of my nose breaking.
It sounds like a balloon popping.
How much did Gunn get paid for appearing in the film and having his face rearranged?
I got paid a total of $100 for the entirety of the shoot, he laughs.
And I was grateful for it.
And I believe that Troma told me that Ishouldbe grateful for it!
That was a crazy couple of days many years ago.
I do still occasionally get some really magnificent, you know, 12-cent or 18-cent residual checks fromPearl Harbor.
By now, theyre really enough for a stamp.
That was really unusual, he says.
It was just one audition for the role of a DSL installer on one episode ofGilmore Girls.
My agent at the time recommended that I pass on the audition.
But I said, Let me read the scene, and if I like it, Ill go in.
What a monumental decision.
I thought it was a good little scene, and I went in, and I did the job.
It was one day, it was a fun day, and I thought that was that.
And then it came back!
And now its more popular than ever!
Its really been the strangest job.
Its the kind of thing you could never ever predict.
But, back in 2006, the film was a bomb.
Its for people who like everything about porn except the sex its just the story part says Sean.
I promise you there is no sex or porn in these shortsbutPG is a misnomertheyre still pretty racy.
The project seemed like a risky move for Marvel.
But Sean Gunn says he never doubted that his brother would turn the film into a success.
But then, when it happens, it still seems so much bigger than you could ever have imagined.
So, what can fans expect fromVol.
I think thats a harder transition for Rocket than it is for just about anyone.
Its not really in his nature to be on the up-and-up all the time.
So much for Rocket.
What news of Kraglin?
The Ravagers are doing their Ravager thing, as usual, says the actor.
But theyre wondering why Yondu hasnt gone after Peter Quill for double-crossing them.
James Gunn teases that, as Kraglin, his brother plays a bigger role inVol.
2than he did in the first movie.
He becomes a pretty big character throughoutVol.
2, which is pretty cool to see.
Rookers become a necessary evil in my life, laughs Gunn.
I love him dearly but hes certainly a handful.
I seem him everywhere.
AlthoughGuardians of the Galaxy Vol.
Its been a very cool experience so far, he says.
Ive only just started.
I worked a little bit in January and February and now I go back to work on that.
Everyone Ive met so far and I cant even say who that is but theyve all been great.
As for a return to Stars Hollow, Gunn says he would be happy to play Kirk again.
I understand that Netflix has reached out about the possibility of doing more, he says.
Fans love it and thats why I do what I do, so people see and enjoy my work.
Finally, does Gunn ever sit back and think, My career is a bit strange?
I think it every day, he says.
You know, theres no part of it that I could have ever designed myself.
Like I said, the whole idea ofGilmore Girlscoming back after almost a decade is insane.
And now, Im spending the better part of the year doing Rocket in the Avengers movies.
I didnt see myself going inthatdirection career-wise.
So, this is where the work is for me now and Imlovingit!
