Josh Brolin & Alice Eve Interview For ‘Men In Black 3′

In ‘Men in Black 3,’ Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back… in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him — secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind. Alongside Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin, ‘Men In Black 3′  also stars Alice Eve, Jemaine Clement, Bill Hader, Michael Stuhlbarg, Nicole Scherzinger, and Emma Thompson. The film arrives in cinemas May 25th. Look out for a more in-depth interview with both Josh Brolin and Alice Eve closer to the films release date. Brolin plays Young Agent K, while Eve plays Young Agent O.

I read you’ve watched the first ‘Men In Black’ a tonne of times……

Josh Brolin: I’ve watched the first one so many times, probably 45 or 50 times – not exaggerating, I’ve seen it a lot (laughs)! And for me it’s always enjoyable, honestly, it’s one of those things where you don’t have to study, you can just kind of kick back and marvel at Tommy Lee Jones’ cadence and Will Smith’s energy. But then the second one is different, it’s almost like they’re different characters, it’s a very funny thing. So I always went back to the first one. When they offered me the part, I immediately said no, because how are you going to break up the iconic, you know, one of the great, iconic duos in movie history. That’s how I feel, at least.

How was it for you working with Will Smith and Josh Brolin while they were re-finding and finding their characters? Also, how was it working with Emma Thompson.

Alice Eve: It was amazing to have rehearsal time with Will Smith and Josh Brolin, to see them find their characters and Will re-finding his character. So the environment was incredibly creative. It was incredibly collaborative. Will would joke around, rap for us, then that would break tension and we would start working again. It was a lot of fun. Emma Thompson is a powerhouse herself, she’s an incredibly intelligent woman, I mean, the only woman, if not the only person to win an Oscar for both screenwriting and performing. And she really brings that energy to the screen, the intelligence.

A big part of the previous ‘Men In Black’ films was the chemistry between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. How did you build your own chemistry with Will?

Josh Brolin: When the camera roles, something happens. It was very nice, I hadn’t felt that with a lot of people. Usually you have to act at acting well. With Will Smith and I, something just happens when those cameras start rolling. And we’re very different people, but I think we are both very mischievous in our own way (laughs), so we were having fun with this kind of back and forth, cat and mouse thing. But it’s not a cat and mouse, it’s something different. It was follying, it was a lot of fun! We created our own thing so it became less about how am I going to do Tommy Lee Jones, more in finding a rendition of Tommy, and then making it our own, “Maybe K was this? Maybe he was happier back then? Maybe K is the lighter one, and maybe Will Smith’s J has gotten used to the K in the future and when he goes back in the past he’s taken on some of those curmudgeonly attributes?” Flipping things around.

There’s a love story between Young Agent K and Young Agent O’?

Alice Eve: It’s kind of the end of the love, the end of the affair, if you like. When she sends him off. And I think they both know it because for both of them their work comes first. They’re servants of a greater cause than love and themselves, this universal mission that they’re on. So when she sends him away, she knows she’ll never love like that again….it’s so sad, it makes me sad now (laughs). I think he really is the love of her life.

Josh, I have to ask, what was it like putting on the suit?

Josh Brolin: (Laughs) When I put on the suit, it’s the most surreal feeling in the world. It really is! It’s like a kid putting on a Superman suit.