A Day With the Cast of Ant-Man and the Wasp

By Jonelle

When I was offered the opportunity to preview Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp and attend the press junket, I jumped on the chance to do so. I’ve loved Paul Rudd way back to the TV show Sisters. Not many people will remember that show. The first Ant-Man was hilarious. Paul Rudd in Civil War was amazing, I think one of the best things about that film. I was excited to see the movie and listen to the stars discuss their experience working on the film. Ant-Man and the Wasp arrives in theatres everywhere on July 6th!

The press conference was held at the beautiful Langham Hotel located in the picturesque Pasadena, California. Food and drinks were provided before the conference, but I graciously passed. Walking into the conference hall, the very first thing I saw was the giant-sized Hello Kitty Pez dispenser.

Of course, the most exciting part of the day was seeing the cast. I just was want to say that, what producer Kevin Feige has done for the MCU is wonderful. This is a producer who wants to make movies that fans can love. In attendance were Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Laurence Fishburne, Hannah John-Kamen, Director Peyton Reed and Producer Kevin Feige. I’m not going to lie, I wish Michael Pena would have been there too, he’s so freaking hilarious.

Evangeline Lilly; Paul Rudd; Hannah John-Kamen; Michael Douglas; Laurence Fishburne; Peyton Reed; Kevin Feige.

Just like with the previous Ant-man film, Paul Rudd is one of the writers. He’s very, very funny in the movie. This film is supposed to be sequel to not only the original Ant-Man, but also to Captain America: Civil War. You first see Scott under house arrest for teaming up with Captain America. Scott is just a regular guy trying to make a life for himself and his daughter Cassie. Paul mentioned that he had a daughter roughly Cassie’s age, and that now, she’ll be expecting a slide just like the one built in the movie.

Evangeline Lilly & Paul Rudd. Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Considering that this is the first film after the release of Avengers: Infinity War and the big-bad Thanos, Hannah John Kamen was asked about her “villainous” character in the film. She said that she didn’t look at Ava/Ghost as being a true villain. The actors agree that in the MCU good and evil is not always black and white. The “villains” in these stories, like Ghost, have redeemable qualities. Well, maybe not Thanos. Evangeline Lilly mentioned that her seven-year-old likes to “taunt” her by saying how much he loves violent films. She tells her son that there are no such things as bad guys. Bad guys are just good guys who have lost their way and a true hero is the one who “reminds them of their goodness.” Isn’t Scott one of those redeemable guys who lost his way, and now look, he’s a hero himself.

Hannah John-Kamen. Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Not necessarily new to the MCU, so-to-speak, but back from the DCU, is Laurence Fishburne. He was the voice of the Silver Surfer in Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer. He plays Dr. Bill Foster who becomes Black Goliath.

After the press conference, we were taken to another room where we received a tote bag with some goodies. I got a T-shirt, a Wasp action figure and a vintage looking poster for the film.

As many already know, I’m a FunkoPop collector. Once again, Marvel and Funko didn’t disappoint. I am now in a mad search to find the Scott and Hope Ant-Man and the Wasp Pops to add to my collection. They also have a Ghost Pop. Aren’t they just the cutest?

Other merchandise on display included a series of children’s books, Legos and Invicta Limited Edition Ant-Man and the Wasp watches. I remember Little Golden Books when I was a kid. There is definitely a vintage vibe going on. I’m not sure if that was done on purpose or not, but I’m really liking the throwbacks to my childhood.

There was one action figure that looked so lifelike, even down to the abs and facial hair. It’s like they actually did shrink Paul Rudd into a miniature version of himself. This was probably the coolest piece of merchandise, (other than the adorable Funko Pop figures) on hand. I couldn’t stop staring at this one action figure.

Some of the costumes were also on hand. The Wasp’s suit is really the coolest suit worn by a female superhero in the MCU. It’s much cooler than Ant-Man’s suit, hello it has wings. A sentiment stated in the film, by Scott himself.

Overall the day was amazing. The hotel was beautiful. I had an awesome time getting to hear about the actors’ take on their characters. I loved listening to their banter back and forth. I loved looking the all the new merchandise on hand, especially the adorable Funko Pop collectables and that amazing replica of Scott Lang, AKA Paul Rudd. You won’t want to miss this one! In theaters everywhere on July 6th, but until then take a look at the trailer below!