Michael Rooker & Sean Gunn Interview | Yondu & Kraglin Say Cheese in Guardians 2

Say cheese! We sit down with Yondu & Kraglin from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in this exclusive Michael Rooker & Sean Gunn interview. This post is sponsored by Disney. All galactic opinions are my own.

Michael Rooker & Sean Gunn Interview | Yondu & Kraglin Say Cheese in Guardians 2

Interview photos courtesy of Louise Bishop of MomStart.com

The rowdy bunch of Ravagers return in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and we got an insider’s look at Yondu & Kraglin in this exclusive Michael Rooker and Sean Gunn Interview. Find out who really gets the credit for playing Rocket the Raccoon, what it’s really like working when the director is your brother, and why we can’t stop laughing when the Ravagers say cheese!

Who Really Plays Rocket?

Bradley Cooper doesn’t get to take all of the credit for bringing Rocket the Raccoon to life in Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

Michael Rooker: Rocket is my friend right here (pointing to Sean). We worked together day and night. He does all the vocals and all the voice stuff for Rocket.

Sean Gunn: On set. We have to do several takes for anything that Rocket is a part of. We do a reference take. We’re in there and we make sure we get one or two good ones of those and then we have to do one with like a light, when I’m doing the lines from just behind the camera.

Michael Rooker: Many times when we’re doing a scene, it takes four or five times. Four or five good ones to layer all that stuff and you can probably talk a little bit more about that layering stuff.

Sean Gunn: Got to do one that’s totally empty. Yeah, all that kind of stuff. It’s a whole process.

Michael Rooker: So, the process for doing this kind of movie with such heavy CGI and characters that don’t truly exist, is like doing five movies. And it is hard. It’s difficult.

It’s All in the Family

What’s it like for Sean Gunn to work with his brother James Gunn in movies, especially one as intense as Guardians?

Working with my brother. We’ve been working together in various capacities since we were little, so I have an easier time working with him than just about anybody. We have such a shorthand for communicating with one another and I know for the most part, what he’s looking for. When I read scenes, I have a pretty good feel for what he’s going for. We work together really well.

I’m certainly grateful that he gave me such a nice role in this film. I really am happy to be part of it. I know that that’s kind of what I’m supposed to say, but it’s true. It’s a great franchise and I think that the movies are made with a lot of love and a lot of heart. I was very glad that he let me play a humanoid character in this movie and not like in every other I’ve had to do, either a lot of makeup or I get killed. I was very happy when I read the script of the first movie and I’m like, I don’t have tons of makeup and I live! That’s awesome. 

It’s a “Grill” Off!

Which Ravager has better teeth? Those pearly whites aren’t so pearly when the Ravagers say “cheese.” Michael Rooker and Sean Gunn discussed what it was like to work with their special sets of teeth for the films.

Michael Rooker: We both had some grills, baby. Did we not? Sean had more of a problem with it than I did.

Sean Gunn: The teeth can be tricky. I tried to get the teeth made a good several months before we started so that I could just put them in and work with the talking. Because I think talking through the teeth in the first movie, it was one of the most difficult things!

Michael Rooker: It was. My quality is more throatal and glottal. His is not. The teeth are up in the front, so I form my words and my consonants and sounds more back, so it didn’t bother me at all with the speaking. It was very difficult for the whistle. A whistle’s all in the front right where the stupid teeth are. So I said, these, we’ve got to fix these because I’ve got to whistle. So they did. And they did pretty good. I had to relearn a little bit of where I focus the sound for the whistling. They enhance it, but it is my whistle.

Snoring On-Set?

Spoiler, there’s some loud snoring going on behind-the-scenes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. I won’t spoil the scene, but someone’s been sleeping in my bed…

Michael Rooker: It was emotional, very, very emotional for everyone but me. I was sleeping.

Sean Gunn: We’re doing the scene at the end where Chris has his big speech and we’re all there. We’re all super sad and all of the sudden you hear [MAKES SNORING NOISES]. Rook was out. I won’t forget that. So funny.

Catch up on Everything Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Loved this Michael Rooker and Sean Gunn Interview? Catch up on the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Red Carpet Experience & Press Event:

• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Movie Review | Safe for Kids?
• Walking the Purple Carpet of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Premiere + Photos
• Chris Pratt Interview | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
• Zoe Saldana Interview | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
• Dave Bautista Interview | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
• Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, & Elizabeth Debicki Interview | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
• Kurt Russell | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
• Kevin Feige & James Gunn Interview | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

And check out our exclusive on-set interviews earlier this year – including ones with Yondu in costume!

• 50 Things I Learned On Set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Chris Pratt Interview
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Zoe Saldana Interview
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Dave Bautista Interview
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Michael Rooker Interview
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Karen Gillan Interview
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Kurt Russell Interview
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 James Gunn Interview

See Yondu and Kraglin, aka the smiley Ravagers, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, now in theaters.

I was invited to attend an all-inclusive press trip for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in exchange for this posting. All Marvel-loving opinions are my own. Be sure to follow Raising Whasians for more of your of the latest Disney movie updates!

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