Interview: Garrett Hedlund From ‘Tron: Legacy’

TRON: LEGACY hits shelves everywhere next Tuesday on DVD, but until then, we have an awesome interview for you all with one of the film’s stars Garrett Hedlund! Garrett chats about his toughest challenge during filming, his training for the film, and what it was like to work with Jeff Bridges. Check it out below!

Did you have fun filming the movie?

Garrett Hedlund: The film shoot was awesome. There were lots of stunts, shoulder rolls and crazy moves. It was quite a show for everyone watching the action from the side of the set.

Was it hard work?

Garrett Hedlund: It was extremely intense, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I had battle scenes, disc game sequences and loads of scenes that involved a lot of imagination, agility and focus – but I’m really proud of the finished film. It’s been an awesome project to work on.

What was the scariest stunt you had to perform for the movie?

Garrett Hedlund: I had to do a lot of wirework for the film. You get hoisted up into the air. It’s not the most comfortable experience in the world!

How long did you spend in the harness?

Garrett Hedlund: I spent an eternity in the harness! It was intense.

What did you get up to between takes?

Garrett Hedlund: Well, there were a lot of play fights on the set of TRON: LEGACY! Whenever we were given our weapons from the movie and some spare time between set-ups, you’d find me battling it out with [co-star] Olivia Wilde.

What was it like to work with Olivia Wilde?

Garrett Hedlund: Olivia is fantastic. We met about seven years before we started work on TRON: Legacy, so it was amazing that we got to experience this crazy film together. It was great working with her. I have a lot of respect for anybody who can do a high roundhouse kick in 4-inch heels!

What was it like to work with Jeff Bridges?

Garrett Hedlund: I’ve always been a huge fan of Jeff Bridges, so I was really excited to (play) the role of Sam Flynn in TRON: LEGACY. Jeff has such a wonderful charisma and he’s an amazing actor – and I knew I’d get along with him from the start. He’s been great to me.

Can you tell us about the light suit you get to wear in the movie?

Garrett Hedlund: The light suits were amazing! I’m used to working in jeans and a T-shirt, so it was strange to put on a skin-tight suit that lights up by itself. You feel very special wearing something like that.

How hard is it to act in a light suit?

Garrett Hedlund: It’s pretty difficult because it’s really tight and you can’t run around easily. The helmet also gets in the way sometimes. You have to learn to walk again wearing all this crazy get-up.

Can you tell us about the special effects in the movie?

Garrett Hedlund: You’ll see a lot of light cycles in the movie, which are the most high-tech, amazing, futuristic motorbikes you’ve ever seen in your life. You’re going to be blown away when you see them in action. They are amazing.

Were they easy to ride?

Garrett Hedlund: I had to learn how to ride a motorcycle for the role, but I was fine once I knew the basics. To be honest, I had to learn a lot of things for TRON: LEGACY. I had to learn how to ride a motorbike, I had to learn fight choreography and I had to learn hand-to-hand combat. I really enjoyed the physical training. I got really fit by the end of it all!

How tough was all the training for the role?

Garrett Hedlund: It was extremely tough, but it was also exciting. I started off my day with 90 minutes of motorcycle training before heading over to work on the fight training. After that, I’d have a break before another 90 minutes of exercise with the guy who trained the actors from the movie, 300.

How long did the training last?

Garrett Hedlund: I did about two months of training. After that, I was ready for anything!

How would you describe your character in the movie?

Garrett Hedlund: Sam Flynn is a guy whose father mysteriously disappeared 20 years ago. Sam is the biggest shareholder in a huge company called Encom, but he’s turned his back on money. He lives an independent, secluded life – but he’s about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime!

What happens to him?

Garrett Hedlund: A friend of the family called Alan Bradley motivates Sam to go and seek his father. That’s when Sam starts to figure things out and he puts pieces of a puzzle together… He ends up entering a whole new world filled with light bikes, discs and a crazy game grid.

Does Sam like action and adventure?

Garrett Hedlund: Of course he does! Sam is into all kinds of extreme things just because he can. He’s very interested in base jumping and motorcycles. There’s even a great chase scene with his bike at the beginning of the movie.

What was your toughest challenge during the film shoot?

Garrett Hedlund: Everybody likes to talk about how difficult it is to work with green screen because you have to act with your imagination. Personally, I think we were lucky on TRON: LEGACY because there were also a lot of sets for us to work on.

Did you enjoy working on the green screen scenes?

Garrett Hedlund: Whenever we worked on green screen scenes, we had great direction from our director, Joseph Kosinski. He knew exactly what he wanted, which really helped, and he was always thinking ten steps ahead of us. He made the film shoot such an easy and enjoyable experience. He’s the best!

TRON: LEGACY is Available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and Movie Download April 5th!

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