News

Interview: Justin Min on Life, Death, and Family in Netflix’s ‘The Umbrella Academy’ [SPOILERS]

Published

5 years ago

March 14, 2019

If you ask Justin Min what sets The Umbrella Academy, based on the Dark Horse comics written by Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, apart from other superhero movies and series we’ve seen in recent years, he’ll tell you that, at the end of the day, it’s because it isn’t about superpowers at all.

The actor, who plays Ben Hargreeves in the Netflix series, contends that what really draws viewers in is its relatability.

“It’s not about all the craziness they find themselves in,” he pointed out in a recent interview. “It’s about family. I think, no matter who you are, you can relate to the dynamics of a family and even a dysfunctional family. I love that our show highlights the underdogs and the people who don’t really have their lives together who can still come together to do good.”

It was this crazy, dysfunctional family dynamic that ultimately drew the Asian-American actor to the project, though he admits he did not even know what he was auditioning for when the process first began.

Justin Min a Ben Hargreeves in *The Umbrella Academy*

In fact, from the first audition, he was, in a sense working blind. He had been given fake scenes to audition with, even during numerous callbacks. It wasn’t until after he had booked the job and was a week out from getting on a plane to fly to Toronto to begin filming that he was finally given the title of the show and his character.

Min practically flew out of his home to the local comic store to gather as much information about his character as he could only to discover what was perhaps the biggest shock of all.

“Lo and behold I found out he [Ben] was dead,” he said, laughing. “I was even more confused. I had no idea what was going on.”

It wasn’t until he finally arrived in Toronto to join the rest of the cast when he had the chance to speak with writer Steve Blackman that things began to come together for him.

Ultimately, he points out that this worked in his favor because he, along with the show’s writers, were able to build the character from the ground up with some of that development coming well into the shooting schedule for the series.

Through a bit of retconning and tweaking to the original plotting of the comics, the showrunners had given new life, or rather a new afterlife, to Ben. Of course it helped that Klaus Hargreeves, played by the delightful Robert Sheehan, happened to be a medium!

Justin Min Robert Sheehan — Ben (Justin Min) and Klaus (Robert Sheehan) in *The Umbrella Academy* on Netflix. (Photo by Netflix)

Still, the fact that Ben was only there in spirit presented its own challenges to filming.

“It’s really funny because there were multiple times where we would have to re-shoot scenes because one of the other actors made eye contact with me or ‘see me’ when they weren’t supposed to,” he explained.

This dynamic allowed him to really work on developing the relationship between himself and Sheehan, whom he refers to as the “perfect partner in crime,” during the shoot. Ben is still Klaus’s brother, even in death, but he is also is some ways Klaus’s conscience.

“We thought it would be interesting to see how the fans would react” he said. “If they would think that Ben was a ghost or functioning as Klaus’s conscience. Our characters are very much extensions of who we are as people. When Robbie, on or off set, would do something hilarious, I would just roll my eyes and laugh at him.”

That dynamic came in handy shooting with Sheehan, and Min admits that many of their scenes together contain various improvisations from the Irish actor.

Neither Ben nor Klaus were ever entirely comfortable with their powers in The Umbrella Academy, at least in part because there seemed to be so little they could do to control them.

Ben, who was also known as The Horror while he was still alive, went through a horrific transformation each time his powers manifested with giant, lethal tentacles springing from his body that could easily kill everyone in a room.

“I thought it was so ironic that this character known as The Horror who has these monsters under his skin is actually the shyest and sweetest of the group,” Min said. “He doesn’t enjoy being a superhero and he really doesn’t want the attention. I just wanted to create a character that would be memorable enough that the audience would believe that because of his death, the entire family split apart.”

Justin Min Umbrella Academy — Even as a teenager, Ben, far right covered in blood, was uncomfortable with his powers. (Photo by Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix)

Looking back on the project now that it has been released and become a sensation among fans old and new, Min’s gratitude is almost overflowing for a multitude of reason, not the least of which was the fact that The Umbrella Academy showcased some diversity in its casting.

“It’s one of the issues that I’m most passionate about as an Asian-American actor and I couldn’t be more grateful to the creative team and for Gerard who has admitted this was one of the things he wanted to change most,” he said. “A diverse cast that represents the world we live in today? I think that diversity is still lacking in the superhero genre space so it was really exciting.”

He’s also excited for the extended family he gained by working on The Umbrella Academy pointing out that there was an instant chemistry between all of them, and that even when the cameras stopped rolling, it still felt like they were a great big family.

The Umbrella Academy is currently streaming on Netflix, and while it isn’t official yet, there are rumors that the announcement of a season two is imminent and both Blackman and Way have commented on their hopes that the show will continue.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

News

Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

Published

18 hours ago

April 22, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

Published

22 hours ago

April 22, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello