Jake Johnson and Courtney B Vance feature alongside Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, Sofia Boutella and Annabelle Wallis in the latest incarnation of “The Mummy”.
I got to sit down with the lads and find out how they feel to be a part of an iconic franchise. Johnson responded, “Our job is a really weird one, where we’re dependant on someone giving us a shot. We sit on the sidelines until someone makes the call and whatever that call is – whether it’s a small indie with the right group, or a movie like this, you get excited and jump in.”
This isn’t just any movie though, it’s one starring one of the biggest movie stars in the world, Tom Cruise, so how long does it take before working with Tom Cruise becomes normal? “I don’t think you ever get used to it” said Vance.
“When you’re going to work, you’re thinking, I’m about to do that scene with Tom Cruise, but when you see him, he’s really present and normal, so very quickly you’d forget he’s Tom Cruise. Until you meet somebody who sees him and then you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, this is Tom Cruise’.
It’s a well known fact that Cruise likes to do his own stunts and expects everyone around him to the same. So how did Jake feel about that? What’s the reality of having to do the stunts? “It’s hard. He’s not faking it. One of the reasons I wanted to do the movie was because I’d heard all of this with Tom. That he does all that and I didn’t know if it was a PR thing … and it’s not, he really does it. He puts his body through a lot because it makes for a better movie.”
“It was a unique experience”, continues Johnson, “in that it was intense. I will say, I would never do any stunts in any movie besides a Tom Cruise movie … because there’s something about doing it with him and there’s a purity as to why he does it … and there’s also, you know you’re going to be OK”.
As well as starring in this film, audiences will know the lads for their television work. Johnson for his portrayal of Nick Miller on “New Girl” and Vance for his spot on depiction of Johnny Cochrane in “The People vs OJ Simpson”.
So what’s it like to play such memorable characters? Vance feels that “everybody knows who you are so it’s both a blessing and a curse.”
Johnson sees it as a blessing. “I feel really honoured – excited that I was part of a show that meant something to people.”
You can see Johnson and Vance in The Mummy, in Irish cinemas, now.
