Chris Sullivan Discusses His Role As Taserface In Guardians Vol. 2
This Is Us actor Chris Sullivan is nearly unrecognizable underneath the prosthetics he dons for his role as Taserface in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. And recently, Sullivan spoke with Entertainment Weekly to dish up some new details on the eccentric-looking character, talk about what it took to fully transform from man to alien villain, and reveal how writer and director James Gunn runs his set.
In the past, Gunn described Taserface (who first appeared in 1990's Guardians of the Galaxy #1), as "the dumbest character of all time." However, Sullivan had nicer things to say about the aggressive antagonist, though he did mention that Taserface has some volume control issues.
"Taserface is an intergalactic space pirate, who is in the service of Yondu (Michael Rooker), and a member of the Ravagers," Sullivan said. "Taserface is loud. Taserface is the defensive lineman on your high school football team. He's a very loud individual who enjoys pushing people around."
When asked about Marvel's alleged hesitation on introducing Taserface in the first Guardians film, Sullivan teased that the character has "some interesting origins in the comics" and that fans will have to see "what his fate holds" in the sequel.
Regarding the makeup process, Sullivan said it was pretty grueling, but Rooker made the process enjoyable. Sullivan and Rooker shared a makeup trailer, and the two would crack jokes and swap stories while their prosthetics were applied.
"The makeup process started off at about three-and-a-half hours and we whittled it down to about two-and-a-half, as the makeup team got more and more practiced at it," Sullivan explained. "It was quite involved. But every morning, bright and early, I shared a makeup trailer with Michael Rooker. So, it was he and I sitting next to each other, getting ready for work, and sharing stories of our lives."
Sullivan added that he's a massive fan of Rooker, and has been for quite some time. "Michael Rooker is like the Merle Haggard of the acting world. Never a dull moment. Never a dull story. I've been a huge fan of his since Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. I don't think there's anyone like him. I think he's singular. I would pay money to sit next to him and get into makeup. Don't tell Marvel that!"
Since Sullivan isn't exactly accustomed to playing intergalactic bad guys, he mentioned that there was a bit of a learning curve when he first saw himself all done up as Taserface. In his full costume, with makeup and all, Sullivan realized he needed to be more extraterrestrial.
"I said, "Holy s***, I guess I'm going to have to talk differently," Sullivan said. "The voice that I had prepared was not quite alien enough to match the makeup, so I made a couple of adjustments."
The fun didn't stop after Sullivan left the makeup chair. He revealed that working with Gunn was incredible, and the atmosphere on set felt like "a 12-year-old's birthday party."
"Every day, [Gunn] is so excited to come to work. He almost appears surprised that someone is still allowing him to live out his childhood fantasies. It's kind of infectious. It makes the days fly by. So, there's a lot of music, and there's a lot of energy, and it just makes for a really enjoyable experience," said Sullivan.
Fans can see Sullivan as Taserface when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5. Until then, check out how the Guardians characters should really look.