Ahead of the European premiere, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB director Shawn Levy brought some of his cast members along to discuss the film at the London press conference – and there were giggles from the outset, with Rebel Wilson joking about working with ‘father’ Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller shattering dreams of children everywhere.
Though many of the original cast have returned for this third outing, there are also a lot of new additions – but this seemed to bother neither party. Sir Ben Kingsley, who joins the film as Merenkahre, explained: ‘It’s like going to somebody’s house when they’re comfortable in their home – the way they open the front door is really gracious. They’re very comfortable in their own skin, their own work and the welcome is extraordinary.’
‘It was very exciting for us to welcome Sir Ben to the cast. It just changed the energy – all the new cast members really changed the energy.‘ – Ben Stiller on welcoming the new additions.
Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller
Stiller echoed his positive sentiments, adding that: ‘It was very exciting for us to welcome Sir Ben to the cast. It just changed the energy – all the new cast members really changed the energy. We do have that continuity but to have Rebel and Dan and people coming in with their own points of view – that keeps it alive and keeps it fresh. That’s very important.‘
When Rebel Wilson, who plays new London guard Tilly, was asked about working with her ‘father’ Owen Wilson, she joked: ‘A lot of people don’t know that we’re related… My dad has taught me a lot about comedy. Unfortunately, he cast me out into the Australian wilderness when I was only a baby – but I forgave him.‘
When she was then asked how she prepared for her role, the jokes kept coming, in the superb deadpan delivery she is so known for. ‘I guarded a museum for eighteen months prior to filming,‘ she said. ‘I spoke a lot to Daniel Day-Lewis and he said if I wanted to win the Oscar…‘ She stopped it there and answered more honestly that living with British comedian, Matt Lucas, actually had more of an effect on her preparation. ‘I tried to channel him a little bit, but I love being a little bit street as well, just because that’s just how I like to roll, like a gangster,‘ she laughed. She continued, joking that there was some R-rated content between her character and the neanderthal ‘La’ that had to be cut for the family-friendly audience. To this, Stiller chipped in with a potential new title: ‘Night at the Museum: Shame’.
When asked how the younger fans react to them, Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller said that they’re not really the stars of the films. ‘I field more questions about the monkey!‘ Wilson admitted. Stiller went on to explain: ‘I get a lot of parents who will recognise me and then they’ll shake their kid and go “Look! Look! That’s Larry from the museum!”’. Owen Wilson continued that the parents then tend to say that their kid wants a picture . . . but the kid’s often don’t seem to agree.
‘It really feeds into how you’re supposed to go around a museum, which is with an active imagination.’ – Dan Stevens on the power of the Night at the Museum films.
Dan Stevens
Dan Stevens was on hand to discuss the way these films have affected museum attendance worldwide. ‘It really feeds into how you’re supposed to go around a museum,‘ he said, ‘which is with an active imagination.‘ He went on to say that he certainly learned a lot about history because of BILL AND TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, which he says sent him off to investigate more on (the beautifully mis-pronounced) Socrates.
One notable loss on the panel was that of the late, great Robin Williams, who played Teddy Roosevelt in the three films, and the cast were forthcoming in their praise. ‘We were all extremely lucky to get to watch him do his thing up close,‘ Levy said, with Ben Stiller adding: ‘I never took it for granted, working with Robin, because I was always a huge fan of his. Growing up, for me, he was one of my comedic idols . . . every time we got to work together in these movies, I was always excited. He was very generous and kind and would make everybody feel as if they were an equal. It was fun to be around him and have him treat you that way but really, in reality, I was always really just a fan. I feel really lucky to have had that opportunity to spend that time with him and to be in the movies with him. It’s great that the movies exist. For me, it’s the experience I’ll take away.’
‘We were all extremely lucky to get to watch him do his thing up close,‘- Shawn Levy on working with Robin Williams
So is this the end to the franchise? Perhaps. But never say never. While Levy explained that ‘I think right now, in our minds, this third movie brings closure to the franchise and to the characters‘, Rebel Wilson did say she kept her guard hat ‘just in case they needed me again‘.
It all sort of depends on Ben Stiller, really, as it seems he took the tablet home with him for a keepsake….
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB opens in UK cinemas on Friday, 19th December.
