‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Digital Release Interview: Dafne Keen

Available now on digital and Blu-ray and streaming on Disney+ beginning November 12th is the box office hit ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, which is the third movie in the ‘Deadpool’ franchise and the first to take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Directed by Shawn Levy (‘Free Guy’), the movie once again stars Ryan Reynolds (‘Deadpool 2’) as the “Merc with a Mouth” and features the return of Hugh Jackman (‘X-Men’) as Wolverine, Dafne Keen (‘Logan’) as Laura / X-23, Jennifer Garner as Elektra (‘Daredevil’), Wesley Snipes (‘Blade: Trinity’) as Blade, Chris Evans (‘Fantastic Four’) as Johnny Storm and introducing Channing Tatum (‘Magic Mike’) as Gambit.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dafne Keen about her work on ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, how she found out she would be returning, returning to the character of Laura, how she’s changed since ‘Logan’, reuniting with Hugh Jackman, working with the rest of the cast, which scenes were improvised, the action sequences, the challenges of keeping her appearance a secret, collaborating with director Shawn Levy, what she learned from Ryan Reynolds, joining the MCU and the possibility of her appearing in future Marvel movies.

Related Article: Editors Dean Zimmerman and Shane Reid Talk ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’

Moviefone: To begin with, when did you learn that you would be returning to play Laura / X-23 in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ and were you given the entire script to read before shooting?

Dafne Keen: I got a call from my agent to tell me, and then I had a FaceTime with Shawn, and I had a bunch of guy friends over at my house and I locked them outside in the garden while I was on the phone to Shawn. Then Shawn said to me, “All your scenes are with huge actors, but I can’t tell you who.” Then I got the full script, but it was so heavily spoiler free in the sense that they changed all the names for everything, but I understood the story. I just didn’t know who anyone was. So, watching the film was cool. I was like, “Oh, that’s crazy.” I kind of figured it out because I’d go into a costume fitting and I’d see a picture of someone on the wall and I’d be like, “Wait, who are they playing?” It was cool. It was fun and I’m happy that I got to read the whole script and it was exciting.

MF: What was it like working with Hugh Jackman again all these years after ‘Logan’?

DK: Yeah, it was weirdly, it was like no time had passed. We started acting and it was like we were doing ‘Logan’ yesterday. It was weird and wonderful.

MF: Can you talk about how Laura has changed since ‘Logan’ and did you create a backstory for yourself about how she ended up in the Void?

DK: I think as an actor you must. I think it was fun playing her as an older character, especially now because she’s got this sense of gratitude that she didn’t have in ‘Logan’. She’d been so wronged by men and by men, I mean humans. I think she had no faith in humanity, and I think Charles (Xavier) and Logan restored that in ‘Logan’. After losing them, she kind of has this sense of loss but still gratefulness for them and getting to have her reunite with Logan is such a huge thing for her and getting to play that felt like a big emotional beat for that character.

MF: As a comic book fan, I think ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ might feature the greatest superhero team-up of all time. What was it like for you to work with Jennifer Garner, Wesley Snipes and Channing Tatum and be a part of this incredible onscreen team-up?

DK: It was so cool and they’re just the most lovely, wonderful people. We had the best time and as a fan it was just crazy when you hear the superheroes you are sharing the screen with are Gambit, Elektra and Blade. Then you meet them and they’re the loveliest, most nurturing, funniest people, so we just had the greatest time on set.

MF: Famously, Ryan Reynolds loves to improvise on set. Did you have a chance to improvise with him in any of your scenes?

DK: I didn’t get to do as much, but I got to witness Channing and Ryan do a lot of it, which was fun. I felt like I was in a master class for comedy. It was really cool, and everyone was so talented, but they had a lot of comedic beats that I got to just stand back and enjoy.

MF: Can you give us an example of a scene that Ryan and Channing improvised?

DK: I think the line where we’re in the cave, and Channing’s like, “I shot out my mama and I said, What’s up, Doc?” That was an improv, and we were all dying. That whole interaction between Ryan and Channing was improvised. The “Who’s your dialect coach? The Minions”, I think that was an ad lib. It was so impressive, and it was cool to then be at the premiere and all their improvisations was getting so much love and laughter. It was exciting to know that it was all kind of in the script, but it was all like an ad lib variation of it.

MF: What was it like filming the final battle sequence in the Void? How many days did that take to shoot?

DK: It took a while. It took a week I think, and I had to go back because I had all the wire work for climbing up the skull. I had to come back in the end of January, and it was so fun. We had the best time. It’s the most fun I’ve had doing stunts ever. To get to train with these people, it’s incredible. I came into training, and it was like Channing, Wesley, Jennifer, Ryan, Hugh. It was so cool, and we were all just so excited to be there and we all love these characters so much. We all felt so lucky to be there, which I think is such a rare thing. A lot of people are ready to go home and to wrap the day and we were all just happy to stay. If they’d ask us to do 20 hours of overtime, we would’ve all been like, “Yeah, I’m here and I’m so excited to do this.” It was cool. We were all kind of nerding out with everyone with their weapons. I had the claws back and I was so excited about the glasses. Channing was so excited about throwing the cards. He’d learned a bunch of impressive card tricks. It was very cool.

MF: Can you talk about the challenges of keeping your involvement in the movie a secret, especially when you were doing press for ‘The Acolyte’?

DK: I enjoyed it. It was quite fun. It’s cool to do these interviews and I got to be like, “It’s so sad. I’m not in it.” I knew I’d filmed it and we’d had a great time on set. Also, it felt exciting. It was a cool surprise for the fans, and it felt like such a special thing, and it was such a special thing for me. It was quite funny because my two co-stars and my very good friends, Amandla (Stenberg) and Charlie (Barnett) who were in the show with me knew. So anytime I’d get asked around them, they would giggle. So, if you look at the interviews, they’re trying to look down and trying to be nonchalant when we all knew it. So, it was quite funny.

MF: Is it true that you were added to the film’s final trailer specifically so you could attend the premiere without any questions?

DK: I don’t really know. Maybe. I was going to go to the premiere as far as I know in the capacity of, “Oh, Hugh invited me.” That was the original lie, and then they were like, “We’re putting you in the trailer, which means you can come to the premiere.” So maybe it was to come to the premiere. That was the original plan, and it would’ve worked because we’re buddies. It is exciting. I was happy I got to go.

MF: What is Shawn Levy like as a director on set?

DK: I love that question because I love Shawn. Shawn is one of my favorite people to ever work with. He’s such a wonderful human being and such an incredible director. He’s got such incredible dexterity and such an amazing range of talent that he can do. I’ve seen him directing the funniest, most absurd scene, and then I saw him directing us in the bonfire scene, which was a kind of heavy, hard-hitting thing. He was so incredible at the nuance and knowing when things had to be cool and big and what he was doing for the fans and when they had to be small and human and raw and when he had to do cuts and when he didn’t. He was so kind of gentle in his directing with us, but so honest and so specific with his notes in a really special way. He also loves making films, and I love making films, so it was so cool to be around someone who kind of loved it and was excited to be there. Like I said, we were all just so excited to be there and Shawn was the first one and he infected us all with this incredible joy and excitement for the project. I truly feel so honored to have worked with him and I think he’s already one of the biggest directors, but I think he’s going to go down in the history books for me.

MF: In addition to being an actor, Ryan Reynolds is also a screenwriter and producer, and basically the force that makes these ‘Deadpool’ movies possible. What did you learn from working with him that you will apply to your own career moving forward?

DK: I learned so much from observing Ryan on set. He’s such an incredible creative. He’s so dedicated and so hardworking and he’s got such an incredible mind. I was so impressed by how he was on everything. We’d be acting and he would be acting and improving while thinking about the script change for another scene that they were going to shoot three days later while thinking about producing. It was so impressive to watch him, and I think him, and Hugh and Shawn are such incredible hard workers that I honestly felt like I was in a masterclass the whole time and five minutes with those guys felt like 20 years of lessons. I think Ryan really taught me a lot and I got to really observe his process, even just as an actor, he’s so impressive. He’s got such incredible range. You see him in a character like Deadpool where he’s being so funny, and he’s got scenes where he is being hilarious, absurd, ridiculous and outlandish. Then you see him when he is talking about Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) in the film and it’s completely heartbreaking and devastating and you can really see that in his career and in the things he’s picked. You can see completely comedic characters and then you see the character that he did in ‘The Voices’. I’ve always just really looked up to him as a creative. So, getting to share the screen with him was huge.

MF: Finally, thanks to ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, ‘Logan’ and the character of Laura / X-23 is now cannon to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How does it feel to be part of that legacy and is it possible that we will see you playing this character again in the MCU at some point?

DK: I mean, even hearing you say that ‘Logan’ is canon is so crazy to me. I’m still kind of absorbing that and the possibility is so exciting. I mean, I’ve said this a trillion times. I would play Laura for the rest of my life, and I would be content. She’s the most incredible character to play and I have so much fun playing her, and I have so much love for her, and I have so much love for Marvel. So, I’d pay them to have me back, honestly, if I’m being completely honest. So of course, I really hope I get a call, even if it is to do another tiny little silly cameo in something. I’d be happy. Any chance I get to be here again and get the claws back on, I’ll take it.