Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the first in a long line of movies coming out way this summer, where the rule of thumb is: the bigger, the better.
The newest movie in the Transformers franchise stars Anthony Ramos as Noah, a young New Yorker who happens upon the Autobots and gets pulled into an action movie adventure. Dominique Fishback plays Elena, an intern at a museum who discovers a Transwarp Key, while Tobe Nwigwe rounds out the human cast as Noah’s trouble-making friend Reek.
The Digital Fix sat down with the cast of the new Transformers movie to talk about all things Autobots and Terrorcons, long shoots, and the challenges of working with giant space robots.
The Digital Fix: In filming a movie where the majority of your scene partners aren’t really there for most of the time, were there any techniques you developed in terms of interacting with [the Autobots]?
Anthony Ramos: Just doing as many options as humanly possible. The good part about there not being a robot there is that the robots can do anything. They’re gonna make the visual effects according to whatever choices you make and whatever choices the director picks.
There’s a fire transformation that Bumblebee does around Elena in the movie, and Dom [Fishback] came up with an idea for that scene that wasn’t on paper. We altered the scene, and that cool transformation happened just as a result of her idea. That’s what’s cool about not having them there is that we get to just make it up. And then they just create that world around whatever we shot.
TDF: So you found it more freeing.
AR: A hundred percent.
TDF: And a lot of these scenes, they’re big battle sequences. Were there any scenes you found more challenging than others?
Dominique Fishback: The museum scene, because we got called for a 5 pm call time, and by 5 am we were still going. We didn’t finish until 10 am.
AR: That was the wildest day I’ve ever had on any set.
DF: I thought I was being Punk’d.
AR: I thought we were being punished.
Tobe Nwigwe: Did you come back and shoot the next day?
DF: Yes.
TN: Oh, that’s insane.
AR: Straight zombie status.
TDF (to TN): So you got off a bit easy, in that sense.
TN: Oh, come on. A bit? A lot.
TDF: In this movie, we see a couple of Autobots that we haven’t necessarily seen before on the big screen. Which Transformers would you say are your favorite in the new movie?
TN: For me, Optimus Primal. Mirage. Bumblebee.
AR: I think in the Autobots, Mirage, for sure. Mirage is the coolest Transformer I think I’ve seen in any of the movies. Bumblebee has definitely been the star of the show for a long time, but I’m not gonna lie: Mirage.
DF: Mirage, maybe, for a new generation. I think the older generations like the nostalgia of Bumblebee. We know that Mirage really kills it in this movie.
TDF: This is the summer of big spectacle movies. In three words, can you tell people why they should come and see Rise of the Beasts?
AR: …In three words?
TDF: …Or less.
TN: I got you. …We’re. The. Best.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is playing in theaters now.
For everything you could want to know about the new flick, check out our guides on the Rise of the Beasts ending explained, the Transformers cast and our Rise of the Beasts review.
You can also check out what other new movies are coming out soon, as well as our list of the best movies of all time.