Summary

Elizabeth Debicki was surprised by the practicality of the sets in the MCU films, especially working with James Gunn.
Debicki learned about the dedication of the cast and crew, like Dave Bautista’s long makeup process.
Debicki praised the stamina of the team behind the
Guardians of the Galaxy
films, acknowledging the long shoots and physical demands.

Elizabeth Debicki has revealed what surprised her most about the making of the MCU. Debicki played Ayesha in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. and Vol. 3, the gold painted leader of the Sovereign race and the de-facto mother to Adam Warlock (Will Poulter). Despite limited screen time, Debicki’s performance left a presence on-screen, and the actress recently revealed that she was pleasantly surprised at the practicality of the incredible sets when she joined James Gunn’s Marvel franchise.

Debicki recently sat down with Collider’s Ladies Night to discuss her role in the upcoming A24 threequel MaXXXine. During the conversation, Debicki reflected on her time in the MCU, and was asked what surprised her the most about working with Marvel Studios. The actress flipped the question slightly, and revealed that her biggest surprise came from working with James Gunn. Debicki said she expected to walk on to set and see an endless field of green screen, but was amazed when she saw what Gunn’s production team had actually built for the movie. Debicki said:

“A lot of the things I thought couldn’t possibly be real were real. And I think that’s because I made
Guardians of the Galaxy
with James Gunn. I haven’t made any other Marvel films, but, for instance, I couldn’t believe how much of the set is built. I think I had this idea that it was actually very- I was going to be working almost entirely on a green screen. Once I found out my skin was gold, I thought, ‘Okay, maybe we’ll just CGI it. It’s so muscular the way James Gunn makes those films.”

Elizabeth Debicki Praises the ‘Stamina’ of the Guardians of the Galaxy Cast & Crew

As part of the process of bringing Ayesha to life in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Elizabeth Debicki was subjected to hours in the make-up chair painting her skin gold. However, it didn’t take long for the actress to realize that she had it easy compared to some of the cast members. Debicki discussed working with Dave Bautista on the film. Bautista has played Drax the Destroyer in numerous MCU projects to date, a roll that involves hours of full body prosthetics and make-up to transform him into an alien. Debicki said she learned an important lesson from watching Bautista, saying:

“I felt a little bit like a tourist on those films because I would come in and just have a lovely time and then leave. And I know that somebody like Dave Bautista was in make-up for something like 5 hours a day. I don’t know how they did that. I learned very quickly that it doesn’t matter how long your make-up call is, someone has it much worse. So don’t complain.”

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As glamorous as the lifestyle of an actor can be, the actual work can be a tough slog. Six-month shoots, involving 12+ hour days, night shoots, freezing cold weather, physically demanding action scenes, and much more, can be exhausting for the entire crew. Debicki praised the entire team behind Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, recognizing the hard work they put into making those movies a reality. The actress said:

“The stamina of the people who make those films, and make them for, like, many months. It’s a lot. I think that part of being an actor is like a physical discomfort, often.”

The
Guardians of the Galaxy
movies are available to stream on Disney+.