The Kristian Harloff Show - PEACEMAKER Episode 7 SPOILER Discussion with Freddie Stroma

Episode Date: February 10, 2022

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All right. I told you. What did I tell? I said we're going to do it. Said we're going to have it. It's a peacemaker. It's episode seven. And before we do it, I need you to subscribe and show a little bit of class. Will you just do that? That's all we need you to do. Just announce. Just announce. But I'm not even going to bother. This is a full on spoiler review and no one wants to talk to me. Why would you? You hear me my stupid face every week talking about this show. But how about instead of me? How about the vigilante himself? How about Freddie Stroman? What's up, man?

How are you? Good. How you doing? What a pleasure it is to have you on this show. You are absolutely annihilating on this show. You are hilarious. Thank you. Thank you.

So the first thing I want to ask you before we get into, and for everybody who's watching this, this is a spoiler-heavy review of the latest episode, episode seven. So before I even do that, tell me a little bit about how you got involved, because you got involved in this show very differently than everybody else. Yeah, I came in a little later. So there was an original actor in the role.

So I came in when they were already, they'd already been shooting for a while. So it was a little different. It was during COVID. So I meant I had to go and quarantine for two weeks with my wife in Vancouver and then come to set and, you know, everyone had already been doing some episodes together. So it was a little intimidating.

But then it's day one of being there. John was just incredible. every like the whole team the i can tell you man these people are just amazing to work with um and i felt no pressure after day one it was just great yeah so i'm glad to hear that because you kind of have to with this crew because it's all i mean even the progression of the show itself it's like they're just all these like misfits they're all fucked up there's and and then but what's so great about it in the last couple episodes is that they're like they're really starting to find a way to come together because even you and uh you even you and dive beard in this one

one. Like, you know, it's like it's so it's and it's, do you get a note though? Like do you when, because to me, it seems like, um, vigilante is getting crazier and crazier every episode. Like what, what's the progression? What's James telling you? What's the progression of this character from when you first hear about it until where he is now? Oh, man. It's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, this is as much James's character. There's mine, you know, he's, he's written an incredible character. And when we're shooting it, you know, it's, it's what he's created. And then he's throwing out all the time. And we're always playing with different things. And, you know, James is, he's a good actor himself. So he's, and he's, and he's a writer and a comedian. So he's just throwing these,

these different lines out. And you, it's just such a, it's, it's a playground when you, once you start shooting, because he's just playing around. So one of my favorite scenes is actually from episode five. And It's the scene when John's throwing out all the names about the different characters. And it seems like it's a lot of improv in there. And you can tell me if that's true or not. But the thing I laughed at the most, and they seem to be doing this a lot with you because you do it again in this episode. You just have this kind of huge Kool-Aid smile when he says something funny that they hold on you. And you'll just be like, and it holds on it that way.

And it's like, what is it about the vigilante that he loves the. peacemaker so much. Why does he, why does he adore him the way that he does? I think for him, it's the older brother that he wanted. He's the, he wants to be a superhero so badly and he wants to, you know, save people or protect people, even if it's people doing graffiti. But, you know, he's just, I don't know, he just, he's absolutely obsessed with, with Chris, with peacemaker. So I it's a lot of fun to play. It's hilarious. And then so in this episode, it starts off once again. You have these back and force.

How much improv is going on with you and John in these scenes, by the way? A fair bit. Like, that list of names, that was not in the script. Like, that was, like, we shot like the scene. We're doing different stuff. And then James just goes over the God mic and says to John, he's just like, I want you just like, once you have those two names, then list as many names as you can.

Just go. Like, unleash. and then John, because his brain is like abnormal and way faster than anyone else is, he just keeps going. Like, that's him just reeling off names. Like if that was me, I'd have given up after like five names. Like I said, like five really quickly. And then I'd just my brain would freeze.

He just keeps going and going and going. So incredible. It's really good. And the dynamic with you guys. It just, it just works. I mean, from the side from. And it's just so, it's so James Gunn. It's just in how he's able to combine like this horror aspect with the,

the bizarre humor, but still making it beautiful at the same time. And what I like to, what I really like about Vigilani is the first time you seen because I, it's funny because I don't know, I actually produced for The Bachelor a long time ago. So I relate to you a lot in watching what you did in Unreal. But after that though, after, and then when you pop up here in this series,

I didn't know what to expect from this character. I didn't know the lore. I didn't know anything about Vigilini. But I'm thinking, oh, he's just going to be a guy that wants. wants to get involved with Peacemaker and then he doesn't, he just can't hang. Boy, can he hang. He's a fucking lunatic.

Yeah. How much fun is this character to play? Oh, I absolutely love it. I just, I can't get enough of it because you get to play with such comedy. You get to action. You get all like, it's just, it's so much fun. And it's fun being the clown, you know, he's, he's definitely, he's, he's something. And I'm sure you've gotten this a million times over, but I have to ask him,

I mean, obviously this, before you came in, I was playing the theme song to the, and it's blown up. But that scene, is that you, is that you in the mask flipping around doing, doing all that? No, the flip is the stunt guy. I was like, I was going to say, Freddie, tell me about these clips. Yeah. I mean, when James, when James, like, wrote that and we read it in the script, I was, at first you just go, huh, okay. It's a dance sequence.

And then you just go, well, James Gunn is everything he touches tends to gold. So this has got to be a good. This has got to be a good at. I mean, it's funny, but, you know, there's a moment where you're like, how will people react to that? And then, of course, it's like, just goal. Like, people have just love it. I watch it every week.

I usually, it's the only show that I don't, like, fast forward past the credits. I watch it every week. It's the only thing I can actually show from the show. It's the only thing I can show my 10-year-old daughter. Oh, yeah. But I'm sorry. So this episode, this episode is, is, it's intense, man, because it is the most, I think it's, as as I mentioned, the progression of this show.

and the things that happen, even though we'll have an episode which is full of humor. And there's a lot of laughs in this one too. And do me a favor and pull your pants sometimes. You're going on a tree. But it's hilarious, though, because it's the drama that comes in the way it's blended with peacemaker, right? And the stuff he's going with his dad. And then, as you say, you have this relationship now with him and trying to help him out

with his dad, but trying to figure out the butterfly stuff. that scene when you're going through with the truck and again I guess same question with improv inside of that or no we're really getting to the meat of the story here so let's just let's just knock out the script for the scene which in the truck in the truck right before you guys get

before the ambush with with with seeing his dad oh yeah I mean that's all kind of I mean it was mostly I think it was probably a mix of the two and it was a lot of you know dancing stupid and doing all these weird things. Yeah, that was kind of like a lot of the show. It was kind of a mix of the two. Yeah, and it's weird.

Is it hard, though, to do us to because here's this massive scene that happens where it's the culmination of this. Your character can't bring himself to actually, you know, take out his dad at the end. He gets out of prison and he feels bad about it. But here's now, here's this scene where it's the culmination of it. And it's finally, it's. Tina, who pops his dad at the very end, and he looks at him and tells him why you're doing the face muscles thing.

It's like, I mean, this guy, man, it's like at that, and everything he's doing from sticking the things in the back of do you, are you able to, are you throwing suggestions in at this character? You know him so well now? Or is it just, I'll just take a little given and add my, add my flavor. It's kind of like at that point, you know, you kind of, you, you, you add your own flavor to it. Like, it, I think the reason. this stuff is funny is James wrote it and he writes funny stuff and he's and he's giving you funny things but then obviously you take your own your own um flavor to it and you know there was stabbing like getting him with in the neck with that that was that was one take where I decided to like instead of because it's a very serious moment this is like you know it's all getting to that point but I liked the idea of kind of just being like what are you doing man there's why would you have this

here I'm going to just stab it that like it was that kind of intention I put on it and I think that's the one that made the cut. Yeah. Which, you know, kind of, I think that that makes sense for vigilante. If you're playing a straight superhero, he's never going to do that in that moment. But, you know, you can take those liberties when you're, when you're vigilante. It's also nice to hear that, though, because it's not always the case with actors, whereas a lot of times directors and creators very tight on what they have.

Just say what's there. Don't move. But it's refreshing to hear that James has that confidence in you guys. And the fact that it seems what he does so well is that group and building up the group and making sure that there's that camaraderie, whether it's Guardians or the Suicide Squad movie, and now this. So that has to be refreshing as an actor to know that,

as long as I know my character, well, I can throw these little things, and it might make the cut, but it might not. Yeah, it's a really fun set to go on to because you kind of, you pretty much know that, just know your lines, that's it. Because once you get there,

you can play around with it as much as you want. He's going to, he, you're almost improvbing with him. Like, he'll, like, he's keeping the camera rolling, and he's, He's giving you suggestions and then he's laughing while he's coming up with jokes and then you're laughing and then you're just trying stuff out. And as long as you're open to play and be creative, it's the funest set to be on. It really seems like it, man.

It seems like me. Even those little postings at the end, but I was nervous, dude. I thought you were going to eat it. I thought you were going to die in this episode. I was getting pissed off. I was starting to get mad at James. And I was like, don't kill him. Don't kill him.

Yeah. Don't do it. They're in that grenade. It was. It was. because even like you know that that whole thing in the way that's all set up where he's because what happens to get because they know he gets blown up obviously from that from that whole when he throws his grenade but is he because he it seems like he recovers fairly quick but is he just passed out from

yeah he's it's it's definitely like a sort of you know concussion and he's just entirely with it he gets in the car but then that's he's trying to keep going and then he just passes out and then you know he's out for a little while until uh peacemaker comes back and kind of shocks and gets him up again. Okay. And so don't answer this if it's going to get you in trouble, but I just, I know there's a lot of people that are talking about potentially spinoffs and things of that nature with, because you're getting a lot of love for this, as you should be. Any, any interest, talk, doing a, a, a, spin off for vigilante? I, not that I've heard, no. We've, you know, I think that, you know, it's, for me, honestly, I, as long as I'm working with James, and I, I'd like to do a

season two of peacemaker. I like everything that we did I I thoroughly enjoyed and if I could if we could do that again that would I'd be very pleased with. So throwing that then for what you said though too because the suicide squad was my favorite comic book movie the year last year one of my top of of in general and I was so bummed that a not enough people saw it right I was that that was one that I could and I was worried that because of that peacemaker wasn't going to do that well and it turns out it's like the streaming beast when you hear that are you are you are I mean I mean, obviously, you know you're confident, you love what you're working on. But anytime you're working on anything, you never really know if it's going to be a hit or not, right?

You never know. Like, I've been fortunate enough to have been in really big things with very small roles. You know, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Bridgeton. Like, when you're, like, with the exception, like, Harry Potter and Bridges and I came in late. They were already big things. You knew what it was. Right. Bridgetton, we had no idea.

It could just be another show that no one ever watches, but then it did what it did. and you never know when you're on set what it's going to do. This one, you had a little bit more of anything just because, like, I knew James Gunn. Like, I just like, he, I think he's absolutely incredible.

I think he's nothing short of a genius. He's like, I'm reading the scripts, knowing what he's doing, knowing, like, the kind of love that the HBO is giving this thing. I was like, I can't see this not doing well, but you still, you never know. And then it's, it's very cool to see

that people, are liking the show. Oh, dude, it's like, because I didn't, um, like I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I like the suicide squad and this show so much, because I feel like this is James Gunn with no handcuffs on. And, and, and this is just what he does. And it is just, I mean, what I love about the show, and I didn't know if I was going to like this, to be honest with you, at first, when it's, it'll start, and you guys be on this plot point. And then a random conversation will happen about, it could be a sandwich, and it'll go on for three minutes and I said, is this going to be a continuous thing?

And it is. And now I'm waiting for those to happen. Yeah. You know, it's really the great. It's funny. Like honestly, reading, reading for the role,

that was one of the first things I read. I was like reading. I was like, wait, the point of the seat, why? This is just, it's like this extended joke.

But it's genius about him. It doesn't just like end there. You know, he's in there is him showing like, peacemaker is being a chauvinistic. xenophobic horrible person and he's learning something in between and a lot of like it it all comes together and makes sense he doesn't do it pointlessly which is this thing that i don't know how he does it but he just does yeah and i think the same and each like that's what i love about each one of the

characters that they have they have their thing from hardcore to i mean everything it's like you they all have their there's there's a reason for it and when and when mern dies in this one and goes out you're like well how are they going to do it and they all turn the attention that moment at the end as i would mention in the beginning how it all has all has to kind of pan back, but they're all finally working as a team. And so, and vigilante,

I love how honesty is too. And so, wait a minute, you, you care about tape, but you're going to murder people? Yeah. Yeah.

Absolutely. Yeah. And I think that's what he does well, as well, with all those jokes and those moments, is any good drama needs, you need your comedy, or at least moments of levity

so that you have your peaks and your troughs. And that's what he does so well. So talk to me then about the Sina side of it too, because it's another side of where I knew him from wrestling and then the movies that he'd done with, there was train wrecked. And I was always like, John's got charisma and everything too. But this role, this is, I mean, this, he was, he's incredible in this role. He can hit the drama side of it.

He can hit the comedy side of it. But if you guys don't have that chemistry, this show does not work. So how, tell me about the first. meeting with John, how it goes. Do you guys go out to lunch, dinner? Like, how do you really know that you guys are going to vibe and work? Well, we didn't, you know, we kind of, it was tough. I came in late, and it was COVID. We, when we were, we were testing every day, the second we're not shooting, as soon as we, you know, we cut, we're putting masks back on. We can't go to restaurants, can't go to go outside, really. But day one, a shooting was like two scenes, two or three scenes back to

back with John throughout. It was different episodes halfway through the show. And we just started just bouncing off each other. And John's such a good actor. He's such a good improviser that we would just just look at each other and just play around with it. And then you've got James who's just incredible and he gives you these like just throws out different improvs. And you essentially three of you were improvving together. And then that's, you build that chemistry that way. And we just seem to, we seem to work well together. Yeah. It seems to work really. really well together. And there was a thing that James had tweeted out recently, which I thought, you can see how he just maneuvers stuff that's going on in life and puts that into the

story. I guess that James, his dog had passed and John had played, Where's My Mind on piano? And then they turned it into Home Sweet Home. So can you tell me a little bit about that? We were on set like when all that went down? I didn't, not for creating that stuff, but I just, I was there when he, when he did the piano solo. And it was just this thing of just like another crazy facet that John has. And it's like, oh, by the way, I've just started picking up the piano and I can play that and speak Mandarin and do all these other things.

Just stop being superhuman for once. Like that's just ridiculous. But he's, yeah, it's really tender. And it's really sweet moment. Like it's, you know, I think that and James writes what, you know, what he knows. Yeah, it plays really well. So before I let you out of here, and first of all, thank you very much. for giving us the time here to talk about it.

So as you mentioned, what can we, because don't spoil anything for me. Obviously, I don't want to know anything about the finale, but what do you think we can expect? Because now we know that the butterflies have taken over all the cops, and you guys are really on your own at this point. So what can we expect to see in the finale besides lunacy? I mean, I was lucky enough that we got to see.

seven and eight together at a screening with James and some of the cast. I'm so excited for everyone to watch it. I can't even tell you. Like, it's, expect everything to come. It all comes together with, on every level, the drama, the character,

the comedy, the action. It just, you know, at first year, I was always like, yeah, all the episodes will be great. But then you start seeing these last, I saw these last two and I just think, oh, God, like, The audience has no idea. There's going to be some surprises as well.

Okay, okay. They will not expect at all. Yeah, it's, it's so good. I can't wait for everyone to see it. Well, it's a great show. Guys, if you're not watching Peacemaker, you're really missing out. It's on HBO Max. You should check it out.

It's as this is just aired seven, episode eight comes out next week. Freddie Stroma, he is the one and only vigilante. And I cannot thank you enough. for not only for coming on the show today, but for just giving us really, really incredible content right now. It's been a pleasure to watch. So thank you, Freddie. Thank you.

I appreciate it. Thanks for having me. You got it. All right, guys. So that is it. That is Freddie Stroma, and that was Peacemaker, and that's episode seven. So make sure you comment. Leave all your comments below, and we will see you next time for next week.

It's the finale, A Peacemaker.