Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: Alden Ehrenreich, disney plus, Dominique Thorne, ironheart, Marvel Studios

Ironheart: Ehrenreich Spoke with Robery Downey Jr. About MCU Series

Ironheart star Alden Ehrenreich on speaking with Robert Downey Jr. about MCU series, introducing Downey Jr. to Dominique Thorne, and more.

So the last time we checked in to see how things were going with Marvel Studios & Disney+'s Dominique Thorne (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)-starring Ironheart (which wrapped filming back in November). Thorne was discussing her return as Riri Williams the red carpet event for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Now, we're getting a chance to hear from Alden Ehrenreich (Solo), who had a few things to share about the streaming series in a recent profile by The Hollywood Reporter. In the following highlights, we learn how Ehrenreich and Robery Downey Jr. became friends during the filming of Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer and how Ehrenreich spoke with him shortly before starting work on the Marvel Studios series. In addition, we learn that Ehrenreich introduced Downey Jr. to Thorne, and the actor compares working in the "Star Wars" universe with spending time in the MCU.

"He [Robert Downey Jr.] was talking about 'microdosing' commercial projects alongside artistic ones, and then right before I said yes to it, I just FaceTimed him and was like, 'Is there something that I need to know before I sign on to this?'" Ehrenreich shared regarding asking for Downey Jr.'s thoughts on his joining the MCU with Ironheart. "I was like, 'Is he going to say, 'Don't do it"? I think they asked Harrison Ford before [Solo] what he would say to the next Han Solo, and he said, 'Don't do it.' But Downey didn't say that, and I sort of had the honor of introducing [Downey and Thorne]. They didn't know each other and hadn't talked yet, so I put them in contact with each other. He is so unfuckingbelievably generous and sweet and giving with his time, and he was so happy to talk to her and encourage her. So that was really nice."

"[Ironheart] felt really different. I think I was a part of a very different … At this point, the Star Wars universe is a lot more expansive, but at the time [of Solo], it was just a movie a year. So 'Ironheart' was a much more laid-back experience for a lot of reasons, but similarly, the people there are excited and fun while the kid in them is coming alive," Ehrenreich explained when comparing working in Disney's two big franchise universes. "So it was nice to be back in that kind of environment."

Dominique Thorne on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Ironheart Connections & More

Speaking with Variety in support of the film late last year, Thorne discussed what it was like putting on the 52.5-pound Ironheart suit for the first time and what viewers can learn about Riri from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ahead of the spinoff streaming series:

Putting On the Ironheart Armor for the First Time: "Ah, man, it was pretty cool, I'm not going to lie. It was pretty otherworldly to feel the weight of it. That was the quickest entry point into Riri Williams because, of course, I know that she's an engineer, she's a mechanic, I know she is a gearhead. She's into building things with their hands — very much from scratch — to form what's in her mind. Unlike some of the other suits that may be added in later with visual effects, the Mark I was all practical. To get to feel the weight of that on my body and just understand how it moves — you almost want to say it's clunky, but when you have it on, you realize, 'Oh, this is actually such a smart build, like all my joints are free so I have so much movement. But also, this is heavy as hell. And it flies? Whoa!' The doors open wide into Riri's mind and how she thinks; what she saw was possible and then actualized.

"Wakanda Forever" Offers Viewers an Introduction to Riri Williams… But There's More to Learn: "The film does such a good job of showcasing one sliver, one side of who she is. We get a little taste of the colors that exist within her — we see her as a hustler; we see her as a little bit of a bully; we see her fearful; we see her in all these different lights. But primarily, she is in a world of confusion. This is her outside of her element, in the very opposite of her comfort zone, so the Riri that we see, it's a bit of fight or flight [mode]. That's such a great place for the audience to be because by the time that they get to "Ironheart," they are in for the chance to sink into who she is truly, without the war of the worlds [between the kingdoms of Wakanda and Talokan] in the background. We get to see who she is day-to-day but also get a bit more of an understanding of the genius that got her into this situation in the first place.

Joining Thorne & Anthony Ramos (The Heights) in Ironheart are Lyric Ross (This Is Us), Manny Montana (Good Girls), Zoe Terakes (Nine Perfect Strangers), Regan Aliyah (XO, Kitty), and Shakira Barrera (Sprung, GLOW), along with Alden Ehrenreich (Solo), who's reportedly been cast in a key role. RuPaul's Drag Race winner Shea Couleé has also joined the cast in an undisclosed role, along with Cree Summer (What We Do in the Shadows). Reports are that Sacha Baron Cohen may be joining the cast (and the larger MCU) in the role of Mephisto. Sam Bailey (Dear White People) and Angela Barnes (Mythic Quest, Atlanta) have been tapped to direct the streaming series.

Created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mike Deodato and debuting in 2016's Invincible Iron Man No. #7, Riri Williams (Thorne) is a teenage genius who made a major first impression by building her own version of Tony Stark's Iron Man suit- and would eventually go on to lead her own comic book series.

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