At this year’s Emmy Awards, Ebon Moss-Bachrach took a moment to speak with Variety contributor Marc Malkin on the red carpet. In their discussion, Bachrach revealed what he was required to do for Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps movie. During their conversation, Bachrach mentioned that he had to be groomed a certain way to film as The Thing.
“I’m doing a lot of motion capture on [‘Fantastic Four’]. So for maximum-data facial capture, I have to be clean-shaven.”
Bachrach not only shared his experience as The Thing but also provided additional insights into the movies’ production. He mentioned that during the challenging six weeks of filming, he has only seen “crude renderings” of himself as Ben Grimm. However, he expressed his overall enthusiasm about the experience and his anticipation for the final result.
“There are so many amazing animators working on it—literally hundreds of people,” he noted. “We’ve been shooting for about six weeks, and I haven’t been able to see anything yet. I’m not sure what the lead time is, but I’m very excited to see something.”
When asked about the casting and perspective on his former co-stars, Bachrach described their transformations as beautiful.
He stated, “You have Joseph Quinn, Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal—I mean, this is a great-looking group.” He added, “[They have] beautiful hearts, and it’s been a pleasure working with them. I already miss them.”
Although the film is being shot in London, Bachrach mentioned that upon his arrival, he found “a bunch of flowers and a bottle of champagne” waiting for him in his hotel room, sent by his Fantastic Four family.”
He expressed just how much it meant to him and how sentimental it was, which even brought him to tears. “It was really kind,” Bachrach said. “There was a lovely card, and I teared up a bit. I love them. We’ve been working so hard together and have become very close, so just being away for a moment gives me a little separation anxiety.”