One of us burped during this interview. I'm not pointing any fingers but it wasn't me.
Before sitting down to talk to her about “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” I had interviewed Megan Fox two other times, and under very different circumstances.
The first time was at Toronto, where we spoke about the film “Jennifer's Body,” and it was a zoo. It was one of the weirdest press days I've ever done. There was something in the air, some crazy energy, and by the time I got into the room, everyone was on edge, and it was really hard to get anything out of anyone. The second time was on the set of “This Is 40,” and we just sat in a room off to the side of everything else and chatted for a half-hour. That conversation left me with a very different impression of Fox, and I felt like she is well aware of her image, both good and bad.
In this new incarnation of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” her character is essential to the creation of the Turtles in the first place, and we talked a bit about whether or not that was part of her decision to do the film.
“There was no script when I first attached myself to this movie. I just wanted to be in it because I was a fan as a kid. And I was like, 'I'll do anything to be in this movie. Put me in this movie. I'm a superfan. Please please please.”
And then came a moment I've always had nightmares about, because if it was me this happened to, the video would be horrible. But Fox laughs her way through it, and damn it, she keeps going, just as poised as before.
“I'm really relieved to see how integrated she is into their story and how important she is to them now. As Jonathan describes it, April is 'our window into the Turtles,' and that was fun for me.”
Look, anyone can memorize things for an interview and learn how to sell the product and put a good face on it… that's part of doing publicity for movies. You've got something to sell, and I'm well aware of what most of these interviews are. But listening to Fox talk about this, she seems to be fully aware of why kids are going to go see the film.
“The Turtles are where it's at, man.”
Well-said, Miss Fox.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is in theaters everywhere on Friday.