Cinemacon 2016: interviews with Samuel L. Jackson, Russell Crowe, & more!

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Cinemacon in Las Vegas certainly brings out the stars and the press line for Warner Bros. was jam packed with them. With a full line-up of films coming down the pipe, there's plenty to talk about (see our coverage of the WB presentation here) and the stars were more than happy to do so. From Samuel L. Jackson to Russell Crowe to Vera Farmiga to Christoph Waltz and more, we got into the weeds on what these stars are working on next.

First up is the legendary Russell Crowe, who is starring in this summer's THE NICE GUYS from director Shane Black and co-starring Ryan Gosling. We talked about what it's like working with Black, the natural chemistry between Crowe and Gosling, and more for the upcoming crime thriller.

I then talked to another legend, the man himself, Samuel L. Jackson, who seemed to be pretty boned up on his Tarzan knowledge and goes into detail about his character in this summer's THE LEGEND OF TARZAN and clarifies that he is not in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR but will likely be in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR.

Speaking of THE LEGEND OF TARZAN, I also talked with the film's villain, none other than Christoph Waltz, who knew his Tarzan lore as well and talked about not being presumptuous about his role and the fun of making a large scale adventure pic.

The lovely and talented Teresa Palmer was next and she's just awesome. Stunning and cool, Palmer talked about her upcoming horror flick LIGHTS OUT (based on the viral short that scared the shit out of millions online) as well as our natural fear of the dark, the fun of making a horror flick, and tells us her two favorite horror films of all time.

I talked to another talented actress that has a stake in the horror genre this summer; Vera Farmiga, who stars in THE CONJURING 2 from director James Wan. Farmiga talked about what drew her to return to the role and how opening up to the darker side of things can affect you. She genuinely made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, too.

Next up we talked to LIGHTS OUT producer Lawrence Grey who talks about what drew him to the original online short that inspired him to pursue a feature-length version (with the original director no less) and how they've been able to expand the idea as such.

Lastly, we talked to CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE director Rawson Marshall Thurber, who gives some insightful detail on how they shot the scene with Dwayne Johnson's character in high school and how the film carries a strong anti-bullying message. I also asked about the status of a DODGEBALL sequel.

For more of our Cinemacon coverage, including interviews, videos, and more, click HERE!