These guys walked into the room and were immediately high energy. It probably helped that we were applauding them as they entered! They both walked in with smiles on their faces, ready to chat with a group of 25 female bloggers. Sean Gunn was all about business and Michael Rooker was all about jokes. As a team, they balanced each other out very nicely. Rooker is very intense as he speaks and Gunn is very articulate, but has an entertaining sarcastic sense of humor. You can tell that these two have worked together for quite some time because it seemed like Rooker tried to get a rise out of Sean Gunn quit a few times, but Sean was quick with his comebacks. You won't see all of that in this interview because it doesn't translate as well through writing. Just know that these two are full of wit, humor, and so much drive. 

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2..L to R: Half-Nut (Jimmy Urine), Yondu (Michael Rooker), and Brahl (Stephen Blackehart)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2017

“Yeah, the teeth. The teeth can be tricky. I tried to get the teeth made a good several months before we started so that I could just put them in and work with the talking. Because I think talking through the teeth in the first movie, it was one of the most difficult things!”

Sean clearly had more of an issue with the teeth than Michael. However, Michael Rooker has a very specific reason why the teeth don't give him as much of an issue. He's really put some thought into this.

“I didn’t have a problem with it because everybody’s different. Sean can speak English. I cannot. Sean, he uses consonants. I do not, almost never and my quality is more throatal and glottal. His is not. I mean, he can do that, of course. We are trained actors.

You know, this is just my quality in that’s how I do it, so thereby, the teeth are up in the front, so I form my words and my consonants and sounds more back, so it didn’t’ bother me at all with the speaking. It was very difficult for the whistle. A whistle’s all in the front right where the stupid teeth are. So I said, these, we’ve got to fix these because I’ve got to whistle.

And so they did. And, they did pretty good. I had to relearn a little bit of where I focus the sound for the whistling and stuff.” 

As for the famous Yondu whistle:

They enhance it, but it is my whistle.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2..L to R: Michael Rooker (Yondu) and Director James Gunn on set. ..Ph: Chuck Zlotnick..©Marvel Studios 2017

What about the makeup?

Lucky for Kraglin, he's a humanoid which obviously requires little to no makeup. Becoming Yondu, however, is much trickier. I mean, the guy is blue with red eyes. Rooker talks about the process. 

“The makeup process is awesome. It was about a three hour process to put on and four,five, or six layers of different shades of blue, gold,silver, and yellow, flax and all kinds of stuff.

And I’m like, what color is this? It’s gold. Sometimes they put it on the brush and they just flick it. It’s like little spackling all over your face, but tiny little dots that helps to bring out the depth of the paint so it looks like real skin and it feels like real skin, too.”

Sean Gunn talks about how grateful he was to not have such a long and dreadful makeup process each day:

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2..Kraglin (Sean Gunn)..Ph: Chuck Zlotnick..©Marvel Studios 2017

“What these guys go through with makeup is amazing. You hear Rooker talk about having hours worth of makeup and it’s really impressive. He never complains and it’s not just going through the makeup process. It’s also being ready to perform and focus and so, what he, Dave, Karen, Zoe, and Sully go through in this movie is just so intense. So I was very glad that he let me play a humanoid character in this movie and not like in every other I’ve had to do, either a lot of makeup or I get killed, so I’m glad.”

How Rooker feels about working with characters that aren't real?

I always commend the actors who successfully work with characters that aren't actual there. We talked to Neel Sethi about working with fake characters on The Jungle Book and it seemed to be a very imaginative process. Rooker feels like it's way more work than usual.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2..L to R: Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) and Yondu (Michael Rooker)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2017

“So, the process for doing this kind of movie with such heavy CGI and characters that don’t truly exist, is like doing five movies, for God’s sake. I will get a whole hell of a lot more money if I ever have to do this again. That being said, I’ll probably never get hired again, for this kind of movie. But, if ever I do, trust me, guys. Producers out there, you better come with your best offer because I know how this shit works now. And it is hard. It’s difficult.”

How well do Sean Gunn & James Gunn work together?

If you don't know it by now, Sean Gunn as Kraglin and James Gunn, Guardians director, are brothers. In both Guardians movies, Sean Gunn also works as on-set Rocket. In other words, he doesn't voice Rocket in the film, but he basically is a fill-in on set since Bradley Cooper isn't always around for those moments. Sean Gunn discusses how different it was to be Kraglin, an on screen character with quite the role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. 

“We’ve been working together in various capacities since we were little, so I have an easier time working with him than just about anybody, because we have such a shorthand for communicating with one another and I know for the most part, what he’s looking for. When I read scenes, I have a pretty good feel for what he’s going for.”

I think that we work together really well. I’m certainly grateful that he gave me such a nice role in this film.

“I really am happy to be part of it. I know that that’s kind of what I’m supposed to say, but it’s true. It’s a great franchise and I think that the movies are made with a lot of love and a lot of heart and I’m very happy to be part of that.”

I was very happy when I read the script of the first movie and I’m like, I don’t have tons of makeup and I live! That’s awesome.

Rooker and Sean Gunn talk favorite Guardians characters

We just had to know what characters Michael Rooker and Sean Gunn loved, other than their characters, of course. Rooker immediately chimed in saying to Sean, “Besides me. You can say me if you want.” Sean Gunn immediately snapped back “I wouldn't. I wouldn't.” These two are quite the pair, I tell ya! They act more like brothers than anything else. 

Sean Gunn's favorite Guardians characters

“I like them all in different ways. I love Drax. I loved the journey that I’ve seen Dave take from his audition for the first movie through this magnificent performance he gives in this movie. I guess if I had to choose, I’d say Dave, but I love all the characters in the movie.”

Michael Rooker's favorite Guardians characters & the grueling CGI process

“I would say, I don’t like working with real humans. Never have. I’m going to say Rocket and Baby Groot are my favorite. But that being said, Rocket is my friend right here (points to Sean Gunn) and we worked together day and night. He does all the, all the vocals and all the voice stuff for Rocket.

Rooker & Gunn have one last thing to say about the Mommy Bloggers

I felt my eyes well up as Michael Rooker ended the interview saying the sweetest thing about our interview group:

“You know what? This is, have you ever spoke with these ladies before? This is the is the pinnacle of all the interviews that we have done.”

Like, seriously and then this from Sean Gunn…

“I agree. I know. We should just do this all day.”

And then, Rooker

“Oh, I could totally do this all day.”

I couldn't have asked for a better Michael Rooker and Sean Gunn Guardians interview. Seriously, these guys are the absolute best. They are so much fun. So real. So cordial. These guys go on my list of talent I'd love to chat with just one more time. Maybe I am biased, though. Yondu is my favorite Guardians character (right next to Drax) and Kraglin is obviously the best sidekick. That's all Cap'n.