Denis Leary hopes for ‘Ice Age: The Civil War’ and beyond
By CINDY PEARLMAN July 9, 2012 7:23PM
Diego (Denis Leary) and Granny (Wanda Sykes) in Ice Age: Continental Drift.
Updated: August 11, 2012 6:09AM
NEW YORK — Denis Leary is a history buff — when it suits him.
The next movie in his “Ice Age” franchise opens Friday, and he has plenty of ideas for future sequels.
“I want to do ‘Ice Age’ until we do ‘Ice Age: The Civil War,’ ‘Ice Age: The Johnson Administration’ and ‘Ice Age: Obama Gets Elected,’ ’ he says. “Then we move into futuristic ‘Ice Age’ movies set in outer space.”
In “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” he resumes his role of Diego the saber-toothed cat, joining up with friends Manny and Sid on an adventure when their continent is set adrift and an iceberg becomes their home. Leary’s already in theaters as the father of Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) in “The Amazing Spider-Man.”
Q. Isn’t it true that Diego was supposed to be one big dead kitty at the end of the first “Ice Age” film?
A. It’s true, which is a hard call. I’ve been around along enough to think ahead. If a character dies, you get to do a big, juicy death scene. But the flip side is you’re out of the sequel, which is where the real money is. … I said, “You can’t kill a major character. It will bum kids out. Just kill some mother in the beginning because it’s OK to kill a mother you don’t know. A major character is another story.” In the end, Diego lived because no one wanted kids weeping in theaters.
Q. You play a cop in “The Amazing Spider-Man,” and on “Rescue Me” you were a firefighter. What reaction do you get from real-life cops and firefighters?
A. I also did a TV show called “The Job” for ABC based on a real life detective who was on the set. He had been a pillhead and a mess with a mistress. One night I was standing outside this steak house in New York and a detective who was undercover on the job saw me and said, “Hey Denis, thanks a lot. Now my wife is really mad. She found out about my girlfriend from watching your show!”
Q. What was it like to have Emma Stone as your daughter?
A. It was horrible. Just a nightmare. I had seen her in a couple of movies and heard great things about her. I saw Andrew [Garfield, who plays Spidey] in a few movies and I didn’t know what to expect from him either. It turns out they were all about the work. They were also funny. Every actor thinks he can do comedy and it’s not true. She’s great at it. So these kids are the real deal, and now I have to be nice to them to get future jobs.
Big Picture News Inc.
