Cast of “The Bourne Legacy” Talk About Training, Production, Character Nobility, And The Possibility Of A Character Crossover

The Bourne Legacy is the continuation and the not-really reboot of the Bourne franchise. Jeremy Renner now takes the mantle as Aaron Cross, the CIA new most wanted man, who just so happens to be a highly trained and highly skilled operative. At the recent press conference, Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, and Tony Gilroy talked about the film’s production, where it could be headed from here, and if they were still open to the idea of Aaron Cross and Jason Bourne teaming up for the fifth Bourne film. Hit the jump for more.

Question: Jeremy, how much more difficult was this hand-to-hand combat, as opposed to M:I 4 and The Avengers?

JEREMY RENNER: Every day was difficult. There was really no difference. It was just a challenge with a different set of circumstances. I was lucky enough to have Mission and The Avengers beforehand. The same guys I worked with on those came to Bourne, so I had a running start with that. If anything, it might have been a little easier, even though what was required of me was a lot more.

Will Aaron Cross meet and team up with Jason Bourne for the next installment? Is that where the franchise is headed?

RENNER: As far as the future, I’m excited that the architects and creators behind this whole thing have cleverly left it wide open for fans, like myself, wondering what the heck is going to go on next.

One of the big differences between Aaron Cross and Jason Bourne is that Aaron likes being an agent. How did that help you wrap your head around playing this character?

RENNER: I don’t start off figuring out the character by comparing it to another character. I looked at page one to page 120, and then went over all the circumstances with Tony [Gilroy] and figured it out from there. What was very exciting to me is that it’s a new pallette of colors and a new canvas to paint upon with the circumstance of being willing. I feel connected to that idea of wanting to belong to something and have a sense of purpose, as a man on the planet. I think most people do. That’s what I initially connected to. He’s a guy that really wants to belong, whether it’s the military, or a program that really makes you feel like you’re doing some sort of good on the planet.

Rachel, what was it like to get to do so much action in this film?

RACHEL WEISZ: What I really like about the tone of the Bourne films is that they’re really realistic, I’m not playing an action heroine. I’m playing a scientist who is a pretty normal person. I’m not physically gifted, in any way. I think it’s always very realistic. She’s really scared. She’s really terrified. And then, at the end, she gets to kick ass, a little bit, but she’s not a superhero.

How was it to ride on a motorcycle through Manila with Jeremy Renner?

WEISZ: It was really terrifying! Jeremy never told me when we were in Manila, but that was the scariest stunt for him because he was responsible for my life. He didn’t tell me that in Manila, thank god, because I would have been like, “Oh, my god!” I just had to surrender and hold on. I didn’t have to act. It just was terrifying.

Do you feel that your character thinks he is more noble than he actually is?

NORTON: I’d rather not answer the question. I think that’s a question that’s being purposefully posed. That’s what makes Tony’s approach to this film more interesting to me than trafficking in villains and heroes. A lot of what we see going on in the world, every day, that makes us possibly a little bit uncomfortable with what’s being done in our name and under our banner, has that question embedded within it. It has that question of, “Is our security worth the compromise of our values, and at what level?” So, I enjoy the idea of those paradoxes and rationalizations hanging out there for people to sit with and decide how they feel about this guy. I’m happy that you’re asking the question, but I’ll leave it at that.