Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 introduces audiences to The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). This character serves as the primary antagonist of the film, who is revealed to have an integral role in the origins of Rocket (Bradley Cooper).
During the global virtual press junket for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Chukwudi Iwuji discussed his approach to playing The High Evolutionary, and revealed that music played a significant role in shaping the character. “The first thing that’s written when you meet him is him listening to Space Opera,” Iwuji said. “So, immediately I knew classical music was gonna be a big part of this character. Because I didn’t know where I was gonna go with him. I thought I would just listen to a lot of my favorite arias and classical, and sent them too, and they actually, one or two of them made it onto the film. If he’s listening to opera and he’s in space opera and he’s this mad scientist sort of person, I just thought of someone that doesn’t sleep. That’s someone that’s obsessed with it, listening to this music. He needs the music as he wanders through his castle at night. And I thought very deeply about Henry IV. He has a great speech about, ‘Heavy is the head that wears the crown. How many thousands of my poorest subjects that at this moment, are asleep.’ And I sent that to James.”
Chukwudi Iwuji first collaborated with James Gunn in Peacemaker, where he played Clemson Murn. Following screen tests, Gunn offered the role of The High Evolutionary to Iwuji, and has since praised him as one of the best actors he’s ever worked with. Iwuji isn’t the only actor from Gunn’s DC family to join the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Nathan Fillion, Jennifer Holland, and Daniela Melchior also appear.
What to expect from the third Guardians movie
Written and directed by James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone, Will Poulter, Chukwudi Iwuji and Maria Bakalova.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 synopsis reads as follows: “Our beloved band of misfits are settling into life on Knowhere, but it isn’t long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life – a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.”
Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of Chukwudi Iwuji and the Guardians of the Galaxy series and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
Source: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Virtual Press Junket
