Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback Talk 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts'
Moviefone speaks with Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback about 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.' "I'm deeply connected to these characters," Ramos said.
Opening in theaters on June 9th is the seventh live-action 'Transformers' movie entitled ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,’ which was directed by Steven Caple Jr. (‘Creed II’).
What is the plot of 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts'?
‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformers, the Maximals, to join them as allies in the existing battle for earth.
Who is in the cast of 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts'?
‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ stars Anthony Ramos (‘A Star is Born’) as Noah Diaz, Dominique Fishback (‘Judas and the Black Messiah’) as Elena Wallace, Luna Lauren Velez (‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’) as Breanna Diaz, Tobe Nwigwe (Netflix’s ‘Mo’) as Reek, Dean Scott Vazquez (‘In the Heights’) as Kris Dias, and Michael Kelly (‘Man of Steel’) in an undisclosed role.
The movie also features the voices of Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, Pete Davidson as Mirage, Liza Koshy as Arcee, Cristos Fernandez as Wheeljack, John DiMaggio as Stratosphere, Ron Perlman as Optimus Primal, Michelle Yeoh as Airazor, David Sobolov as Rhinox, Tonagayi Chirisa as Cheetor, Peter Dinklage as Scourge, Michaela Jae Rodriguez as Nightbird, and Colman Domingo as Unicron.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback about their work on 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,’ their love for the franchise, their characters, and working with the beloved robots.
(L to R) Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback star in 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.' Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Ramos, Fishback, and Tobe Nwigwe.
Moviefone: To begin with, Anthony, how familiar were you with the ‘Transformers’ universe before making this movie?
Anthony Ramos: Very. ‘Beast Wars: Transformers’ was a childhood favorite and I love all the Maximals. I went crazy when Optimus Primal in the movie says, "Maximals maximize." I promise you, I jumped out of my seat. That moment got me more hyped than the Autobots roll out, because ‘Beast Wars’ was such a huge part of my childhood, so I'm deeply connected to these characters. Then, I saw the ‘Transformers’ movies after that, so I've been a big fan.
(L to R) Arcee, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee in 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.' Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
MF: Dominique, how about you? Were you a fan of ‘Transformers’ before being cast in this film?
Dominique Fishback: Actually, when Anthony was watching the cartoons, I was watching a bunch of romances, so I was not aware. But I loved ‘Even Stevens,’ and I loved Shia LaBeouf in that show, and I was a huge Disney fan. I always wanted to be an actor. So when he went from ‘Even Stevens’ to ‘Transformers,’ I was like, "Oh man, okay." I was mapping it out in my head, like, "Okay, I have to do something like that, a show and then a movie like ‘Transformers.’" I never thought that it would actually be ‘Transformers’, so it's really incredible.
Anthony Ramos stars in 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.' Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
MF: Anthony, can you talk about why Noah is so willing to help the Transformers and join forces with them?
AR: He's broke. There's a lot of things you'll do when you are not making money, but he's also desperate. He's desperate too, and that desperation comes for his love for his family and wanting to be able to help them and support them and his sick brother. It almost seems like he feels like this is a last resort. Obviously, he probably eventually would've gotten a job, but I think it's a movie about robots and Transformers, and it only seems right that his last resort is to join these robot aliens.
Dominique Fishback stars in 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.' Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
MF: Dominique, can you talk about Elena’s growth as a character throughout the course of the movie?
DF: I think the growth is just being intentional with (director) Steven Caple Jr. and saying, “Okay, in acting school, you learn how is a character different from the beginning of the movie to the end of the movie, from the beginning of the scene to the end of the scene.” So she starts off, the beginning of the movie, really engaged in her books and not going for the adventure. I think too, she's a little bit scared to put herself out there. She lives behind her books, and I think even in the beginning, it's like, "Oh, you want me to go?" Then, by the end, there's a sense of, "I'm here for this fight as well, and I'm not leaving either," type of thing.
(L to R) Dominique Fishback and Anthony Ramos star in 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.'
Other Movies Similar to ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts':
- 'G.I. Joe: The Movie' (1987)
- ‘The Transformers: The Movie' (1986)
- ‘Transformers' (2007)
- 'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra' (2009)
- 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' (2009)
- 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' (2011)
- 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' (2013)
- ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction' (2014)
- 'Transformers: The Last Knight' (2017)
- 'Bumblebee' (2018)
- 'Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins' (2021)
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‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ is produced by Skydance, Paramount, di Bonaventura Pictures, Bay Films, New Republic Pictures, Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy Production, Hasbro Studios, Entertainment One, and Amblin Entertainment. It is set to release in theaters on June 9th, 2023.
