Why do you think the first Hangover movie connected with audiences in such a major way?
Bradley: I think, quite honestly, that all the planets aligned. It has a lot to do with the unapologetic nature of the comedy. I think a lot of American comedies tend to apologise for their bad behaviour in the last 10 minutes of the movie and The Hangover just doesn’t do that.
Was it a challenge to shoot the latest movie in Bangkok?
Zach: The jet lag was tough, but once you get there and you get settled in, the people are so brilliantly nice that you feel welcome and it’s a great society. It really is.
Zach, how did your wife feel about you showing off your bod in the movi?
Zach: Oh, yeah, I run everything by my wife. I’m very blessed I have such a supportive wife in that she’s secure with letting me embarrass myself. She always says to me that these movies are good for men because after watching me they always go home feeling good about themselves. I wish I was lying. She said that.
Does this film stay similar to or stray away from the first Hangover?
Bradley: I think part of the reason there was so much room for the second movie was because there was so much unfinished. You really didn’t get to know the characters. The narrative – which was really this mystery, this ticking clock – took precedent and it can almost be boiled down to one joke. This movie is more about the dynamic of the three guys. You really get to know them.
In the movie, it feels as though Mike Tyson is kind of an unofficial member of the ‘Wolfpack’. What was it like having him in this film?
Bradley: Mike was amazing. It was great to see him. First of all, he looked fantastic. He lost about 20kg and was in great spirits. We got to spend a lot of time with him, actually, so we all got to know him. My memory of Mike is before his day of shooting, you’d see him walking around. It looked like he was prepping for a fight. He had his headphones on and his robe and he took it so seriously.
Tell us about Crystal, the capuchin monkey that was in the film.
Bradley: Crystal turned out to be this miracle monkey. She’s incredible. When we were talking about it, Todd (the director) was saying, ‘There’s going to be this drug mule that’s a monkey and it’s going to smoke,’ and I was like, ‘How are you going to pull this off? The only downside to Crystal is she has very long claws. You don’t want to get Crystal around an elephant: there was one scene where we were walking down the street and there was an elephant, and she sort of destroyed my shoulder, which was not great.
The Hangover Part II is in UAE cinemas now.
