Paul Walter Hauser is opening up about how he handled his secret role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe…and let’s just say he didn’t exactly keep it under wraps.
The 38-year-old Golden Globe winner makes his MCU antihero debut as Harvey Elder, better known as Mole Man, in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is now playing in theaters.
In a new interview with GQ, Paul admitted he was “zip-lipped” for the most part, but still told quite a few people about the surprise role.
Keep reading to find out more…
“For the most part I was zip-lipped, and everybody understands at this point. They all know if you do Star Wars, or Marvel, you can’t talk about it,” he shared.
“But if I’m being honest—and I pride myself on my honesty nowadays—I probably told 70 or 80 random people, be it family members or fans. I’m not gonna lie and say I told literally no one. I told several dozen people.”
He explained that those who knew kept it quiet: “They weren’t blabbering it out, or giving it to news outlets. They were respectful, and excited, and what-have-you.”
Paul also revealed that if a young fan asked him directly, he would playfully tease them. “If a little kid comes up to me in a wheelchair with a comic book, and they’re like, ‘Are you Mole Man?’ I would say something like, ‘I don’t know man, I hear there is a mole…’ And wink at them, just to get them excited.”
While the Russo Brothers have said they’re cracking down on spoilers for Avengers: Doomsday, Paul compared the MCU’s secrecy rules to “jaywalking.”
“It’s like, you can get [arrested] for that, but it’s like, hopefully they’re catching the bad guys,” he said. “And when I look at Kevin Feige and the Marvel folks, I go, I think they’re probably busy with some other stuff. They’re probably not gonna chase me down and scalp me, or shoot a little [dart] into my neck.”
In the film, Mole Man, a former enemy of the Fantastic Four and leader of Subterranea, ultimately joins forces with the team against Galactus.
In case you missed it, we just got a very exciting preview of a new Marvel movie!