MIKE VOGEL TRIES TO KEEP THE SECRETS OF "CLOVERFIELD"

[MichaelDoran]

by Amy Longsdorf

In a few days, the mystery of Cloverfield will be cracked. After months of buzz-producing trailers, viral campaigns and web chatter, the movie will finally unveil its central attraction: a shrouded-in-mystery monster so humongous its fleas are the size of dogs.

For now, though, star Mike Vogel is adhering strictly to the tenets of his confidentiality agreement. The Abington, Pa. -born, Warmister, Pa.-raised plumber's son is keeping his lips sealed about the true nature of the beast.

Asked whether the giant ogre is an Asian robot or a swampy thing, Vogel laughs and says, "All I can say is that the movie is a comedy/drama/romance/horror film/thriller/mystery. Is that vague enough for you?"

Secrecy is the name of the game when it comes to Cloverfield. The brainchild of J.J. Abrams (TV's "Lost" and the upcoming "Star Trek"), the movie first began tickling the imagination of movie-goers when a trailer unreeled before "Transformers."

Unlike most advance spots, the Cloverfield previews withheld vital info about the rampaging creature that decapitates the Statute of Liberty and, with a flick of its tail, takes down the Brooklyn Bridge.

"What's cool about the monster is that it isn't Godzilla or a knock-off of Godzilla," says Vogel. "J.J. has created a monster for our generation, for the techies and YouTubers."

Vogel plays one of a handful of twentysomethings (Michael Stahl-David, Odette Yustman, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller) partying the night away when the monster arrives in Manhattan with a case of the munchies. As befits the first creature feature made for the MySpace crowd, Cloverfield unreels from the sole perspective of a character's camcorder.

At 28, Vogel is the oldest and most experienced of the movie's cast members. With upcoming roles in the horror flick "Open Graves" with Eliza Dushku and "Ye Olde Times" with Jack Black, he's being touted as a matinee idol in the making.

Vogel, on the phone from his home in California, is friendly and relaxed when calls up to chat about the film. After excusing himself for a few seconds to kiss his wife and one-year-old daughter goodbye, the actor gets back on the line to talk tacos, "Star Trek" and hitting the big time.

Newsarama: Mike, you're one of the few people on the planet who knows the secrets of Cloverfield. Have you been besieged with fans trying to get info out of you?

Mike Vogel: Oh, yeah. It's been fun. I think my agents are more psyched about the film that I am. They're always asking me questions about it. I think it all stems back to J.J. and the mystery he's been able to create around "Lost." He builds secret clues into that show so members of the Internet generation can go on these wild goose chases through cyberspace. People tear "Lost" episodes apart frame by frame. And, now, people have been doing the same thing with Cloverfield trailers.

NRAMA: So, to what extremes did the whole secrecy thing go?

Vogel: The audition was so shrouded in mystery, I was convinced I was going in for a porn film. When we auditioned, we weren't given pages from the script. We auditioned with old scripts from "Alias." We shot the trailer before we even read the script. We didn't get the actual screenplay until five days before filming began.

NRAMA: Did you ever say to J.J., "Why all the secrets"?

Vogel: I did. He said it was interesting to him, in a world where information is so readily available and you can find out the plot of any movie with the click of a mouse, to try and turn back the clock 10-15 years before the Internet existed. He wanted to see what happened when all of that advance info was pulled away. Just by doing that, he created a feeding frenzy.

NRAMA: What's the wildest thing you've personally experienced making the film?

Vogel: We were shooting for two days when the trailer came out with "Transformers." It was crazy. We had to film under five or six different aliases because crowds recognized the name and kept interrupting our shooting. So, for a while, we went by "Slusho," "Cheese" and "Chocolate Outrage," just to escape detection. We went to film in Central Park and two days before the cameras were set up, people were camping out trying get a look at what we were doing.

NRAMA: Cloverfield depicts the destruction of Manhattan. Do you think the movie would be different if it had been shot before 9/11?

Vogel: I'd by lying if I said that 9/11 didn't impact what we were trying to do with the movie. We actually replicated some shots directly from video footage that was shot on that day.

NRAMA: Some people are saying it's too soon after 9/11 to crush the Big Apple. Any thoughts on that?

Vogel: I don't agree. The movie has nothing to do with terrorism. It's more about movie-making than anything else. Cloverfield takes you on a ride for 90 minutes and distracts you from your troubles. I'd say it's healthy inebriation.

NRAMA: So much of Cloverfield was green-screened. When you were being chased by the monster, what were you reacting to?

Vogel: A bunch of orange Xes on the wall. But, yeah, all of the effects were added later. It was a tough shoot. Because there's only one camera, we all had to be ready every second for anything.

NRAMA: Before Cloverfield DreamWorks is unreeling a trailer for J.J.'s update of "Star Trek." For a while you were mentioned as a front-runner for Captain Kirk. How disappointed were you when Chris Pine got the gig?

Vogel: We all mulled it over and talked about it. But, onscreen, I look like a baby. And I agreed with J.J. that, at the end of the day, no one would have bought me as commander of the Starship Enterprise. Chris Pine is a great guy and plays older than I do. I also realized that once you play Capt. Kirk, you're Capt. Kirk for the rest of your life. So I was okay with moving on to other things.

NRAMA: Speaking of others things. You've got a horror movie called "Open Graves" coming up and you're starring with Jack Black in "Ye Olde Times." Do you feel like you're on the cusp of the big time?

Vogel: Before "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" came out, everyone was going, `Buckle up, Mike. Life's about to change.' And then it didn't. After I made "Poseidon," which was this huge, $200 million movie, I was walking around my backyard thinking, `I'm going to have to raise this fence because paparazzi will be around constantly snapping my picture.' And then the movie [bombed]. If [stardom] happens, that will be awesome. But, really, all I want to do is keep doing what I love.

NRAMA: Sounds like you don't take this business too seriously?

Vogel: I take work seriously but I don't take myself seriously. I have a hard time seeing myself as anyone but a kid from Warminster, which is what I am. I get up and do a job the same way my dad does his plumbing jobs.

NRAMA: You've starred in a horror movie, a disaster flick and now a monster movie. Any other genre films you'd like to take a crack at?

Vogel: I grew up loving war movies. I loved movies like "The Longest Day," "The Bridge Over the River Kwai" and "The Great Escape." I loved those old Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas and John Wayne films. So, doing something like that would be a blast.

NRAMA: You seem to be such a confident guy. Any thing that would surprise people about you?

Vogel: I'm a big nail-biter. I literally eat my fingernails. I could never get a manicure because they'd be manicuring my skin. I'm such an anxious person that I'm always chewing away when I'm in a meeting or even when I'm on set. Disgusting as that may be, that's me.

NRAMA: As this month's Men's Health cover boy, you talk about eating healthy. Any guilty pleasures when it comes to food?

Vogel: When I was younger, I had such a high metabolism I could eat a 20-pack of tacos at Taco Bell. My friends thought it was hilarious. But when I turned 26, I hit a wall. The wifey started cooking healthier meals and things changed. But I'm still a sucker for a good burger and fries. And when I get home to Philly, I average about two-cheese-steak-a-day.

NRAMA: Have you ever achieved anything physically that surprised even you?

Vogel: On New Year's Day, I did this cycling event for 82 miles. My neighbor, who's an ex-professional cyclist, said, `We'll go up this mountain and you'll be home by noon. It's nothing.' Well, I left at 8:15 in the morning and didn't get home until 2 in the afternoon. We did 82 miles. I came home limping. It killed me for days.

NRAMA: In the next couple of weeks, you're starting "Ye Olde Times" with Jack Black and Tim Robbins. What drew you to that film?

Vogel: Well, everything is iffy because of the strike. But if the movie happens, I'll play this kid who wants to be an actor so badly, he goes off to join a Renaissance Fair to ply his trade. It's funny because everyone there talks in old English even when they're not performing. Cary Elwes from "The Princess Bride" is in it too - and you can't do better than that.

[NightRiver]

Gotta support the local actor! Cant wait to see this film this weekend.

[RoiVampire]

when i saw the thumbnail sized pic on the front page i so thought it was a greg land drawing

is that me or the cold medicine talking

[wildcat71]

Mike Vogel was soooo good in Texas Chainsaw Massacre

[Regulator]

I don't see how the "secret" can be anything other than a letdown. Until I saw this article, I had already started to think that they'd go the whole movie without showing the monster just to f with people.

[Shutup Face]

The clover field monster is

SPOILERS AHEAD



























SPOILERS SRSLY GUIZ



















____ING SPOILERS

















a lion.

[thefrogman]

DAMN YOU ASLAN!!!

[Xysmurf]

But a giant, mutant, acid spewing, pissed off lion right? I'm determined to wait and see reviews for the movie before I decide to go watch it, and I'm definately gonna know what the damn monster is before I'll watch it. The movie looks very Blair Witchie, and the movement in that movie made me sick to my stomach. Why not just do a really really good movie, and let it speak for itself, rather than shroud it in mystery and hope that the hype will make you millions.............

[alf]

Originally Posted by Xysmurf

Why not just do a really really good movie, and let it speak for itself, rather than shroud it in mystery and hope that the hype will make you millions.............

I kind of feel like by giving away so little they are letting the movie speak for itself. I really can't criticize them for producing a marketing campaign good enough to get people excited without showing too much. And I do love the fact that in today's media environment they've actually managed to keep a lot of secrets until days before its release.

Reading some of the coverage, though, it seems like the writer and director of the movie are sort of getting overshadowed by JJ Abrams, just like the actual showrunners of Lost often don't get enough credit. At this point, Abrams really doesn't have much of anything to do with the episodes of Lost that viewers are taking apart frame by frame. Damon Lindelof and Carleton Cuse have been in charge over there for a while now. Don't get me wrong--I think Abrams is an extremely talented guy and I love a lot of his work. But ultimately Cloverfield is Matt Reeves and Drew Goddard's movie. He's just producing it.

[samnoir]

After the giant fish in The Host, what could top that?

___________________________________

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[KyleCowstar]

This guy seems relatable and likable...I hate him!

[EyesBL7]

Originally Posted by michaelDORAN

Vogel: I'd by lying if I said that 9/11 didn't impact what we were trying to do with the movie. We actually replicated some shots directly from video footage that was shot on that day.

I don't know if thats a something I'd continue to promote. That struck me as kind of creepy.

[OM]

[NOTE: Where you see obvious blanks, highlight to reveal spoilers and nasty secret messages to Matty ]

...Actually, the whole mess has been screened, and a synopsis of a 70-minute cut of Cloverfield was posted last week to imdb.com:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1060277/...hread/94472622

...I'll let you kids go spoil yourselves on your own, so I don't have to bitchslap the spoiler challenged. Also, be advised that there's a few people claiming this one to be a hoax. If it *is*, he's done a damn good job concocting a faux synop using all known footage so far released. However, if it is the real deal, I will say this about the film: do *NOT* be surprised if everyone else in the world will steal my definition of what Abrams' "f'uck you" to the Toho folks when they refused to let him do another US Godzilla reimaging.

Cloverfield = The Blair Godzilla Project

...Again, feel free to quote me on this one, kids. Everyone will go see it for the SFX, but the plot - and the sheer lack of any real answers as to the origins of the monster, or any real resolution to the whole story - is going to piss a lot of people off. Much in the same way the Blair Witch Project did those who thought the ending was too open-ended.

Originally Posted by Regulator

I don't see how the "secret" can be anything other than a letdown. Until I saw this article, I had already started to think that they'd go the whole movie without showing the monster just to f with people.

...And on that note, according to the imdb spoiler review linked above, that's pretty much what happens. What you see of the monster isn't all that clear, simply because Abrams apparently wanted this monster to be so big in scope that you really can't grasp the whole thing because of the sheer immensity of it. Which, of course, a certain MU photographer or two who shot Galactus would have no problem saying "that's complete and utter bulls'hit!" Go figure.

[Thinks]

...On the other hand, who knows? Maybe Abrams subscribed to The Q's philosophy of "It's Magic"? We'll see.

[JLAJRC]

I'll wait for the reviews before deciding to see it.

[TheMightyGeek]

The Cloverfield monster is...



Sorry to spoil it for you all.

[Jomma]

According to some sources:

Don't read if you don't want to be spoiled!!!!!!!

The monster attacks New York and eventually is destroyed by this giant robot. Here is an image of the Robot

http://www.crazedfanboy.com/npcr/images/sokko_4.jpg

You don't believe me?

Well, this outta convince you guys:


I'm lying and made it all up. I love Johnny Sokko!

I'll be first in line to see Cloverfield.

[pez dispenser]

Nah.
It's obvious.
The Cloverfield monster is the Blair Witch.

[Molnek]

I don't think this movie is going to be good, when their entire campaign is "Hey J.J Abrams, and It's mysterious!"
I work in a movie theatre and not a shift goes by where someone sees the standee and doesn't say "Cloverfield? What's that?" Most people see movies based on who's in it, or who directed it, then I tell them it's a bunch of no names, and they go oh and leave it at that, I don't think that's good but it's true.
I'm probably going to see it, but I don't have to pay, and maybe because I don't think it'll be any good it'll surprise me but Cloverfield looks as if they didn't want to bother with an actual director so they said to a cameraman, "Hey just follow these people around and when we tell you pan to empty sky and we'll add in some special effects!"

[alazar]

I saw the movie Monday and was pleased. It wasn't mind blowing, but I enjoyed it.

We were told that security had night glasses and that if they saw anyone recording, or taking pictures they would throw them out. the hush-hush security thing was played up by the theater.


I think we get a good enough look at the creature(s). If people are expecting a monster film they will be dissapointed. Remember, this is told through the digital camera of mainly one person. Explaining how's, and what things are would not make sense.

The effects were FANTASTIC. I would like to see a comic book epilogue about this movie from the military side of view. That should explain things for those that just have to have everything explained to them, for them to enjoy it.

[btjs]

Looking forward to it.

[tfitz]

Can it live up to the hype? Probably not. Can it still be a great movie? I think so. I'll be in line to see it Friday or Saturday.

[Mundungus]

I'm really excited for this movie. I don't think it'll disappoint, but I've got my fingers crossed.

I'm seeing the midnight showing. I DO NOT want the whole thing to be spoiled the second I wake up in the morning.

[alazar]

Originally Posted by Mundungus

I'm really excited for this movie. I don't think it'll disappoint, but I've got my fingers crossed.

I'm seeing the midnight showing. I DO NOT want the whole thing to be spoiled the second I wake up in the morning.

When I woke up this morning I had a different feeling about the movie. It was a spooky claustrophobic feeling, because of some of the scenes. You'll see what I mean.

[I.M.C.]

Hey, if Newsarama does any other interviews this week with all those involved in Cloverfield. Ask if there are any plans for actions figures of the beast, and it's king-sized flees.

[Snikkas]

I've heard rumors the monster is either a lion or a giant squid.

Anything less than Godzilla and I will be wholly unsatisfied.