Peltz, Reynor Talk Green Broom Sticks for Transformers

In an interview with io9.com, Transformers: Age of Extinction's Nicola Peltzand Jack Reynor talk about working with the green broom sticks and using their imagination to act against Transformers. Highlights below, full interview here. Thanks to Feris O. for the movie still.

What was it like for you as actors working with characters who were largely CG?
http://io9.com/transformers-4-actors-explain-why-michael-bay-hit-them-1596007307
Nicola Peltz: You know, I thought there was going to be more green screen than there was. The sets were real and all the explosions were real, and as an actor that helps so much. But when you are talking to Bumblebee or Optimus, it's a pole, like a…

Jack Reynor: A washer pole.

Nicola Peltz: Yeah, a Swiffer sweeper pole, whatever it's called. They put a cutout of Optimus' face or Bumblebee's face, and you just have to go for it. It may seem silly in the moment, but you have to go for it. You know, I trust Michael [Bay] so much and what he does with these films, it's just mind-blowing. So it's very exciting to see how he puts them together and what you are screaming at.

Did you get to meet with the voice actors to develop your characters' relationships with them?

Jack Reynor: No, there's a really great voice actor called Mark Ryan—he's from the UK—and he came in to do some of the voices and that really helped in particular scenes. But a lot of the time, Michael will read it in himself and he runs around with this washer pole and stuff. It's kind of a crazy thing, but if you can get over the hilarity of the situation, it works.

Nicola Peltz: Yeah, there was one scene where I was in a car and, I think there's a picture of it, of Michael going like this [makes a motion like she is extending a broomstick] with a broom, like a green broom. And the other day, I saw the scene, and I was like, "Wow." It looked so real, and I was like, "That was you hitting me with a broom." What he does with the CGI and how he creates these characters, it's insane.

Did you guys actually see the art or the animation of the Dinobots before your scenes?
Nicola Peltz: Michael has previs [pre-visualization], which helps a lot. You know, there's little drawings and then sometimes made into little cartoons of the action sequences and that really helps. I'm such a visual person, so seeing that is so helpful.

Jack Reynor: I don't know if I saw any Dinobots until the trailer came out really. I remember when we were going for costume fittings and stuff in LA, I remember seeing sheets with this kind of graphic design of what these things were going to look like and it was incredible.