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What Marvel hero would you like to see the Grandmaster meet up with in the future?

Oh, that’s an interesting idea. Well, I overlapped with one day of Cate Blanchett’s shooting and she’s so spectacular as Hela. I keep wanting to have scenes with her. We worked together on a Wes Anderson movie awhile ago — The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou — and I sure would love to do anything with her. But, in the comic books, the character of the Grandmaster is the brother of The Collector, played by Benicio del Toro, who I adore. So I would enjoy doing something with him. That would be fun.

You’re married to a Torontonian [Canadian gymnast Emilie Livingston], so that makes you pretty much an honorary citizen. What do you like best about the city?

I’m crazy about it. That’s where I made The Fly and so I have the fondest and most wonderful memories of that. I’ve made a couple of other movies there, something called Threshold and the Town Where No One Got Off. I’ve been to the Toronto Film Festival several times. Now with Emily, we’ve been together six, seven years, I’ve visited there a number of times. In fact, I was just there a week ago. I was at the Berlin Film Festival for the premiere of The Isle of Dogs and on my way back I stopped in Toronto. Emily was there with our two little boys to visit her parents and see some friends, so I was there for a few days. I love that whole city.

So you’ve been in this business for over 40 years. You started out as Freak #1 in Death Wish in 1974. What do you make of your success?

It’s sort of miraculous. Before I did Death Wish, I was obsessed with becoming an actor. I don’t know how or why, but when I was very young that’s what I wanted to be. When I was in high school I would write on the shower door before I went to school, ‘Please God, let me be an actor.’ Then I would rub if off before anyone saw it. It was a secret wish of mine. I not only got the rare opportunity to get a chance, but I’ve been able to work continuously. I’ve gone from one interesting thing to another. And, over a few decades, I’ve gotten to work with some really interesting people. I’m as lucky as you can get and I’m wildly grateful.