'G.I. Joe' Director Brings Playtime to Life

What's going on, everybody? This is Jon M Chu, the director of GI Joe 3D Retaliation. I'm doing the choo choo. How am I doing? Move the shoulders. Move the shoulders. Oh. Yeah. Get it. Get it. Get on the train.

So I know Bruce has publicly said that this is a great film and that he was honored and he loved that he plays the original Joe. He felt like it was an honor. I would imagine Bruce would be very intimidating.

Yeah. They They literally are all intimidating before you meet them. I mean, they're they're they're majors, sir.

I mean, you're used to that with Justin and everything.

Yes, but it's different. I mean, when you when when I'm with Justin, I'm following him. I'm a part of I'm I'm getting thrown into his entourage. I'm just like it's like Almost Famous, just being there with I'm exactly. I literally lived that life. Um the three of us for sure, Dwayne, Bruce and myself, love love GI Joe. And we have different generations of the GI Joe, though. That's what's interesting. Like I knew the cartoon. Dwayne knew the comic book and the and the toys. And then And then Bruce knew the 12-in original action figure. So we all could connect those dots. And that's I think what's important for this GI Joe was to connect all the different brands of GI Joe into one. They've always been very separate. Right. Hey, for me, I I just didn't want to disappoint my 10-year-old self, to be honest. I just wanted to make sure that whatever we made, uh, it was unapologetic about what GI Joe is. That there are ninjas, and there's military guys, and it's part 007, it's part Western, it's part all these things and that we that we went for it. To be actually in person with a live tank of of the toy that I used to have and a dune buggy and a motorcycle and and with Cobra symbols everywhere and then you have Bruce and Dwayne sitting there. I mean, my brain definitely felt like it was it was going to explode. It was pretty awesome.

And even like the Himalayas, the scene with the ninjas where you're there cliff diving. I read that you said there was one scene that you always wanted to do and you always wanted to see on screen. Was that it?

I was it was that that one? That was one of the ones that, you know, you play cliff sides all the time with your with your Joes. And we actually designed that scene with GI Joes. Hasbro sent over a bunch of ninja toys. And we set up our couches and tables the way we wanted it to be cuz we had to communicate this to our CG guys.

Do you remember being your 10-year-old self making noises?

No, no, I think I was making noises. I think I was going like, and then he jumped, choo choo, and then explodes. And everyone was like standing like

The directors got to love him. Drive it like you stole it. So there was one catchphrase in the film. Yes. Channing's was drive it like you steal it. Yes. Which I think is going to catch on. Do you have a catchphrase, a personal catchphrase?

Do I have a catchphrase? Um, no, but I have a quote that um, I uh, that was said to me a long time ago and um, that sort of changed the way I thought about what I do and it said, you know, I kept asking him, when do I know I'm a director? This is I was asking a mentor of mine and he said, no one's ever going to give you that label, John. You're never just going to walk into your office and direct it. You're like, you either are, you aren't. So you are what you do every day. If you're a writer, you write every day. Whether you're getting paid for it or not. If you're a director, you direct something every day. Uh, and if you're a good person, little white lies here and there means you're a liar. And if you are a good person then you don't do any of those things and that that makes you who you are.

So in the spirit of your your dance background, we want to actually ask you a couple quick questions sort of in the spirit like Dancing with the GI Joe stars. Okay. Okay. Here we go. In a dance off between Bruce Willis and Dwayne The Rock Johnson, who's taking it? And can either of them take down Channing Tatum?

They're all really good, actually. We actually have a pretty good dance cast. It's pretty amazing.

Really? You have a good dance crew?

I mean, I mean we we would be America's Best Dance Crew, no doubt. Uh, Bruce is good. I mean, but he does his own thing. He just he just vibes. He just has that vibe. So, uh, but but I would say between those two, uh, the Rock would take it just because he he looks a little more difficult because he's a big guy. So,

What's his signature move? I've seen him do his thing and he has that um what is it called, his peck pop up love that he does. Uh, we

How does that go? He just moves his pecks and they go to the beat. Oh, he can do that. So he can move that. He's one of those.

Do you have a signature?

Uh, I have the choo choo.

What's that?

The choo choo. Get on the train. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. That's right. That's right. You got to move your shoulders, just a little bit. There it is. Bieber fans made that up for me. So, uh, shout out to them.

Well, you cannot go against the Bieber fans cuz they'll come back and haunt you.

Never, never. I love it.

And Channing's the Magic Mike?

I have Channing's all over the place. He can he could work any move any place he's in and uh, yeah, he's he's good at pretty much anything.

Okay. You're at the wrap party and you are going to break out an iconic move. Are you going to do Axl Rose's snake dance, Elvis's hip shuffle, Michael Jackson's moonwalk, or Madonna's vogue?

Ah, Michael Jackson's moonwalk.

Which I hear you're great at. I've done it for you before. I know. Can we pull up that clip? A clip is coming up. And we're going to see the clip of you going Cuz you thought I was drinking it. You weren't drinking a little bit. Let's be honest.

I was stone cold sober.

Oh, you're stone. Oh, no. You're just a crazy dancer. What other others are that's like it. That was what it was. Well, before I let you go, since I moonwalked last time, do you know the Elaine dance from Seinfeld?

I I No, I don't know the Elaine. How does it go?

Oh, god. I'll do it seated. I like it. I like it. And this time you're neither stone nor drunk to do this.

Exactly. I like it.