The veteran actor plays Yin Sen, an Afghani scientist who is being held hostage by Islamic terrorists alongside Stark and helps the weapons manufacturer literally forge the prototype for his high-tech suit of armor. Taub called us up to talk about his role, working with Downey and why The Kite Runner was the best film of 2007.
GIANT: So tell us about Yin Sen–who is this guy and why is he so crucial to the story?
Shaun Taub: I’m basically the man responsible for saving Tony Stark’s life and starting him on his journey to becoming Iron Man. Yin Sen is a very important character. In the original comic book, he was sort of an Asian character, but for the film he’s from Afghanistan.
GIANT: Did you go back to the original comics to prepare for the part?
Taub: I try not to overwhelm myself with too much research, because it can become a handicap. Since this character wasn’t exactly the same as the one in the comic, I felt he was someone I had to create. I only wanted to know enough to know what the character is about. It’s a strange thing that happens to me when I work–I’m able to visualize my characters quite naturally. My walk changes, for example. Two days before shooting my role in Iron Man, I felt something wasn’t quite right with Yin Sen’s wardrobe. I had a vision of what the character should look like and to their credit, the costume department was totally open to it. So we went shopping and that’s where he came up with who Yin Sen is.
GIANT: How did you enjoy working with Robert Downey Jr.?
Taub: We really got along on and off camera. Everyone saw that including the editors. They made comments to Jon, like “These guys look like they’ve done 20 movies together.” We just meshed. We understood the ways we worked and we really got along. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed working with him.
GIANT: This movie is probably going to clean up at the box office, which means a sequel is inevitable. Do you think you’ll be back in Iron Man 2?
Taub: It’s a comic book movie! Anybody can come back at any point. Anything could happen. Yin Sen’s a very important character so it depends where they go. I believe there will be sequels and I hope Robert and Jon do many more. As far as everyone else, we shall see.
GIANT: What feedback have you received from the comic-book crowd?
Taub: They’re an amazing crowd–so passionate and so loyal. It’s incredible to come across such fans and really interesting to interact with them. They can’t wait for the movie; I’ve never seen a situation where people are in love with the movie before it even opens. I’ve seen it and it doesn’t disappoint. The action sequences are great. They are going to make the fans want to fly. Everyone is going to want to get into that suit, including myself.
GIANT: On another note, I really enjoyed your performance in The Kite Runner last fall; I’m sorry the movie wasn’t more widely seen by audiences.
Taub: In my heart, I believe The Kite Runner was the best movie of 2007. It’s truly a shame that more people didn’t discover the film, but it’s a crazy business we’re in. You never know what people are thinking. A lot of people just didn’t hear about it. It’s unfortunate because movies like that don’t get made too often. I was watching a little bit of it yesterday and it just grabs you. In time, this is a movie that will become a classic. People who saw it, they tell me they like it as much or better than the book. And now that its on DVD I’m hoping people will go and discover this beautiful and important movie.
